Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Ahead of Print.
Objectives: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.