In other columns, I've written about certain crimes being fantasy-driven. That's what these nuisance offenses are all about. A voyeur is looking through windows, deep in his fantasies. A fetish burglar is fantasizing about a foot to go inside that shoe he just swiped. And, as is often the case, there are also elements of power and control.
Burglars get a tremendous high crawling through a window and walking around someone else's home.
When just looking is no longer enough When peeping through a window or sniffing shoes is no longer satisfying, the person may go further. Now he wants to go through that window. Or maybe he'll be caught in the act and doesn't want to go to jail, so he'll kill rather than risk being identified. Research shows that these nuisance offenses are generally a precursor to more violent crimes. David Berkowitz, New York City's Son of Sam, set more than 2,000 fires before he started killing.