Open Access Publisher and Free Library
CRIME+CRIMINOLOGY.jpeg

CRIME

Violent-Non-Violent-Cyber-Global-Organized-Environmental-Policing-Crime Prevention-Victimization

Posts tagged Offender Decision-Making
Learning on the job: Studying Expertise in Residential Burglars Using Virtual Environments

By Claire Nee, Jean-Louis van Gelder, Marco Otte, Zarah Vernham, and Amy Meenaghan

In this article, we describe a quasi-experiment in which experienced incarcerated burglars (n = 56), other offenders (n = 50), and nonoffenders (n = 55) undertook a mock burglary within a virtual neighborhood. We draw from the cognitive psychology literature on expertise and apply it to offending behavior, demonstrating synergy with rational choice perspectives, yet extending them in several respects. Our principal goal was to carry out the first robust test of expertise in offenders by having these groups undertake a burglary in a fully fledged reenactment of a crime in a virtual environment. Our findings indicate that the virtual environment successfully reinstated the context of the crime showing clear differences in the decision making of burglars compared with other groups in ways commensurate with expertise in other behavioral domains. Specifically, burglars scoped the neighborhood more thoroughly, spent more time in the high-value areas of the crime scene while traveling less distance there, and targeted different goods from the comparison groups. The level of detail in the data generated sheds new light on the cognitive processes and actions of burglars and how they “learn on the job.” Implications for criminal decision-making perspectives and psychological theories of expertise are discussed.


Criminology Volume 57, Issue 3Aug 2019 Pages373-574

download
The Reasoning Criminologist: Essays in Honour of Ronald V. Clarke

May Contain Mark-Ups

Edited by Nick Tilley and Graham Farrell

“The Reasoning Criminologist”is a tribute to Professor Ronald V. Clarke, celebrating his significant contributions to criminology and crime science, particularly in situational crime prevention. Edited by Nick Tilley and Graham Farrell, the book features essays from leading criminologists who are Clarke’s colleagues or former students. These essays cover theoretical and empirical contributions to situational crime prevention, rational choice theory, environmental criminology, evaluation, and problem-oriented policing.

Situational Crime Prevention (SCP): Clarke’s development of SCP focuses on reducing crime opportunities through environmental design and management,increasing the effort and risks for offenders, and reducing rewards.Problem-Oriented Policing (POP): Clarke’s work has significantly influenced POP,which emphasizes addressing specific problems through scientific methods and careful analysis.

British Crime Survey: Clarke played a crucial role in establishing this survey,which provided valuable data on unrecorded crime and influenced SCP strategies.

Focused Deterrence Strategies: The book discusses the integration of SCP with focused deterrence strategies, which involve identifying key offenders, leveraging a variety of sanctions, and directly communicating with offenders to deter crime.

Multidisciplinary Approach: The Crime Science Series, edited by Richard Wortley,presents crime science as a multidisciplinary approach involving criminology, sociology, psychology, geography, economics, architecture, industrial design, epidemiology, computer science, mathematics, engineering, and biology.

Routledge, 2013, 260 pages

READ
Cognition and Crime: Offender Decision Making and Script Analyses

May Contain Mark-Ups

Edited by Benoit Leclerc and Richard Wortley

The book “Cognition and Crime” explores the rational choice perspective in criminology, focusing on how offenders make decisions and how these decisions can be analyzed to prevent crime. Edited by Benoit Leclerc and Richard Wortley, the book brings together international researchers to delve into various crimes such as stalking, drug dealing, human trafficking, child sexual abuse, and illegal wildlife trade.

Key themes include:

Rational Choice Perspective: This framework views criminal behavior as purposeful and influenced by the perceived costs and benefits of actions.

Crime Script Analysis: This method breaks down the sequence of actions in a crime to identify points where interventions can prevent criminal activities.

Situational Crime Prevention:Strategies are discussed to modify environments to reduce opportunities for crime and control situational precipitators.

The book also examines the cognitive processes and decision-making strategies of offenders, highlighting factors like stress, impulsiveness, and premeditation. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the offender-victim interchange, especially in crimes like child sexual abuse, to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies. Overall, “Cognition and Crime” aims to enhance situational crime prevention by integrating insights from cognitive psychology and criminology, providing a comprehensive approach to understanding and preventing criminal behavior.

Routledge, Aug 15, 2013, 261 pages

READ