Property Crimes

1
Property Crimes

• the true measure of crime is namely, the harm
  done to society - C. Beccaria

2
Introduction

• Public interest vs. volume
• Approx. 60
• Personal injury vs. personal violations
• conventional crimes
• Break and Enter
• Ss. 348-353 intent of stealing something
• NO threat of force and no face-to-face

3

• Break and Enter vs. Burglary
• Target
• Residences
• Businesses
• Urban over rural
• Semi-detached over single dwellings
• Rented vs. owner-occupied
• Items at risk
• audio-/video
• jewelry

4

• Crimes of opportunity and rational choice
• Home invasion vs. break and enter
• Clearance rates 15!
• Crime prevention vs. crime displacement
• seriousness vs. social cost (e.g., insurance)
• Police ability to resolve vs. fortification

5

• Fraud
• Ss. 380-396
• Theft through
• Deception, falsehood, or cheating
• Property vs. white-collar crime or organized
  crime
• Credit cards!
• Role of neutralization
• Value economic success vs. crime control
• ? Role of target hardening

6

• Theft
• 14 sections C.C.
• Cattle to theft by spouse
• over and under theft
• 95 change from 1 to 5,000
• Shoplifting to household articles to inventory
  shrinkage and vehicle theft
• WHY?
• Boredom, thrills, to routine activity theory
• Target hardening limited success

7

• Arson
• Ss. 433-436
• NOT a true property but involves destruction of
  property
• Relatively rare but economically telling
• Males vs. females
• Fraud to thrills to revenge to disturbed (see
  Table 10-4)

8

• fire for profit vs. accidental
• Motivation varied
• ! A career in arson investigation
• Motor Vehicle Crimes
• A North American obsession
• S. 335 vessels without consent (s. 214)
• Theft. A 1.6B concern
• Geographic variation
• Model variation
• Males 12-17 joyriding
• Response typically informal!

9

• WHY?
• Symbolism
• Peer influence
• Mere opportunity
• Profit
• Role of the automotive industry
• The Club
• Keyless entry
• GIS, etc.
• Security vs. motivation underlying MTV
• Integrated and interdisciplinary

10
SUMMARY

• Property crime and economic crimes
• Youth and amateurs
• Relative nature arson theft
• Prevention. Target hardening
• Explanation dominated by sociological
  perspectives, but
• Social, environmental, political, and individual
  factors - interdisciplinary
• Role of comparative research

11
Cheers