Criminal experience and perceptions of risk: what auto thieves fear when stealing cars

In the past two decades criminologists have devoted considerable attention to modeling the decision-making process of offenders. This literature suggests that while there is a general pattern to these decisions, experience with crime likely effects the way offenders assess the costs and benefits of crime. Using interviews with 42 auto thieves we examine how experience shapes auto thieves' perceptions of the risks of stealing cars. We find that experience influences the ways offenders perceive the fears associated with auto theft. Specifically, experienced offenders were most concerned with being confronted (and possibly injured) by owners, while novice offenders were most concerned with being sanctioned by family members.