Which term describes skilled offenders who plan crimes, make money, and often avoid long incarceration?

• A. Mafia
• B. Amateur thieves
• C. Professional thieves
• D. Fence

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is the distinction between types of criminals by how they approach crime. A professional thief is someone who treats theft as a career, planning offenses in advance, using specialized skills, and pursuing theft as a steady source of income. This combination of preparation, skill, and profit motive fits the description of someone who plans crimes, makes money, and often avoids long incarceration because their offenses are organized, repeated, and carried out with a level of sophistication that sets them apart from impulsive or one-off offenders.

In contrast, an amateur thief acts more impulsively or infrequently and lacks the developed methods of a professional. A fence is someone who handles and profits from stolen goods after the crime has occurred, not the person who commits the theft. The Mafia refers to an organized crime group rather than a label for the individual offender type described here.