PROPERTY CRIME AND TYPOLOGIES PERFORMANCE TASK

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Week 6 Assignment Document Library While your personal values and experiences are important, your report should be based solely on information provided in this document.

Table of Contents What are the Different Types of Georgia Theft? ....................................................................................................... 2

Differences Between Amateur and Professional Criminals ...................................................................................... 3

Criminal Typologies ................................................................................................................................................... 4

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What are the Different Types of Georgia Theft?

 Theft by taking: This means that a person unlawfully took possession of any item or piece of property that belongs to another. It does not matter how the item was taken. This is the simplest form of Georgia theft, and if you have another person’s property and deprive them of it you can be charged and found guilty of theft by taking.

 Theft by deception: This means that you were able to get something from another by deceitful means. This includes billing someone for a service that was not done, accepting payment for something you know will not be done, or selling property or an item without disclosing that there is a lien or loan still on it. Georgia theft by deception is more complex due to the intention of theft involved to deceive another out of their property or money which may involve confirming another’s wrong assumption about a fact or event when you know it is wrong.

 Theft by conversion: Georgia theft by conversion means that you took someone’s money to apply it in some manner for them, such as a deposit or payment, and instead you used it for your own purposes. For example, an officer or an employee of a government or financial institution does not apply your payment to the intended account, but rather, pockets the money for their own use. In addition, Georgia theft by conversion also applies to rental property that you are using; if you do not return such property when the owner demands it back then you have committed theft by conversion.

 Theft of services: In Georgia theft of services involves receiving a service, entertainment or an accommodation with no intention of paying for it. This includes not paying for maid service, not paying for a hotel room or meal, or item that requires payment of some sort. Georgia theft law ensures that service providers are able to collect the fee they are due by making the theft of services a crime.

 Theft by receiving stolen property: This type of theft is a crime which involves receiving stolen goods whether or not you are aware that they are stolen. You have committed a Georgia theft crime if you receive, get rid of, or keep property that you know or should know is stolen.

 Theft of lost or mislaid property: Many people may not realize that this is a crime under Georgia theft law. If, for example, you find a lost wallet and make no effort to return it to its rightful owner, then you have now committed theft of lost or mislaid property. Effort needs to be made to return the property under the law.

 Shoplifting: Shoplifting has its own specific punishments under Georgia theft law. Shoplifting includes any attempt to conceal an item, change the listed price, or failing to pay in full for an item removed from a store. Unlike the other Georgia theft crimes, a misdemeanor conviction involves stealing an item under $300; a felony shoplifting conviction involves stealing items that are worth more than $300.

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Differences Between Amateur and Professional Criminals

Setting aside our disgust at the disruption of our value system, there are three major differences between the professional property offender (thief) and an “amateur” thief. First, the professional has a diminished moral capacity and multiple victims, while the amateur’s damage is much more limited. Secondly, the professional plans ahead, has a modus operandi, and an outlet for his booty (fence). Thirdly, the professional can only be stopped by incarceration, while the amateur will stop when his situation changes, because his theft is often a crime of sociological pressure and temporary opportunity (addiction, extreme poverty, underlying psychological problems, etc.). In sum, the professional must be combated with all the forces of law, while the amateur needs more sociological and psychological help to get his behavior back on track. So the law’s identifying the difference is essential to the sociological remedy.

Economic crimes also attract professional criminals who earn most of their income from crime, view themselves as criminals, and possess skills that aid them in their criminal behavior. According to Sutherland and Conwell, professionals live by their wits and never resort to violence. A good example of the professional criminal is the fence who buys and sells stolen merchandise. There are also occasional thieves whose skill level and commitment fall below the professional level. Common theft offenses include larceny, embezzlement, fraud, and burglary. Larceny involves taking the legal possessions of another. Petty larceny is typically theft of amounts under $100, while grand larceny usually refers to theft of amounts over $100. The crime of fraud is similar to larceny in that it involves the theft of goods or money. Fraud differs from the theft of goods, however, in that the criminal tricks victims into voluntarily giving up their possessions. Embezzlement is another larceny crime. It involves people taking something that was temporarily entrusted to them, such as bank tellers taking money out of the cash drawer and keeping it for themselves. Most States have codified common law crimes in their legal codes. New larceny crimes have been defined to keep abreast of changing social conditions, such as passing bad checks, stealing or illegally using credit cards, shoplifting, and stealing automobiles. Burglary, a more serious theft offense, includes theft from any structure at any time of day. Because burglary involves planning and risk, it attracts professional thieves who have technical competence and personal integrity, specialize in burglary, are financially successful, and avoid prison sentences. https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/explain-major-differences-between-professional-372874

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Criminal Typologies

Types of Shoplifters

Boosters - are like other professional criminals in carefully planning and skillfully executing their thefts and in concentrating on expensive items that can be quickly converted to cash by prearrangement with a “fence” (dealer in stolen goods).

“Shadow” professionals - individuals who in an avocational manner supplement their legitimate incomes by stealing.

Snitches- amateurs or individuals who do not view themselves as criminals. Most snitches steal small, inexpensive items for their own personal use. In most instances, they have on their person sufficient funds to cover the stolen items. Such snitches come from all walks of life. Adventure, excitement, need, greed, or simply available opportunity or inadequate security may prove to be more likely reasons.

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