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Establishing Connections: Gender, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Disposal Networks

NCJ Number
235025
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2011 Pages: 278-302
Author(s)
Christopher W. Mullins; Michael G. Cherbonneau
Date Published
April 2011
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study investigated women's involvement in motor vehicle theft.
Abstract
Motor vehicle theft is an offense typically dominated by male offenders. As with all other major forms of criminal activity that are male dominated, women do participate in the theft of vehicles; yet, few studies have endeavored to examine their involvement in auto theft and even fewer have directly compared women's experiences alongside that of men's. This paper examines the gendered nature of motor vehicle theft through direct comparison of in-depth interviews with 35 men and women actively involved in auto theft in St. Louis, MO. By tracing similarities and differences between men's and women's initiation into auto theft, enactment methods, and access to networks for vehicle and parts' disposal, the authors provide a contextual analysis of offender's perceptions and behavior. The findings indicate that while initiation into auto theft and property disposal networks are both governed by male gatekeepers, women experience greater barriers in gaining access to disposal networks than they do entry into auto theft offending which, in turn, leads to some key similarities in techniques between men and women. (Published Abstract)