A substantial body of research suggests that, in spite of the risks as
sociated with co-offending, offenders frequently choose to work togeth
er. Dominant theories of crime, as well as those of decision making in
general (e.g, game theory), typically assume that people's choices ar
e based on instrumentally rational calculations; however, research on
decision making highlights the limitations of this assumption for unde
rstanding decisions to cooperate in both noncriminal and criminal acti
vities. We draw on work on social dilemma theories, as well as James C
oleman's treatise on collective action (1990), for other insights into
the motivation to cooperate. We extend these ideas and argue that the
challenges of everyday adversity and contacts with potential co-offen
ders may increase people's willingness to trust others and co-offend.
Employing data from a two-wave panel of street youth in Toronto and Va
ncouver, we test these ideas in multivariate models of street theft. W
e find that of the various cooperative styler examined, a form we call
collaboration is most important in facilitating crime.