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Abstract: 

During the past decade, the overall rates for burglary (the unlawful entry or attempted entry of a structure with intent to commit a felony or theft) have declined as have all categories of crime. Nevertheless, in 2002 there were over 2.1 million burglaries, one every 15 seconds. Burglary has now become the second most common crime behind larceny-theft; it is even more prevalent than motor-vehicle theft. Contrary to popular belief, most burglaries (65%) are residential, and almost half (40%) occur in the evening, when intended victims are likely to be home. Notwithstanding the frequency of burglary, the clearance rate (number of crimes cleared by arrest) is quite low, only around 14%.

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Affiliations:  1: John Jay College of Criminal Justice; 2: FBI Behavioral Science Unit; 3: John Jay College of Criminal Justice.