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Ask the Burglar
CMPD Det. Dan Cunius (left) -- a UNC Charlotte graduate of the Master's in criminal justice program -- studied with UNC Charlotte researcher Joseph Kuhns. Photo by Lynn Roberson
Survey of offenders provides insights on crime, staying safe
By Lynn Roberson
One way to understand what burglars are thinking is to ask them. UNC Charlotte researcher Joseph Kuhns with the department of criminal justice and criminology did just that. He led a research team that surveyed more than 400 convicted burglars in three prison systems, resulting in an insightful look into the minds of burglars. “When you talk directly to offenders and ask what motivates them, that information is useful to scholars and law enforcement,” Kuhns said. “A lot of the burglary research that has been done in the past hasn’t used that approach.” The study’s sample size and other characteristics also add to the confidence level in the data, because the observed patterns of behavior can be generalized across much of the burglar population, he said. The researchers delved into the decisionmaking processes and methods of 422 28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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incarcerated male and female burglars selected at random from state prison systems in North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio. They investigated motivations and techniques of burglars and what they considered when choosing or avoiding targets. They also studied differences between men and women in these factors. “People can use this information to remind themselves of how they can protect their home or their business,” Kuhns said. “There are a lot of residents and business owners out there who just don’t think about victimization likelihood. This study can help them get back to taking simple steps that can reduce their likelihood of being burglarized.” Law enforcement officials can use the information in a similar fashion as they provide crime prevention tips and keep an open mind when responding to crimes, he said.
The study — “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective” — was funded by the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation, a tax-exempt foundation serving the electronic security industry under the auspices of the Electronic Security Association. SELECTING TARGETS The study found that when selecting a target, most burglars said they considered the close proximity of other people — including traffic, people in the house or business, and police officers — the lack of escape routes and signs of security, including alarm signs, alarms, dogs inside and outdoor cameras or other surveillance equipment. Eight out of 10 of the burglars surveyed — or 83 percent — said they would try to determine if an alarm was present before www.UNCC.edu