NCJ Number
10761
Date Published
1972
Length
125 pages
Annotation
EXAMINATION OF THE OBJECTIVE FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE OCCURRENCE OF BURGLARIES IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND, AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
Abstract
BURGLARY IS A CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY. THIS STUDY ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE WHAT OBJECTIVE FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE OCCURRENCE OF ATTRACTIVE OPPORTUNITIES. EMPLOYING A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH, THE REPORT BEGINS BY OFFERING A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH BURGLARY MIGHT BE ANALYZED. THEN, BY DRAWING ON DATA FROM POLICE AND CENSUS RECORDS, A DELINEATION IS MADE OF THE REGULARITIES IN BURGLARY OFFENSES. FACTORS SUCH AS TYPE OF STRUCTURE ENTERED, POINT OF ENTRY, TIME OF DAY AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE CONSIDERED. NEXT, ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THE VICTIM HIMSELF, WITH A CONSIDERATION OF WHAT MEASURES, IF ANY, WERE TAKEN BY HIM TO SECURE HIS RESIDENCE OR NON-RESIDENTIAL PREMISES. THE WORK CONCLUDES WITH A LIST OF THE MAJOR FINDINGS DERIVED FROM THE DATA AND APPROPRIATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNTERACTIONS TO BE TAKEN. IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS ARE OUTLINED IN CONCRETE AND SPECIFIC TERMS DESIGNED TO BE HELPFUL TO THE POLICEMAN AND PRIVATE CITIZEN ALIKE. THIS DOCUMENT IS THE FIRST OF A SIX PART PRESENTATION. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY SEE-NCJ-010762, AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF STUDIES OF BURGLARY, NCJ-010763, SUPPORTING STATISTICAL TABLES, NCJ-010764, VICTIM INTERVIEW SCHEDULES AND CODING MANUALS, NCJ-010765, MISCELLANEOUS APPENDICES, NCJ-010766, TWO RELATED PAPERS ON THE THEORY AND EMPIRICAL NATURE OF BURGLARY AND CRIME IN GENERAL, AND NCJ-010767, A SUMMARY VOLUME.