Sociology 2266A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Serendipity, Carjacking
22 Oct 2013
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Interviewed 57 free robbery offenders-> specialization in carjacking/drug robbery. Serendipity-> the art of finding something valuable while engrossed in something different. Article examines the role of serendipity in the robbery target selection process. Criminologists have long argued that the selection of predatory robbery targets is guided by rational choice. This down plays forces such as time pressure, uncertainty emotion and the spontaneousness of robbery. Target selection implies that something is being selected and someone is doing the selecting. Offenders target strategies vary in sophistication/calculation and degree of planning. Street robbery is usually characterized as spontaneous. Alert opportunism-> describes offenders who face needs that are present but not dire. Motivated opportunism-> characterized by needs that are acute. In street culture, serendipity is finding something valuable when looking for something unrelated. How offenders transform developments into valued outcomes. This is determined by the position offenders place themselves and how they react once they are in the place.
