| In line with recent interest in the criminal decision-making process, researchers have begun exploring the risks and rewards that offenders associate with specific forms of crime and how these perceptions guide their behavior. Within this emphasis, the decision-making of street offenders has been a dedicated area of inquiry. Indeed, much has been learned about the lives of street offenders, streetlife, and decision-making in predatory offenses such as residential burglary, street robbery, drug robbery, carjacking, and criminal retaliation over the past two decades (e.g., Cromwell & Olson, 2004; Jacobs, 2000; Jacobs & Wright, 2006; Jacobs, Topalli & Wright, 2003; Mullins, 2006; Shover, 1996; Wright & Decker, 1994, 1997). To date, very little is known about how active auto thieves operating in an urban context ply their trade and even less is known about how they commit the offense. This neglect leaves an obvious gap in our theoretical understanding of offenders and offending and quite possibly in how effective we are at combatting a prevalent street crime (Clarke & Harris, 1992a). The purpose of this study is to understand the situated practice of auto theft from the perspective of those who commit, with emphasis on how decision-making in auto theft unfolds in real-life settings and circumstances. Specifically, qualitative interviews with 35 active auto thieves are used to examine their motivations for auto theft, the ways in which they select targets and commit the offense, and how their pursuit of illicit action through a broader commitment to street culture affects decision-making in auto theft. |
