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Patterns of residential burglary: transferring findings from Western studies to societies with different socio-economic structure
thesis
posted on 2010-10-29, 14:30 authored by Lamya Rostami TabriziThis thesis is an attempt to determine the transferability of the findings of some Western
studies carried out on Residential burglary, and the applicability of the main methods used
for burglary reduction, to societies with different socio-economic structure, in this case
Tehran, the capital city of Iran. The thesis will look at patterns of residential burglary found
in Tehran and those found by European and American research studies to outline the
similarities and differences between them to decide upon the suitability of `opportunity'
theories, and ultimately situational preventive measures implemented in some Western
countries for the prevention or reduction of burglary in Tehran.
Following the failure of social and psychological methods in reducing burglary levels,
situational crime prevention has received a great attention in some Western countries during
the last few decades. Situational crime prevention policies are aimed at the reduction of
crime levels by reducing crime opportunities, through i. e. target-hardening techniques,
changes in the management, design, and manipulation of the immediate environment in
which crime occurs, which lead to an increase in the risks perceived by a wide range of
offenders, also by reducing the benefits of crime.
A large proportion of Western criminological studies have carried out their research relying
on the assumption which suggests that crime opportunities encourage crime, and that
eliminating or blocking crime opportunities will result in the reduction of a large number of
residential burglaries. Opportunity theory has adopted the `rationality' and the `routine
activity' models of crime to explain when, where, and how burglaries occur. It is assumed
that offenders are rational in the selection of crime opportunities that are associated with
higher rewards and lower risks of detection. It is also suggested that the routine activities of
victims, as well as offenders, play a major role in selecting crime targets that present better
opportunities for crime. The main aim of this research is to determine the suitability of situational measures and
theories underlying such research to other societies such as Tehran. In order to do so, patterns
of residential burglary in Tehran have been examined. An attempt has been made to identify
the factors influencing patterns of burglary, and to produce a better understanding of how
burglary occurs in Tehran. A comparison between the findings from Tehran and those from
Western studies is expected to demonstrate whether the theoretical framework underlying
Western studies is capable of explaining burglary patterns in Tehran, and that preventive
policies implemented in Western countries are suited to controlling of burglary levels in
Tehran. It is hoped that the findings from the current research provide a basis for appropriate
crime prevention policies and for future research.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Publisher
© Lamya Rostami TabriziPublication date
2002Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.EThOS Persistent ID
uk.bl.ethos.274698Language
- en