AUTO THEFT - OFFENDER AND OFFENSE CHARACTERISTICS

• NCJ Number: 49025
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1977) Pages: 367-385
• Author(s): C H MCCAGHY; P C GIORDANO; T K HENSON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 19 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc; American Soc of Criminology
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REVISION OF PAPER READ AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, TUCSON, ARIZONA, NOVEMBER 4-7, 1976

Annotation

AUTO THEFT ARREST AND STOLEN AUTO RECOVERY DATA WERE ASSESSED, ALONG WITH JUVENILE DATA, AS PART OF AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF AUTO THEFT OFFENSE AND OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS IN OHIO.

Abstract

OF AUTO THIEVES IN TOLEDO, 55.9 PERCENT WERE WHITE AND 42.2 PERCENT WERE BLACK. A SIMILAR RACIAL MAKEUP WAS FOUND FOR JUVENILES, AGAIN WITH BLACKS OVERREPRESENTED. FOR BOTH ADULT AND JUVENILE AUTO THIEVES, MEDIAN INCOME WAS UNDER $10,000 IN APPROXIMATELY 68 PERCENT OF THE CASES. RECOVERY STATISTICS INDICATE THAT INVESTIGATORS HAVE A BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHANCE OF FINDING AN ABANDONED STOLEN VEHICLE IN A BLACK CENSUS TRACT, SUGGESTING THAT BLACK INVOLVEMENT IN AUTO THEFT MAY BE GREATER THAN INDICATED BY ARREST STATISTICS. SIMILAR RACIAL REPRESENTATION IN AUTO THEFTS ARRESTS IS FOUND IN 1966 TO 1973 SAMPLE OF VIRGINIA JUVENILE OFFENDERS. AN OCCUPATIONAL COMPARISON FOR FATHERS OF JUVENILE AUTO THIEVES AND JUVENILES APPREHENDED FOR OTHER DELINQUENT OFFENSES INDICATES THAT WHILE WHITE, UPPER MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS YOUTHS REPRESENT A SUBSTANTIAL MINORITY OF AUTO THIEVES, THEY ARE EQUALLY REPRESENTED IN OTHER DELINQUENT OFFENSES. THESE FINDINGS CONTRADICT THE COMMON SOCIOLOGICAL ASSUMPTION THAT AUTO THEFT AMONG JUVENILES IS A FAVORED-GROUP (E.G., WHITE/HIGHER INCOME) DELINQUENCY. IN AVAILABLE LITERATURE JOYRIDING IS OFTEN UNDERSCORED AS THE ROOT CAUSE FOR JUVENILE AUTO THEFT. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL MOTIVES INCLUDE SHORT-TERM TRANSPORTATION, LONG-TERM TRANSPORTATION, PROFIT, AND THE NEED FOR CRIME-RELATED TRANSPORTATION, IN GENERAL, JOYRIDING AND SHORT-TERM TRANSPORTATION ARE MOST COMMONLY THE MOTIVES OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS, WHILE THEFT FOR PROFIT, FOR COMMISSION OF A CRIME, OR FOR LONG-TERM TRANSPORTATION APPEAR TO BE MORE FREQUENTLY PERPETRATED BY ADULT, LOWER INCOME OFFENDERS. INTERESTINGLY, SHORTTERM TRANSPORTATION IS MORE FREQUENTLY GIVEN AS A REASON FOR THEFT THAN JOYRIDING BY WHITE HIGHER INCOME JUVENILES. RACE SHOWS LITTLE VARIATION AMONG THE DIFFERENTLY MOTIVATED TYPES OF AUTO THEFT, SUGGESTING THAT RACE HAS LITTLE EXPLANATORY POWER. ALSO, AUTO THEFT, REGARDLESS OF TYPE, APPEARS TO BE A GROUP OFFENSE. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)