UMSL Criminologist Richard Wright talked with KMOV (Channel 4) about home invasions.

Richard Wright, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, talked with KMOV (Channel 4) about home invasions.

KMOV Reporter Russell Kinsaul said the news station has reported on stories of 30 home invasions this year, two of which occurred in the past week. Some incidents ended in injury and even death. Kinsaul sat down with Wright, an expert on robbery, burglary and theft.

Wright explained that home invasions are not a common crime because of the risk involved.

“It’s a dangerous offense with an unclear, uncertain outcome,” he told KMOV.

He added that when you compare 30 home invasions over the past 12 months with the number of other crimes in the region, it’s still a small scale. But Wright added that the infrequency of these types of crimes doesn’t lesson the severity of them.

“In all these encounters though there is the possibility for a fateful misreading and this is scary for both sides because of course offenders don’t know what victims are going to do either,” Wright told the news station.