Chapter 2 Deciding to Commit a Burglary Demographic characteristics of Residential Burglary YOUNG MALE POOR The direct cause of residential burglary is a perceptual process through which the offender comes to be seem as a means of meeting an immediate need that is through which the motive of crime is formed o Motivation to offend is closely tied to assessment of current circumstances and prospects Walker In order to develop a convincing explanation for criminal behavior we must begin with distinguishing the states of minds in which offenders commit or contemplate the commission of their offenses Question the chapter attempts to answer Why are people who were not determined to commit crime at one moment determined to do it in the next o The aim is to explore the extent to which the decision to commit a residential burglary is the result of a process of careful calculation and deliberation A pressing need for cash o 9 out of 10 offenders in sample said they committed burglaries primarily when o Regarded money as providing them the means to an immediate problem Day to they needed money day survival The frequency in which offenders committed burglaries were governed largely by the amount of money they had in their pockets Many would not offend if they had sufficient cash to meet current expenses Many are greedy or addicted to money and will commit burglary even if they had sufficient cash Offenders typically don t keep money derived from a burglary and spend it on one or more of the following purposes 1 To keep the party going 2 To keep up appearances and 3 to keep themselves and their families fed clothed and sheltered Keeping the Party Going 38 of men in the study said they spent their burglary money on various forms of high living o 59 0f the 68 offends who said they spent their money on pleasant seeking purposes specifically mentioned drugs For many the decision to break into a dwelling resulted from a heavy session of drug use o The most heavy frequently implicated was crack cocaine Lemert 39 labeled these needs to drugs and committing burglaries to obtain more drugs Dialectical self enclosed systems of behavior o He says they have an internal logic or false structure that calls for more of the same More drugs o Once locked into such events Lemert asserts that participants experience considerable pressure to continue even if it involves breaking the law o Ex If you start binge drinking for a week straight with friends that pattern will start to get mutually reinforced by the interaction of participants The patterns tend to have an accelerated beginning a climax and a terminus If halfway through the spree you run out of money the pressures immediately become crucial to take such measures as are necessary to preserve the behavior He steals to get more money for alcohol because applying for things such as public relief become irreverent because of the immediacy of his need for alcohol Actor becomes involved in self offending without specific calculation has embarked voluntarily in the course of action ex crack smoking alcohol and then finds themselves being drawn into an unanticipated activity ex burglary as a mans of sustaining the action o Offending emerges as part of the natural flow of events seemingly out of nowhere They elect to be in situations that drive them towards law breaking Some offenders were not high when they decided to commit a burglary o Their aim was to get high rather than stay high o They had a drug habit o Their urge for drugs is beyond their ability to control and has to be satisfied by whatever means necessary Getting and using drugs were major for offenders Many reported committing crimes solely for obtaining money too buy drugs o Even those who committed burglaries for other things ended up spending a potion on drugs Street corner culture oriented largely around getting high o Indulgence in drugs made their street identity hip o 21 who spent their money on high living also mentioned the purchase of alcohol It is increasingly becoming accompanied by illicit drug use o The money to support this lifestyle is substantial This ensures that offenders are almost always perpetually in a need of cash Shover and Honaker 1992 Proceeds from residential burglaries also used to pursue sexual conquests o Flashing money is a way to attract woman o Sexual conquests were a much prized symbol of hipness for the male subjects This gave them status among their peers in the street o Highest prestige to those who could get woman based off of smooth talk and careful impression management o Some took a more direct approach by paying for a prostitute or duck o Its misleading to suggest that offenders commit burglaries specifically to get money for sex but a number of them did direct a portion of their earnings towards that goal In summary among the major purposes for which offends spent their money derived from burglary was the maintenance of the lifestyle centered on illicit drugs but frequently incorporated alcohol and sexual conquests as well o The lifestyle reflects the values of street culture and culture characterized by an openness to illicit action Katz The oft heard claim that they broke into these dwellings to survive is not that farfetched A lot of them saw their fate as inextricably linked to an ability to fulfill the imperatives of life on the street Keeping Up Appearances 44 Of the 93 offenders who said they committed burglaries for financial reasons 43 reported they used to money to purchase various status items The most popular item is clothing Not buying clothes to protect them from the elements buying clothing to protect a certain image own dress code o Styles that were chic on the streets ex Stacy Adams mentioned multiple times Wearing appropriate clothing is important in any social situation Street culture has its Anderson Dressing in the latest status symbol clothing is virtually mandatory for those who want to bee seen as hip on the streets Cars and car accessories where the second most bought thing after clothing A fancy or customized car was like wearing fashionable clothing an effective way of enhancing ones street status Profits from offenses means to acquire material trappings for success o Create an impression of affluence and hipness o British offender in study made explicit reference to the desire of offenders to be seen as a better class of person o Every offender like the idea of the life of thieving and then going and being someone better Street