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THE STOOPER: A PROFESSIONAL THIEF IN THE SUTHERLAND MANNER
Author(s) -
ROSECRANCE JOHN
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1986.tb00375.x
Subject(s) - milestone , conceptualization , criminology , sociology , psychology , history , computer science , archaeology , artificial intelligence
Sutherland's conceptualization of professional crime, while hailed as a milestone in criminology, has been criticized as excessively narrow, and its applicability to modern criminal activity has also been seriously questioned. Using qualitative data developed during an 18‐month investigation, this paper demonstrates that modern‐day stoopers, who retrieve discarded winning racetrack tickets, manifest criminal behavior that closely resembles Sutherland 's characterization of professional crime. The characteristics of this small group of determined thieves are delineated by using the j v e criteria of professionalism established by Sutherland. This delineation demonstrates that the Sutherland model remains viable and shouId not be relegated to the status of an historical footnote.