Burglars Answer 74 Questions About How They Pick Targets, Avoid Getting Caught, And More

The prevalence of this type of crime differs from one place to the next. But according to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), which is an independent, nonpartisan organization working to help the US understand and improve criminal justice policy, burglary rates in American cities have continued to decline.

The CCK discovered that both residential and non-residential burglaries dropped noticeably in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Specifically, residential burglaries fell by about 19% relative to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while non-residential burglaries—such as break-ins at businesses or other commercial properties—declined by 18%.

This sustained downward trend shows that, despite concerns over other property crimes like motor vehicle theft, break-ins at homes and businesses have become significantly less common in many urban areas.

The CCJ emphasizes that this progress is part of a broader pattern of falling property crime overall and reflects a promising shift that predates the pandemic and has continued in its aftermath.

Still, the organization urges communities and policymakers to keep investing in effective crime prevention and neighborhood safety measures to maintain and build on these improvements.

What leads someone to become a burglar and follow the criminal path is complicated and, to an extent, open for interpretation.

Dr. Joseph H. Baskin, a staff psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and assistant professor at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that everyone has a genetic base shaped by generations and generations, but life experiences, trauma, and support systems determine which traits develop.

"A child who grows up with all basic necessities cared for will look different than one who worried about where his next meal would come from or whether trauma lingered outside the door in the form of a physical or sexual abuser," Baskin says.

But "a major factor is resiliency, or the ability to absorb the blows of life and rebound for the better."

Even blind luck plays a role. "A person with a fair amount of resiliency might endure the loss of a parent if another remains to help. However, repeated insults of a similar nature can overwhelm even someone with high resiliency. Sometimes, [the world] doesn't deal too much negativity until later in life, and symptoms of criminality only then emerge."

After interviewing thousands of people, the psychiatrist came to the conclusion that for most, it comes down to choices made, dilemmas faced, and internal arguments over morality and consequence.

However, Baskin added, "Rarely have I come across someone irredeemably evil or ... so at odds with society as to pose a constant danger. These are the psychopaths, individuals who profoundly lack empathy for others and act out of pure self-interest."

And it's precisely this ambivalence that draws us to stories about such people. Experts from the University of North Carolina explain that our fascination with true crime is driven by a mix of curiosity about criminal motivations, concern over justice, and the thrill of solving real-life mysteries.