NCJ Number
112449
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1988) Pages: 92-104
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reports the results of an empirical study designed to determine what features of the immediate environment are important to juvenile house burglars in their selection of targets.
Abstract
The study involved two main subject groups: (1) convicted juvenile burglars and (2) adult householders. Subjects were presented with photographs of houses and asked whether or not they would choose them as a burglary target on the basis of the information available. These photographs were identical for each subject apart from a controlled factor. Data also were gathered from participants via a checklist procedure, a short interview, and a surprise recognition test. The findings indicated that young burglars largely concurred as to the factors which influenced their decision when choosing a target. However, their choice of factors differed in several important respects from those which householders believed to be important to such offenders. The implications of this work for environmental crime prevention strategies are discussed. (Author abstract)