NCJ Number
148223
Date Published
1977
Length
56 pages
Annotation
The statistical analysis examines 1,196 burglaries in six California jurisdictions from April 1972 to May 1973 to find a specific link between burglary offense and offender characteristics.
Abstract
Characteristics of the burglaries under study included the type of entry made, the status of the neighborhood, the items stolen, and the timing of the offense. Offender characteristics included previous offenses, race, gender, and age. A statistical analysis relating the two categories revealed that women preferred burglarizing nonresidential structures, which require little or no force to gain entry. Black/other burglars used tools more often than white offenders to enter buildings and destroy property. Burglars 18 years of age or older committed burglaries at night more and during the winter months more often than younger offenders. Aside from these minor relationships, the study detected no correlation between offender characteristics and particular types of burglaries. At the same time, the study confirmed the results of previous studies. For example, residential burglaries often happen on weekdays during the daylight hours and nonresidential burglaries on weekends during the nighttime. Most burglars use forcible entry, and few attempted burglaries are reported to the police. Also today's typical burglar is an unskilled occasional offender who shows little planning or specialization. 6 pages of refs.