Robbery (From Atlas of Crime: Mapping the Criminal Landscape, P 43-50, 2000, Linda S. Turnbull, Elaine Hallisey Hendrix, eds, et al., -- See NCJ-193465

• NCJ Number: 193470
• Author(s): Doug Williamson
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Oryx Press
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter examines the fundamental issues of personal robberies.

Abstract

Robbery is considered one of the most frightening and common crimes. Robbery involves theft with the use of threat of force or violence against the victim. A robbery occurs in the United States every minute. Robbery is usually perpetrated by a stranger in a highly threatening manner. Robbery involves violence that can result in serious injury, or even death for the victim. Robbery has several fundamental elements: it involves a perpetrator and a victim, must take place somewhere, and needs to be committed. The perpetrators of robbery have a distinct demographic profile: males under 25 years of age. Blacks account for 57 percent of total robbery arrests, whites for 41 percent, and all other races for the remainder. At the core of robbery is the quest for material or monetary reward. Most offenders often fall below the poverty line. Other factors of more psychological nature that motivate people to commit robbery are control, revenge, street justice, and thrill seeking. Women do commit robbery, and in rising numbers. Little data on victims of robbery is available. Males were more than twice as likely as females to be victims of a robbery in 1997. A large proportion of perpetrators said they preyed on individuals who were themselves involved in illegal activity, particularly low-level drug activity. The primary reason for this was that these victims would be less likely to report the incident to the police. There is a high correlation between robberies and illicit drug activity. Robbery tends to be a “local” crime performed by perpetrators within their own neighborhoods. Robbery is generally a crime of opportunity. Robbery is classified as armed and unarmed or strong-arm. The most significant element of robbery is the type of weapon used. Typically, force was used only if the victim resisted. The effects of robbery are financial, physical, and psychological. Robbery is not evenly distributed throughout the country nor is it evenly distributed within cities. 19 figures, 17 references