This article will provide an explanation of how differential association theory explains burglary. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) considers burglary a Type 1 index crime because of its potentially violent nature. The FBI divides burglary into three subclassifications. This article discusses the elements of the crime of burglary and what constitutes a structure or dwelling. It will discuss a brief history of deviance, trends, rates, and how this correlates to the specific theory that this article will also discuss. Differential association theory best explains burglary deviance. There are many principles associated with this type of social learning theory. Edwin Sutherland's theory explains how crime is a learned behavior over which family, peers, and the environment have great influence. Differential association theory seeks to prove that criminal behavior is learned and this article will assess the connection between the two. a crime or theft (Bernasco and Luykx, 2003). There are several reasons for this specific definition of burglary. First, as Bernasco said, burglary is the act of creating an opening in the dwelling by disabling any part of that dwelling intended to serve as a tool to prevent intrusion. Second, nighttime was an important element of burglary by common law standards; legislators viewed people as incapable of protecting themselves in the middle of the night. At common law, it was not enough to simply enter a dwelling, the act of burglary had to exist; if entry is through an unlocked door, ...... middle of paper ...... dual characteristic or socio-economic situation of a person; Sutherland instead viewed crime as the byproduct of a learning process that affects people of all cultures and social classes (Siegel, 2012, p. 237). Applying Sutherland's theory, it is concluded that skills and motivations conducive to crime can be acquired from various interactions that occur throughout a person's life. Works cited: Bernasco, W. and Luykx, F. (2003). Effects of attractiveness, opportunity, and accessibility to burglars on residential rates in urban neighborhoods. Criminology, 41, 981-1002.FBI. (2010). Crime in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-us/2010/crime-in-the-us-2010/property-crime/burglarymain.Friedman, L. (1993). Crime and Punishment in American History. New York: Basic Books. Siegel, L. J. (2012). Criminology. Belmont: Cengage learning.