Assessing Identity Theft Offenders' Strategies and Perceptions of Risk in the United States, 2006-2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the crime of identity theft from the offenders' perspectives. The study employed a purposive sampling strategy. Researchers identified potential interview subjects by examining newspapers (using Lexis-Nexis), legal documents (using Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw), and United States Attorneys' Web sites for individuals charged with, indicted, and/or sentenced to prison for identity theft. Once this list was generated, researchers used the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator to determine if the individuals were currently housed in federal facilities. Researchers visited the facilities that housed the largest number of inmates on the list in each of the six regions in the United States as defined by the BOP (Western, North Central, South Central, North Eastern, Mid-Atlantic, and South Eastern) and solicited the inmates housed in these prisons. A total of 14 correctional facilities were visited and 65 individuals incarcerated for identity theft or identity theft related crimes were interviewed between March 2006 and February 2007. Researchers used semi-structured interviews to explore the offenders' decision-making processes. When possible, interviews were audio recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Part 1 (Quantitative Data) includes the demographic variables age, race, gender, number of children, highest level of education, and socioeconomic class while growing up. Other variables include prior arrests or convictions and offense type, prior drug use and if drug use contributed to identity theft, if employment facilitated identity theft, if they went to trial or plead to charges, and sentence length. Part 2 (Qualitative Data), includes demographic questions such as family situation while growing up, highest level of education, marital status, number of children, and employment status while committing identity theft crimes. Subjects were asked about prior criminal activity and drug use. Questions specific to identity theft include the age at which the person became involved in identity theft, how many identities he or she had stolen, if they had worked with other people to steal identities, why they had become involved in identity theft, the skills necessary to steal identities, and the perceived risks involved in identity theft.

本研究旨在从犯罪者视角探析身份盗窃犯罪。本研究采用目的性抽样策略。研究人员借助律商联讯（Lexis-Nexis）检索报纸内容，通过律商联讯与威科法律（Westlaw）查阅法律文件，并访问美国检察官办公室官网，筛选出被控、起诉或因身份盗窃入狱的潜在访谈对象。生成该名单后，研究人员借助联邦监狱管理局（Federal Bureau of Prisons, BOP）在押人员查询系统，确认上述人员当前是否关押于联邦监管场所。研究人员前往美国联邦监狱管理局划分的六大区域（西部、中北部、中南部、东北部、中大西洋地区、东南部）内，名单在押人员数量最多的监管设施，向其中的在押人员发起访谈邀约。2006年3月至2007年2月期间，研究人员共计走访14所惩戒机构，对65名因身份盗窃或相关罪名入狱的在押人员完成访谈。研究采用半结构化访谈，以探析犯罪者的决策过程。条件允许时，访谈会进行录音并逐字转录。第一部分（定量数据）涵盖人口统计学变量：年龄、种族、性别、子女数量、最高受教育程度、成长阶段的社会经济阶层。其余变量包括既往逮捕或定罪记录、犯罪类型、既往吸毒史及吸毒是否与身份盗窃犯罪相关、是否借助从业便利实施身份盗窃、是否接受庭审或认罪认罚，以及刑期时长。第二部分（定性数据）包含人口统计学相关问题，如成长阶段的家庭状况、最高受教育程度、婚姻状况、子女数量，以及实施身份盗窃犯罪期间的就业状态。研究人员还询问了受访对象的既往犯罪行为与吸毒史。针对身份盗窃的专项问题包括：首次参与身份盗窃的年龄、窃取的身份数量、是否伙同他人实施身份盗窃、参与身份盗窃的动因、实施身份盗窃所需的技能，以及该类犯罪感知到的风险。