NCJ Number
225604
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 1387-1392
Date Published
November 2008
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Using a sample of 456 adult career criminals specializing in burglary, this study used latent profile analysis to construct a methodologically rigorous quantitative typology for these offenders.
Abstract
The findings distinguished four subgroups of burglars: “young versatile,” “vagrants,” “drug-oriented,” and “sexual predators.” “Young versatile” burglars were characterized by relatively young age and a variety of offense types. These burglars may well escalate into additional specialty niches, but have yet to be defined by any particular pattern. “Vagrant” burglars had a history of numerous charges related to their transient status, and they apparently burglarized for material gain and survival during winter months. These burglars may have mental health disorders and lack skills for gainful legal employment. “Drug-oriented” and “sexual predator” burglars were more sharply defined and reflected descriptions of burglars based on qualitative research previously described. “Drug-oriented” burglars have had numerous drug possession and drug-trafficking offenses as well as high levels of theft and weapons offenses. They were also more likely than the other subgroups to use aliases, social security numbers, and have tattoos. “Sexual predator” burglars were involved in high levels of sexually deviant acts such as rape and prostitution/solicitation offenses. There was also evidence that this subgroup of burglars was the most violent. They also had the longest criminal careers, spanning over 30 years, as well as the earliest age of offense onset. Bond interviews (legal proceedings conducted under oath) involved self-reports of criminal history, including all police contacts, arrest, court actions, and sentences. Self-reported criminal histories were supplemented with official records from the Interstate Identification Index system. Fifteen indicator variables that reflected a varied range of offense characteristics that prior typologies have suggested to be important were used to separate offenders into subgroups with similar characteristics. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 36 references