For a professional thief to be successful there are many personal traits, skills, and resources they must possess. In this paper, I will be using Darrell J. Steffensmeier’s The Fence: In the Shadow of Two Worlds which follows the life of Sam, a professional thief and fence, as a lens to analyze the skills, traits, and factors that surround being successful as a thief. I will then use this analysis to determine wether or not I personally could follow in Sam’s footsteps and be successful as a professional thief in the criminal underworld. First and foremost, a thief must be someone who views crime as subjectively acceptable and objectively available. In other words, even if someone views crime as morally acceptable but does not have access …show more content…
Larceny sense is when someone has “larceny in [their] heart” and “the ability to perceive and capitalize on less than legitimate activity” (190). In other words, someone with larceny sense isn’t constrained by conventional norms and attitudes in society. They are not only willing to participate and benefit from illegal activity, but they are skilled at doing so. They excel at detecting solid opportunities and know how to recognize situations that are too good to be true or are otherwise risky enough to be avoided. According to Steffensmeier, larceny sense is a trait that is part nature and part nurture. It is an instinct that is refined and developed through experience and interaction with other criminals (191). This is an example of something that sets “good” thieves apart from lesser thieves because it is a discipline that helps one avoid risky and low value impulse jobs common amongst beginners (26-27). A professional thief must value quality over quantity concerning heists and be skilled at making plans. Planning is essential because it lowers the risk of getting caught while also increasing the value of the objects being stolen. For example, Sam’s knowledge of antiques aided in his ability to steal higher quality objects including good silver and jewelry because he knew what to look for and where to look for it. Additionally, planning reflects a level of experience and expertise in one’s trade …show more content…
This is where fences come into play. Steffensmeier describes fences as what bridges the gap between the illegitimate and legitimate worlds (187). To find a good fence in the first place one needs to be well established as a reliable thief and have connections. According to Sam, the best fences aren’t known by the police or by your average criminals. A good thief won’t rely on street talk and gossip to find a fence to work with, and instead will be well researched and find a fence through their own personal network that they trust and can rely on (159). These third party recommendations can go both ways, such that some fences won’t want to work with someone who isn’t being vouched for. Higher quality fences will normally only work with people who are “solid” and unlikely to cause problems because of their personal character and ability to avoid police detection (89). Being considered solid to a fence is important in more ways than one. Becoming a valuable and reliable asset to a fence is something that a successful thief will strive for as a protective factor against being snitched on by their fence. This is effective because a fence won’t risk giving up someone of value to the police because of the harm it will do to their business
People may say that they have broken the law, thus they have committed a crime. Yet, Clarence’s definition of crime differs from the general assumption of society. Our population views crime as something a criminal would commit, whether it be theft, murder, or what have you. It can be demonstrated that circumstance has shaped what we call law and what is viewed as crime. If a person breaks into your house and robs you of something they do not have themselves, it is considered breaking and entering, and can be punishable by jail. However, if Mr. Rockefeller raises oil prices in the winter because he knows people will have to pay it or freeze, it is considered smart business; even though it is clearly theft. Both parties are committing ‘crime’, but society has deemed Mr. Rockefeller, the person who is a thief, respectable; while the person who is breaking and entering, a criminal, solely because it is all they know to do to
When theft occurs, it affects a community and hits them hard, hence the rationale that Dante placed thieves in the eighth circle of hell. Politically, thieves corrupt communities. They teach people not to trust others. For example, almost everyone locks his or her doors. If people trusted each other and thieves did not exist, there would be no need to take precautionary measures such as locking doors. Citizens of a town with a history of stealing can never rest. They remain on alert making sure they are not the next victims of a theft.
The Cocaine Kids: The Inside Story of a Teenage Drug Ring is an intriguing narrative of the experiences Terry Williams witnessed first hand while observing the lives of “The Kids” and their involvement in the cocaine trade. Throughout this piece, there are numerous behaviors displayed by the drug dealers that are each examples of and can be attributed to well-defined criminological theories. This paper will explore how such criminological theories are associated with how and why individuals are introduced into the world of drug selling, as well as, why they leave it. I will elaborate on this by revealing the motivations and conditions that seem to pressurize these individuals to be drug dealers. Although there are multiples shown, the specific theories I will explore are all based on the same idea that an individual becomes a criminal by learning how to be one through experiences, examples, role models, etc. Such theories include the theory of Differential Association, Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory.
First, the first element of a crime is Mens rea. “The mental element is known as the mens rea, or mental state, of the defendant.” (Hames & Ekern, 2009) The prosecution lawyers try to prove if the defendant has knowledge of the crime. What was the defendant’s mental state? Were they aware of the effect of the crime, did the defendant plan the crime, o...
...ommit crimes every day just for the sake of committing a crime; in other words, they have periods of no criminal behavior. So, their rational choice is to turn to burglary only when they are desperate for money. In essence, they have chosen burglary as their line of work.
Personally, I believe that the overwhelming number of historical cases of theft conducted by the poor can be attributed to a whole host of potential motivations. Firstly, the motivation to survive, many of those who were distinguishable as impoverished were often unable to live subsistent. Nevertheless theft was perceived and punishable in a very serious manner. However, the economic climate of the 18th and 19th century was begin to boom as a result of industrialization. The overwhelming pressure to cater to the emerging notion of consumerism promoted further potential for crime to arise, because the poor would often engage in pickpocketing or begging, whereas women often engaged in shoplifting to acquire goods for her family to outwardly
Understanding Crime: Theory and Practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers. Woodham, J., & Toye, K. (2007). Empirical Tests of Assumption of Case Linkages & Offender’s profiling with Commercial Robbery.
offender. Our past has left us thinking that if someone steals from us, we should steal from
White collar crimes do not garner as much media attention as that of violent crimes (Trahan, Marquart, & Mullings 2005). This is an odd fact because white collar crimes cost society much more than violent crimes do (Messner & Rosenfeld 2007). While there are many different definitions for white collar crime, Schoepfer and Piquero describe it as a nonphysical crime that is used to either obtain goods or to prevent goods from being taken (2006). People who commit these crimes are looking for personal or some sort of organizational gain and are being pressured to be economically successful from the idea of the American dream. The authors suggest that there are two types of people who commit crimes, those who have an immense desire for control and those who fear losing all they have worked hard for (Schopfer & Piquero 2006). Both groups have different reasons for turning to crime, but both groups commit the crime to benefit themselves. It was found that higher levels of high school drop outs were directly correlated to levels of embezzlement in white collar crime (2006). Because they are drop outs, they are less likely to be successful legitimately and turn to crime more often than their graduate
Imagine working over thirty-five years with a successful company; faithfully contributing to your own retirement. Only to find out those two weeks prior to your first retirement vacation your account has been depleted. This crime is known as white-collar crime. White collar crime was coined in 1939, by a man named Edwin Sutherland. Sutherland defines white collar crime to be a crime committed by the perpetrator during the course of his or her occupation( S. Rosoff, H. Pontell, R. Tillman). White collar crime is happening every day. In general terms, non-violent crimes for financial gain were stated in this subject as well. White collar crime is what many in society fail to express as other would if it was street crime. If society as whole were to become more knowledgeable and understanding of the magnitude behind white collar crime, then they too would realize and immediate affect behind a violent act is not more harmful than one such as white collar. White collar crime which often time take affect years
Pace, Denny F. and Jimmie C. Styles. Organized Crime: Concepts and Controls. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall: 1975.
Shoplifting is a major problem in today. The temptation of not paying for something, just hiding it away and saving your own money is a large factor for some people. The culprit just thinks he's getting a product for free and doesn't know what he's actually doing to himself and the community. Shoplifting effects everyone, yourself and the everyone in the local neighborhood.In this essay I'm going to explain some of the circumstances of stealing from local stores, or any store. After I've been caught stealing I found out how wrong it is and how it is a disadvantage to everyone.
Theft is a broad category but there are other charges that are listed as separate charges, but are under the “Theft” umbrella. Some of the other
People commit robbery for endless reasons. However, many argue that poverty is a factor that plays a huge role of influencing someone to commit a crime. Poverty is defined as a feeling of hopelessness because one does not have the financial means to support oneself and the loved ones to the standard that society has deemed fit and appropriate. Robbery is an act of taking goods or
Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment.