Follow-Up to Family Reports on Chapters 4 & 5 in Crime Types

Before I post my follow-up comments on the two chapters reported on yesterday (Tues. 10/18), I want to point out that, with the exception of the Blue Family which reported on Chapter 3, you have been neglecting to identify connections with the various theories we covered in the first part of the course. You'll note that my follow-up comments address this missing element.

CHAPTER 4: ROBBERY (Red Family)

A. As was noted in the Red Family's report, robbery is widely underreported. The NCVS indicates that roughly 40% of robbery victims choose not to report the crime to the police.

B. A theoretical connection to Social Disorganization theory (which I presented on the blog) can be found in the following statement: "As is the case with all forms of violent crime, increased population density yields significantly higher robbery victimization rates." (p. 131) -- so densely populated cities have higher rates, which is what the social disorganization theorist would argue.

C. Robbery is different from other violent crimes in that the vast majority of robbery offenders and victims do NOT know each other.

D. Very high recidivism rate -- 70.2% are re-arrested within three years of release from prison. As a couple of the reports brought out, clearly robbers generally have few skills and it is no surprise that many would go back to their criminal ways after being released from prison because that is all they know how to do.

E. Many robbers are "alert opportunists," implying that: "Planning does not appear to play a large role in most robberies." (p. 136) Also, many (one-third or more) are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when they commit their crimes -- this clearly goes AGAINST Rational Choice theory.

F. The fact that most "seasoned thieves" invoke some "normative neutralizations" to justify their behavior lends support to Differential Association/Social Learning theory, as does the existence of a SUBCULTURE among robbers where they act as teams.

G. The notion of "life as a party" -- instant gratification -- characterizes the lives of robbers.

H. There is even some support for Anomie/Strain theory in the following observation: "The bottom line is that the offenders, when faced with a pressing need for cash, tend to resort to robbery because they know of no other course of action, legal or illegal, that offers as quick and easy a way out of their financial difficulties." (p. 146)

I. Finally, in the carjacker article it was noted how easy targets (isolated, weak victims, desirable vehicles) sometimes motivated carjackers, which would lend support to Routine Activities theory.


CHAPTER 5: BURGLARY (Black Family)

A. Although burglary is one of the most common property crimes, the rate of burglary has dropped nearly 75% over the past three decades. In fact, other developed countries have higher rates than the U.S..

B. Perhaps surprisingly, the rural rate is higher than the suburban rate which is the lowest. Suburbs are more likely to have neighborhood watch programs, security systems, etc., whereas rural homes tend to be more isolated. Lends support to Routine Activities theory (relative absence of informal or formal control agents).

C. Burglary tends to involve more planning than robbery, but Dabney suggests it is often minimal and many burglars are under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time they commit their crimes. This would challenge the applicability of the Rational Choice theory.

1. But given that the arrest rate is very low, only 13%, it might be a rational calculation that the rewards are greater than the costs because the likelihood of getting caught is so low.

D. Some support for Differential Association/Social Learning theory in that burglars often work in groups and even have "apprentices" who learn the ropes. Women are more likely to work in groups than men. Also, the article on female burglars confirms my criticism of the feminist perspective (blog notes) -- that female burglars tend to get more lenient treatment in the criminal justice system rather than harsher treatment, as some feminist criminologists claim.

E. In the article on the Stolen Property System (SPS), the authors make a very good point: that we need to look beyond the individual criminal and recognize the broader context of burglary, which includes this SPS, which clearly facilitates this criminal act, not to mention ordinary people who are willing to buy these stolen goods. And, I would add, clearly that the SPS operates on rational business principles.


***REMEMBER THAT THE NOTES ABOVE MAY BE THE BASIS FOR QUESTIONS ON OUR UPCOMING MIDTERM EXAM. AS I NOTED AT THE END OF CLASS ON TUESDAY, THE MIDTERM EXAM WILL ONLY COVER THROUGH CHAPTER 5 IN CRIME TYPES. ALSO, I STILL NEED THE QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS) FROM THE GREEN AND RED FAMILIES. I hope to see everyone tomorrow, especially since we'll be reviewing for the midterm exam next Tuesday 10/25.