Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 101

Robbery is essentially theft by force. Stealing a woman’s purse from her closet is theft. Knocking her down and taking her purse directly off her shoulder is robbery. Unlike theft and burglary, which are both considered property crimes, robbery is considered a violent crime and is usually punished more severely because it involves a risk to the personal safety of the victim (see Chapter 6 for more on theft, burglary, and other property crimes).

The amount of punishment doled out for robbery generally depends on whether a weapon is used and, if so, the type of weapon used. Here are the basic distinctions among weapons:

 Deadly weapons: In most states, using a firearm during the commission of a robbery results in the most severe sentences. Using other weapons capable of causing death (called deadly weapons) may also result in severe punishment.Armed robbery, for example, may result in a sentence of 1 to 10 years in state prison. Although most violent crimes are handled in state court, bank robbery is commonly prosecuted in the federal system, where sentences can reach 20 years in prison if the robber was armed.

 Dangerous weapons: This category of weapons includes those that can cause significant injury, such as clubs, fists, and stun guns. Using a dangerous weapon during a robbery may result in a more severe sentence than a robbery without a weapon.

 Pretend weapons: Of course, I can’t neglect to mention the robber with his hand in his pocket, pretending to have a gun. In many states, even pretending to possess a weapon may result in an enhanced sentence.

Many robberies happen to people in vehicles. For instance, carjacking is when a robber forces a person out of his car and then takes the car, perhaps also taking the driver’s personal possessions. Also, far more common than bank robberies are robberies of convenience stores and homes, perhaps because bank robberies are often prosecuted in federal court, where sentences can be much longer (see Chapter 17 for a discussion of federal crime enforcement).

Unlike most other violent crimes, which peak during summer months, more robberies occur during the colder months. Some criminologists theorize that the reason behind this trend is the increased darkness in the colder months, which helps to conceal the crime. Also, wearing a mask and hat to cover your appearance without raising suspicions is much easier to do in the winter.

Robberies of drug dealers are extremely common (known as a drug rip), but few of these cases show up in statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Obviously, drug dealers aren’t likely to report being victimized, which is precisely what makes them such appealing targets to robbers.