NCJ Number
194272
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2002 Pages: 45-73
Date Published
2002
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effects of proximate events on criminal choice, with emphasis on the influence of initial offending on subsequent criminal decision-making.
Abstract
Data were obtained from 110 semistructured interviews of adult male thieves supervised by the Tennessee Department of Correction. Data were from two samples. The goal of using these two samples was to maximize the number of accounts and variation in the criminal experience of the subjects, thereby increasing confidence that findings applied to a broad range of offenders. Fifty interviews were conducted with a sample of adult males convicted of robbery and burglary. Sixty interviews of incarcerated habitual thieves constituted the second data source. The average age of offenders from both samples was 33. The findings indicated that offenders assessed opportunity in the context of recent decisions and events. General outlook stemmed from lessons derived from recent choices. When offenders confronted potentially criminal situations or promising targets, perceptual outcomes of recent crimes operated in tandem with a temporary sense of commitment to criminal trajectories of action to inspire a serendipitous optimism. This complex decision-making can happen in an instant and is imperceptible without asking offenders to reflect on the sequential events that precede crime. 79 references