NCJ Number
226311
Date Published
2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Based on an analysis of the criminal records of all persons who committed a burglary in Arkansas between January 1, 1994, and January 1, 2000, this study examined whether those convicted of burglary were likely to commit additional burglaries while on pretrial or preincarceration release.
Abstract
In failing to support the hypotheses regarding the existence of burglary as a specialized criminal pattern, this study found that none of the offenders analyzed had only burglaries in their criminal histories; and few of them had a substantial history of burglary arrests. Most had arrests for a variety of crimes, and the most prolific offenders were typically not primarily burglars. There was no statistically significant difference between those offenders who committed one or more burglaries while on release and those who did not. Thus, these findings fail to support the argument that pretrial or preincarceration confinement of those charged with or convicted of burglary must be confined in order to prevent their commission of additional burglaries. This can save policymakers time and citizens money in misguided efforts to reduce burglaries. The authors caution, however, that because the findings are complex and somewhat conflicting regarding who is and is not likely to commit a repeat burglary offense, the findings should be viewed cautiously until more research is conducted on specific factors related to burglary offenses. For the purposes of this study, "burglary" was defined within the criminal history files as charged offenses that involve either a "commercial burglary," a "residential burglary," or a "burglary, other" under the Arkansas Criminal Code. Persons were considered arrested for a burglary if they had an entry in their criminal history file. Whether or not a person was adjudicated for this arrest was not considered in the research findings. 28 references