Objectives: We identify the distinction between patience and self-control to improve specification of time preferences in offender decision-making. Methods: Data were drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews with 35 active auto thieves with high criminal propensity and focus on target selection. Results: Patience oscillates upward and downward, showing state instability among those with low trait self-control. Conclusions: Discussion focuses on the conceptual processes that mediate patience’s variation in offender decision-making, but especially among high-propensity offenders. The larger criminological significance of patience is discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Jacobs et al. (2020) studied this question.