maximus otter
Recovering policeman
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- Aug 9, 2001
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A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, examined the development of offense-related expertise in a sample of convicted burglars, depending on their age.
The results revealed significant differences between the younger (under 21) and older burglars (over 21) in their virtual burglary performances. Older burglars demonstrated more developed expertise in terms of items stolen and the efficiency of their search compared to their younger counterparts. These findings suggest that expertise plays a crucial role in offense-related decision-making across the criminal career.
68 convicted burglars participated in the research, with 36 younger burglars and 32 older burglars taking part.
Each offender was given the same virtual environment of a street of five terraced houses. Participants had to first choose which property to burgle and whether to access it through the front door or via an alleyway from the rear. They then had to work their way through the house which included a ground floor consisting of a hallway, kitchen, living room, and dining area. A master bedroom, nursery, study, and bathroom were located on the first floor, and an attic floor consisted of a games room and a third (teenager's) bedroom.
Valuable items were distributed alongside other items (food, books) in locations consistent with a typical home. Some items were placed in clear sight, while others were hidden (for example, a tablet in a rucksack). Participants were able to "steal" anything they wanted and doors, cupboards and drawers could be opened. All participant movements and interactions (i.e., distance traveled, time spent in different areas, items stolen) were recorded by the computer simulation and then analyzed by researchers.
https://phys.org/news/2023-07-reveals-older-burglars-outperform-younger.html
maximus otter
The results revealed significant differences between the younger (under 21) and older burglars (over 21) in their virtual burglary performances. Older burglars demonstrated more developed expertise in terms of items stolen and the efficiency of their search compared to their younger counterparts. These findings suggest that expertise plays a crucial role in offense-related decision-making across the criminal career.
68 convicted burglars participated in the research, with 36 younger burglars and 32 older burglars taking part.
Each offender was given the same virtual environment of a street of five terraced houses. Participants had to first choose which property to burgle and whether to access it through the front door or via an alleyway from the rear. They then had to work their way through the house which included a ground floor consisting of a hallway, kitchen, living room, and dining area. A master bedroom, nursery, study, and bathroom were located on the first floor, and an attic floor consisted of a games room and a third (teenager's) bedroom.
Valuable items were distributed alongside other items (food, books) in locations consistent with a typical home. Some items were placed in clear sight, while others were hidden (for example, a tablet in a rucksack). Participants were able to "steal" anything they wanted and doors, cupboards and drawers could be opened. All participant movements and interactions (i.e., distance traveled, time spent in different areas, items stolen) were recorded by the computer simulation and then analyzed by researchers.
https://phys.org/news/2023-07-reveals-older-burglars-outperform-younger.html
maximus otter