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Chapter Twelve
Property Crimes
Objectives
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Be familiar with the history of theft offenses
Recognize the differences between professional and
amateur thieves
Know the similarities and differences between the
various types of larceny
Understand the different forms of shoplifting
Be able to discuss the concept of fraud
Know what is meant by a confidence game
Understand what it means to burgle a home
Know what it takes to be a good burglar
Understand the concept of arson
Contemporary Theft
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Occasional criminals: are the ones who
most often commit the crime, they do not
define themselves by a criminal role or view
themselves as committed career criminals
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Professional criminals: theft offenders who
are skilled, make a significant portion of their
income from crime
The Professional Fence
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Earns his or her living solely by buying and
reselling stolen merchandise
They act as middlemen who purchase stolen
merchandise—ranging from diamonds to
auto hubcaps– and resale to merchants who
market them to legitimate customers
Conditions of Successful Fencing
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Up-front cash
Knowledge of dealing—learning the ropes
Connections with suppliers of stolen goods
Connections with buyers
Complicity with law enforcers
The Occasional Fence
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A significant portion of all fencing is
performed by amateur or occasion criminals
Novice burglars such as juveniles and drug
addicts
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Part-timers
Associational fences
Neighborhood hustlers
Amateur receivers
Larceny/Theft
Taking for one’s own use the property of another, by
means other than force or threats on the victim or
forcibly breaking into a person’s home or workplace
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Petty larceny : involves small amounts of money or
property and is punished as a misdemeanor
Grand larceny : involves money or property of
greater value and is punished as a felony
Types of Larceny/Theft
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Shoplifting
Bad checks
Credit card theft
Auto theft
False pretenses or fraud
Confidence games
Embezzlement
Shoplifting
The taking of goods from retail stores
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Boosters or heels: a professional shoplifter who
steals with the intention of reselling stolen
merchandise
Snitch: an amateur shoplifter who does not selfidentify as a thief but who systematically steals
merchandise for personal use
Strategies for Controlling Shoplifting
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Merchant privilege laws : legislation that protects
retailers and their employees from lawsuits if they
arrest and detain a suspected shoplifter on
reasonable grounds
Target removal strategy: displaying dummy or
disabled goods while the real merchandise is kept
under lock and key
Target hardening strategy: locking goods in place
or having them monitored by electronic systems
Bad Checks
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Naïve check forgers: amateurs who cash bad
checks because of some financial crisis but have
little identification with a criminal subculture
Systematic forgers: professionals who make a
living by passing bad checks
Credit Card Theft
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The use of stolen credit cards is a major
problem in the U.S. society
Most credit card abuse is the work of
amateurs
Some professional credit card rings are
getting into this crime
Auto Theft
Motor vehicle theft is another common larceny offense,
auto theft can be divided into the following
categories:
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Joyriding
Short-term transportation
Long-term transportation
Profit
Commission of another crime
False Pretenses or Fraud
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Misrepresenting a fact in a way that causes a
deceived victim to give money or property to the
offender
False pretenses differ from traditional larceny
because the victims willingly give their possessions
to the offender, and the crime does not involve a
“trespass in the taking”
Confidence Games
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A swindle set up to separate victims from their
money, many involving a get-rich-quick scheme,
often with illegal overtones so that the victim will be
afraid or embarrassed to call the police
Some common confidence games include:
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Reading obituaries, then sending surviving spouse a bill
Posing as a bank employee
Pyramid schemes
Shady contractors
False invoices for ads
Embezzlement
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A type of larceny in which someone who is trusted
with property fraudulently converts it to his/her own
use or for the use of others
Most courts require that a serious breach of trust
must have occurred before a person can be
convicted
Burglary
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Any unlawful entering of a structure to commit theft
or felony
It includes: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no
force is used, and attempted forcible entry
Those most likely to burglarized are relatively poor
Latinos and African American families
Because it involves planning, risk, and skill, it has
been a crime long associated with professionals
who know their craft
Careers in Burglary
The “good burglar”, use this title to distinguish
themselves, some of the characteristics include:
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Technical competence
Maintenance of personal integrity
Specialization in burglary
Financial success
The ability to avoid prison sentences
Arson
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The willful, malicious burning of a home, building,
vehicle, or commercial building
Motives:
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Severe emotional turmoil
Disturbed personality
Psychopathology
Angry people looking for revenge
Teenage vandalism
Arson for profit and arson fraud
To conceal another crime, such as embezzlement
The Juvenile Fire Starter
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Most prolific fire starter, may get involved in
arson for a variety of reasons, associated
with psychological abnormality, including
depression, conduct problems, such as
disobedience and aggressiveness, anger,
hostility, and resentment over parental
rejection
Juvenile Arsonists
Juvenile arsonists can be classified in one of
four categories:
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The “playing with matches” fire setter
The “crying for help” fire setter
The “delinquent” fire setter
The “severely disturbed”