NCJ Number
99761
Date Published
1985
Length
128 pages
Annotation
Based on interviews with 31 admitted burglars in the Delaware County Prison (Pennsylvania), this study analyzes time and space factors in planning and executing burglaries of suburban residences as well as the techniques used by the burglars to target residences and execute burglaries.
Abstract
The interviewers queried the burglars about their crimes, methods of target selection, and techniques for executing burglaries. They were also asked to rank municipalities in the county according to their personal knowledge of the area and the area's potential for burglary targets. This report on the interviews first describes the suburban county in which the crimes occurred and then analyzes the time factors involved in the burglaries, namely, the timeframes when residents were most likely to be out of their homes and the times required to plan the burglary, gain entrance to the home, and select as well as carry items from the house. The impact of these time factors on the burglars' lifestyles, employment, and daily patterns are discussed. Implications are drawn for rehabilitation. The discussion then turns toward the burglars' awareness and evaluation of space as these abilities relate to the orientation of crime sites to workplaces and recreation sites and the use of secondary information about spatial factors pertinent to the burglars' decisionmaking. Descriptions of burglary techniques encompass planning methods, target selection, unobserved entry, and plans followed in the house. The concluding chapter discusses the relationship between burglary attractions and methods and suburban lifestyles. Ninety-five references are listed.