NCJ Number
67839
Date Published
1976
Length
131 pages
Annotation
INTERVIEWS WITH PROFESSIONAL THIEVES WHO OPERATED IN RURAL AREAS REVEAL THAT HIGHLY ORGANIZED GROUPS ENGAGE IN THEFTS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY, LIVESTOCK, AND FARM EQUIPMENT, USING SOPHISTICATED TECHNIQUES.
Abstract
THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES WERE ESTABLISHED FOR THIS STUDY: TO DESCRIBE THE ORGANIZATION AND THE METHODS OF THE PROFESSIONAL THEFT AND FENCING OF MACHINERY AND LIVESTOCK FROM RURAL AREAS; TO DESCRIBE THE METHODS IN THE THEFT AND FENCING OF GOODS STOLEN FROM RURAL RESIDENCIES AND NONRESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS; TO IDENTIFY THE PROFESSIONAL THIEF AND VOCABULARY OF MOTIVES OF THE THIEF AND TO ANALYZE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS. INFORMATION FOR THE STUDY WAS ACQUIRED THROUGH INDEPTH INTERVIEWS OF FIVE PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE THEFT AND FENCING OF PROPERTY STOLEN FROM RURAL AREAS. LITERATURE RELEVANT TO THE STUDY OF PROFESSIONAL THIEVERY AND FENCING WAS REVIEWED. THREE CHECKS ON VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ARE DESCRIBED AS PART OF THE METHODOLOGY. MAJOR FINDINGS WHICH EMERGED FROM THE STUDY ARE THAT BLOCKING STRATEGIES FOR COMBATTING RURAL THEFT INCLUDE REDUCTION OF THE AVAILABLE SUPPLY OF GOODS FOR THEFT BY THE CONSISTENT APPLICATION OF PROVEN THEFT-PROOFING MEASURES. THE PROSECUTION OF THIEVES, FENCES AND THEIR CUSTOMERS WOULD LIKELY REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF RURAL THEFT. ALSO, MANY RURAL PEOPLE ARE VICTIMIZED BY PROFESSIONAL THIEVES BECAUSE THEY FEEL A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY FROM THEFT BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN A RURAL AREA. SPECIFIC KINDS OF THEFT ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL. SOME LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY--THE NEED FOR A LARGER SAMPLE OF INFORMANTS, MORE THOROUGH CORROBORATION OF TESTIMONIES, AND THE ISOLATION OF THE ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RURAL THIEVERY AND URBAN THIEVERY--MUST BE CORRECTED IN FUTURE RESEARCH. FOOTNOTES AND APPROXIMATELY 30 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.