Cromwell (1991) suggests that as many as two-thirds of all burglars are addicted to drugs.

The United States Department of Justice has compiled statistics of those persons who committed burglary while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Their study in 1995 showed that out of 95,189 probationers for burglary, 38.5% were under the influence of alcohol, while 23.3% were under the influence of drugs. A total of 49.4% were under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. This percentage was the highest besides those offenders of public order offenses, which include driving while intoxicated.

In the United States in 1997, 356,000 people were arrested for burglary according the Uniformed Crime Reports.

The arrest rates per 100,000 people have dropped significantly since 1971. In 1971 202.9 people per 100,000 were arrested for burglary, compared to 134.2 people per 100,000 in 1997 according t

Cho who did a similar study in 1970 found that the percentage of people below the poverty line in the 49 largest cities of the United States was not associated with any of the seven index crimes reported by the FBI according to Vold (1986).

"Burglary victimization risks are higher for non-white, central city residents who are young and whose homes are relatively frequently unoccupied because of the lifestyle which they live"(Mustaine&Tewksbury, 1998, p. 831). This may sound like it contradicts the Routine Activities Theory but I don't think it does. People probably would think that the elderly has a higher risk because of how fragile they are. Yes they may be at risk for other offenses, but I believe burglars are looking for suitable targets, which in this case are people who are not home.

In contradiction to this study was a study done by Isaac Ehrlich who found that there was a direct relationship between state property crimes and areas which had low incomes in the 40's through the 60's as stated by Vold (1986).

Cromwell (1991) also states that the benefits of criminal action are the net rewards of crime. These people who commit burglaries are looking for the immediate benefits that committing a crime can bring. They are not looking at the future consequences of their actions.

To describe the cause of burglary I would like to use the theory that poverty causes crime. I also think that the Routine Activities theory is a well-established theory that can explain the cause of burglary. As stated earlier by Cromwell, many burglars are addicted to drugs, which is an expensive habit, which can easily drain someone's resources.

"A study by Reppeto in (1974) found that the need for money was the primary motivation for burglaries"(Cromwell, 1991, p. 21)

"Fowles&Merva (1996) state that during economic down turns, criminal motivation increases due to the lack of legitimate economic activities. This could be used to explain the decrease in burglaries over the past ten years. Over those 10 years our economy has grown and there are more available jobs. Therefore individuals may find it easier to find a job which then lessens their motivation to commit a crime to make economic gains.

Another issue that goes along with this theory is the greater likelihood that elderly people will be victims of crime that result in economic gain such as burglary. Elderly people who live by themselves are easier to attack, because they are more vulnerable than younger people are.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Activities Theory, Routine Activities, Rosenfeld Wright, Department Justice, Isaac Ehrlich, Zone Model, Crime Reports, Rengert Wasilchick, , Albany Sourcebook, activities theory, routine activities, routine activities theory, people commit, vold 1986, people commit burglaries, money buy, cromwell 1991, buy drugs, department justice, cause burglary, amount burglaries, money buy drugs, forks north dakota, burglars addicted drugs,
Approximate Word count = 2428
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)