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Cleaning up your act: Forensic awareness as a detection avoidance strategy

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  • Beauregard, Eric
  • Bouchard, Martin

Abstract

Purpose Although rational choice researchers has investigated how offenders successfully commit certain crimes, there is a lack of research looking at the factors explaining the use - or not - of certain detection avoidance strategies. This study introduces the concept of "forensic awareness" as a detection avoidance strategy, and proposes to examine the effect of disinhibitors, target selection behaviors, and acts that may potentially leave evidence at the crime scene on its use.Methods Factors influencing forensic awareness are tested using logistic regression models on a sample of 222 rape events collected from offenders incarcerated in Canada.Results Offenders exhibit less forensic awareness when under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. However, offenders who show some form of target selection are more likely to take forensic precautions. Finally, offenders who break and enter in the victim's residence, and undertake specific sexual acts during the crime are also more likely to exhibit forensic awareness.Conclusion Despite the increasing use and knowledge of forensic evidence by law enforcement, offenders are inconsistent in their forensic awareness and they direct most of their efforts toward protecting their identity, neglecting to either destroy or clean up DNA that could be recovered at the crime scene.

Suggested Citation

  • Beauregard, Eric & Bouchard, Martin, 2010. "Cleaning up your act: Forensic awareness as a detection avoidance strategy," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 1160-1166, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:38:y::i:6:p:1160-1166
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bouffard, Jeffrey A., 2002. "The influence of emotion on rational decision making in sexual aggression," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 121-134.
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    1. Chopin, Julien & Beauregard, Eric & Bitzer, Sonja & Reale, Kylie, 2019. "Rapists' behaviors to avoid police detection," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 81-89.
    2. Moeller, Kim & Copes, Heith & Hochstetler, Andy, 2016. "Advancing restrictive deterrence: A qualitative meta-synthesis," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 82-93.
    3. Lussier, Patrick & Bouchard, Martin & Beauregard, Eric, 2011. "Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the “successful” sex offender," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 433-444.
    4. Jacobs, Bruce A. & Cherbonneau, Michael, 2019. "Carjacking and the management of natural surveillance," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 40-47.
    5. Xin Guan & T. Wing Lo, 2022. "Proactive Criminal Thinking and Restrictive Deterrence: A Pathway to Future Offending and Sanction Avoidance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Beauregard, Eric & Martineau, Melissa, 2014. "No body, no crime? The role of forensic awareness in avoiding police detection in cases of sexual homicide," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 213-220.
    7. Mathesius, Jeffrey & Lussier, Patrick, 2014. "The Successful Onset of Sex Offending: Determining the Correlates of Actual and Official Onset of Sex Offending," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 134-144.
    8. Chopin, Julien & Beauregard, Eric & Bitzer, Sonja, 2020. "Factors influencing the use of forensic awareness strategies in sexual homicide," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Gallupe, Owen & Bouchard, Martin & Caulkins, Jonathan P., 2011. "No change is a good change? Restrictive deterrence in illegal drug markets," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 81-89.

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