NCJ Number
174679
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1997 Pages: 57-71
Date Published
1997
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This Israeli study tested the hypothesis that characteristics of the crime target are central to understanding patterns of property victimization.
Abstract
Property victimization has increased in recent years in Israel, particularly apartment burglary and car theft. This study used the Third National Victimization Survey conducted by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in 1990 to determine patterns of target selection by property offenders. The use of the victimization survey allowed individual-level analyses of crimes that do not come to the attention of the police. Of 6,400 households in the sample frame, 5,600 interviews were completed. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with individuals aged 15 years or over. Theft from a residence was a dummy variable, as was vehicle theft. A measure of the victim's daily activity was also used. Apartment size and car age were measured as well. For apartment burglary, the study found that the higher the number of rooms in the apartment, the higher the risk for victimization. For car theft, data show that newer cars were more likely to be stolen than older cars. These results indicate that property characteristics do affect offenders' selection of targets. 5 tables and 33 references