ABSTRACT
Researchers have studied offense-specific expertise among burglars with a variety of methods, including by comparing their simulated target choices to those of students, residents, and police officers. However, prior work has almost never compared the choices of burglars and non-burglar offenders, and so it is unclear whether burglars’ expertise exceeds that possessed by others with similar backgrounds and lifestyles. The present study adds to this literature by using a series of home photographs to compare the choices of burglars and non-burglar offenders. In the analysis, although similar factors influenced the choices of both groups, hints of expertise did emerge.
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Notes on contributors
Jeffrey J. Roth
JEFFREY J. ROTH is an Assistant Professor of administration of justice at Penn State New Kensington. His research interests include burglary, crime prevention, criminological theory, and methodology. His recent work has appeared in the Journal of Crime and Justice, the Journal of Juvenile Justice, and the American Journal of Criminal Justice.
Vanessa L. Trecki
VANESSA L. TRECKI is an independent scholar who recently graduated from Penn State New Kensington with a degree in Administration of Justice and Psychology. Her research interests include sex offenses and probation programs. She will attend graduate school at the University of Central Florida in 2016.