NCJ Number
224428
Journal
Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 215-240
Date Published
2008
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article examines two theories on repeat burglary victimization.
Abstract
Results are reported for a simple micro-simulation experiment used to examine patterns of victimization under conditions where the contributions of both theoretical mechanisms are varied. The findings suggest that increasing the heterogeneity of target attractiveness can generate spatial concentrations of crime not dissimilar to those discussed, but that a contagion-like process is (also) required to generate the time course of repeat victimization. It is noted that research consistently demonstrates that crime is spatially concentrated, and regarding repeat burglary, studies conducted across a variety of countries and for different periods of time have demonstrated that events also cluster in time. Two theories have been proposed to explain patterns of repeat victimization, with the first suggesting that repeat victimization is the consequence of a contagion-like process. If a home has been burgled on one occasion, the risk to the home is boosted, most likely because offenders will return to further exploit good opportunities (e.g. to steal replaced items or those left behind). In contrast, the second theory examined suggests that repeat victimization may be explained by time-stable variation in risk across homes and a chance process; different offenders independently target attractive locations for which risk is flagged. Understanding the contribution of the two explanations is stated to be important for both criminological understanding and crime reduction, as previous research concerned with repeat victimization has adopted a top-down methodology, analyzing either victimization or offender data. The implications of the findings are also discussed. Tables, figures, appendices, and references