NCJ Number
194840
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: 7-18
Date Published
2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the findings of a British survey of domestic burglars that solicited information on their offending behavior.
Abstract
Of the 86 respondents, 50 percent were in custody and the remainder were subject to a community order. All the respondents were male, with an age range of 17- to 42-years-old. All had been convicted of burglary or had at least one previous conviction for burglary. The respondents were queried on factors that influenced their choice of target, preferred method of entry into properties, reasons for committing burglaries, planning of offenses, repeat offending at a particular property, and burglars' awareness of victims. The findings indicated that specific factors within the four categories of occupancy, surveillance, accessibility, and security influenced target choice and method of entry, as did previous experience. As with previous research, the survey found that a number of the burglars had targeted the same property more than once. The findings suggest that the installation of new security measures did little to deter repeat victimization. Knowing the occupants of a property had a high deterrence value, which, when linked to responses about awareness of victims, suggests that it may prove to be useful in preventing revictimization through restorative justice programs, such as victim-offender mediation. 4 tables and 45 notes