1

Lesson 11 – Property Crime and Fraud

Robert WonserIntroduction to CriminologyCrime and Delinquency

2

Introduction

• Property crime• Is very costly•Generally in the billions

3

Defining Property Crime

• Burglary•Unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft

• Larceny-Theft•Unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another

4

Defining Property Crime

• Motor Vehicle Theft• The attempted or completed theft of a motor vehicle

• Arson• Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

5

Defining Property Crime

• Forgery/Counterfeiting

• Buying, receiving, and possessing stolen property

• Embezzlement

6

Extent of Property Crime

• NCVS and UCR note how common property crime is

• Has declined since the early 1990s• Target hardening•Demographic changes

7

Patterning of Property Crime

• Highest in the South

• Offenders are predominantly • Young•Male•White

8

Social Organization of Property Crime

• Social Organization• Refers to the roles that different property criminals play and the social networks that support their criminal ways• Professional theft• Amateur (opportunistic) theft

9

Professional Property Criminals

• Older

• More skilled

• Careful planning

10

Social Organization of Property Crime

• Shoplifters• Boosters – professionals who resell what they steal• Snitches – steal for their own personal use

• Motor vehicle theft• Joyriding

11

Burglary• Types of burglars: (based on their scale of their

crimes and can move around the hierarchy through their careers)• Low-level – individual thieves with loose

connections to other thieves. They’re indiscriminate in their connections and choice of crimes.• Middle-range – involved in larger, less exclusive

thief networks• High-level – small network of highly committed

thieves who remain apart from other small-time criminals.

12

Burglary Support System

• Tipsters• Let burglars know about safe, attractive targets

• Fences•Dispose of stolen property

13

Decision Making in Burglary

• Some disagreement in the research

• Choosing geographic areas

• Look for signs of those on vacation

• Targets at work/school for long periods

14

Property Crime Victimization: Costs and Circumstances

• Costs are

• Economic• In 2011, victims of burglary lost $4.2 billion

• Psychological• Violation of privacy and personal space

15

Property Crime Victimization: Costs and Circumstances

• Larceny• In 2011, cost $5.4 billion

• Motor vehicle theft• In 2011, cost $4 billion

• Arson• In 2011, cost $600 million

16

Explaining Property Crime

• Cultural emphasis on economic success

• Techniques of neutralization• Fencing

17

Explaining Property Crime

• Economic deprivation and unemployment

• Routine activities and social process theories

• Thrill-seeking

• Example: shoplifting

18

Reducing Property Crime

• The criminal justice system•Harsher sentences/punishments

• Situational prevention• Cameras• Improved lighting

19

Situational Prevention

• Target hardening• Efforts to make residences and businesses more difficult to burglarize and motor vehicles less vulnerable to theft• Stronger locks and burglar alarms• Research supports target hardening practices

20

Situational Prevention

• Community Prevention• Focuses on streets and whole neighborhoods• Street lights• Camera surveillance• Reconfiguring physical space•Neighborhood watch

21

Fraud• Deceit or trickery used for financial

gain or for some other material advantage

• Identity theft

• Tax fraud

• Insurance fraud

• Computer fraud and computer crime

22

The Cost of Fraud

• Property crime costs $16 billion annually

• Fraud• Identity theft: $53 billion• Tax fraud: $385 billion• Insurance fraud: $100-$400 billion