NCJ Number
97910
Date Published
1984
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Professional theft traditionally refers to nonviolent criminal behavior undertaken with a high degree of skill for monetary gain; it tends to maximize financial opportunities and minimize the possibilities of apprehension.
Abstract
Typical forms of criminal activity by professional thieves include pickpocketing, burglary, shoplifting, forgery and counterfeiting, extortion, sneak theft, and confidence swindling. An overview considers professional thieves' historical roots, habitat, means of communication, recruitment and training methods, stock-in-trade, and rules and codes of their culture. It is suggested that 'professional thief' is a label applied by professional thieves to other professional thieves in accord with criteria specified by peer members as the minimum requirements for admission to the fraternal structure. The decline of the professional thief is said to have its roots in the reform movements of the 1890's, combined with the modern plans for urban renewal which brought about serious shrinkage or total elimination of the vice areas that had provided so much interaction and isolation for the professional thief. Seven notes and 41 references are listed.