ABSTRACT
Acquisitive crime, offences that involve the unlawful acquisition of another's property, is an important driver of overall crime rates, accounting for the vast majority of crime as measured through uniform surveys. A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) was conducted to identify relevant studies of interventions and approaches that effectively reduced reoffending among participating acquisitive offenders. REAs provide a structured search and quality assessment of the evidence but are not as in-depth as a systematic review. Cognitive deficits, criminal values and attitudes, and criminal associates have a smaller body of evidence specifically linking them to acquisitive offending. A meta-analysis of effective interventions for women offenders found that targeting antisocial cognitions was significantly related to reduced recidivism. The chapter suggests that a strategy to reduce acquisitive offending should include: evidenced-based intervention to reduce serious substance abuse, and multi-target cognitive-behavioural programmes that address key criminogenic needs associated with general offending.
