Streetlife and the Rewards of Auto Theft

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2187265
AutoresH Copes (0000-0001-8029-1837, a University of Alabama--Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, autor de correspondencia)
Año2003
Volumen24
Número4
Páginas309-332
Fecha de publicación2003-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDeviant Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0163-9625 • E-ISSN: 1521-0456
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/713840224
OpenAlexW2069495916
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas18
Referencias citadas23

Contemporary criminal decision-making theories suggest that offender's subjective assessments of the risks and rewards of crime must be understood within the context of their lives. The lives of most persistent thieves are characterized by an unending pursuit of good times and the expense of all else. The current study examines offenders' perceptions of the rewards of auto theft within the sociocultural context of streetlife. It relies on semi-structured interviews with auto thieves to determine how participation in streetlife facilitates offenders' decisions to engage in motor vehicle theft by providing the motivations for their behaviors. Results indicate that auto theft promotes streetlife by bankrolling their activities, giving the autonomy and freedom to travel at will, extend the excitement achieved from crime, and project an image of someone who has overcome the despair of the streets

Autonomy · Context (archaeology · Crime prevention · Criminology · Perception · Political science · Sociocultural evolution · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology