ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the significant phases and shifts characterizing Sam Goodman's criminal career. Occasional Burglar—Late Teens and Early Twenties. Sam worked at a local factory and participated in "after work" burglaries with work colleagues. By his own description, Sam was a "half-assed" thief at this time; he also recognizes a growing preference for and an increasing "business" orientation toward burglary. Good Burglar, Part-Time Fence—Thirties to About Age Forty. After his release from prison Sam moved to American City, where he initially worked at odd jobs and burgled off-and-on with several local burglars whom he met largely through prison contacts. The most notable starting point in an examination of burglary and criminal entrepreneuers more generally is the influential work of Edwin Sutherland. Coping with the technical and legal realities of long-term burglary requires building a personal network with those kinds of people who can support and sustain the burglar by teaching and assisting him in various ways.
