We identify the distinction between patience and self-control to improve specification of time preferences in offender decision-making.
Methods:
Data were drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews with 35 active auto thieves with high criminal propensity and focus on target selection.
Results:
Patience oscillates upward and downward, showing state instability among those with low trait self-control.
Conclusions:
Discussion focuses on the conceptual processes that mediate patience’s variation in offender decision-making, but especially among high-propensity offenders. The larger criminological significance of patience is discussed.
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