Virtual Burglary: Understanding Burglars’ Expertise using Virtual Reality. Results from the First Trial with Convicted Burglars.

• In Event: Using Virtual Environments to Understand Offending Behaviour: The Virtual Burglary Project and Beyond

Abstract

Extensive empirical research has been undertaken over the last three decades to understand burglars’ decision-making at the scene of the crime. Emphasis has been on how the burglar uses environmental cues to pick his target, while relatively few studies have examined how he navigates and makes decisions while inside the property. Methods have largely been confined to interviews with incarcerated and active burglars and have therefore been reliant on episodic memory and its established limitations. We present the quantitative results of a new virtual reality study examining burglars scoping a virtual neighbourhood, choosing a property and undertaking the crime with a group of 56 experienced burglars and comparison groups of offenders without burglary experience, and socio-economically matched non-offenders. Burglars demonstrated superior behaviour and decision-making in comparison to other groups and we gained new insights into scoping behaviour, entering the property, navigation inside and items chosen. We promote the use of VR as a new way of researching burglary and other offending behaviour. The research enriches theory (e.g. dysfunctional expertise (Nee & Ward, 2015)) which will in turn enhance crime prevention strategies and methods of offender rehabilitation. We introduce new research using VR to study navigational strategies in child sex offenders.

Authors

• Claire Nee, University of Portsmouth

• Jean-Louis van Gelder, University of Twente

• Marco Otte, Network Insititute, Vrije University, Amsterdam

• Zarah Vernham, University of Portsmouth

• Amy Kate Meenaghan, University of Portsmouth