NCJ Number
142484
Date Published
1971
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This study reviews the status of data collection on the nature and prevalence of robbery in the United States, the characteristics of robbery offenders, and the strategy required to improve measures to counter robbery.
Abstract
The only available national data on robbery are those reported by the FBI in its annual Uniform Crime Reports. This data collection mechanism is handicapped, however, by the decentralized nature of criminal justice operations and data-collection differences among crime reporting agencies. Apart from the Uniform Crime Reports, various data-gathering efforts have not compiled or collated information on the same basis or according to the same classification. Associated with data collection on robbery is the confusion over whether to classify it as a property crime or a crime against the person, since it typically consists of both elements. Also, on the basis of available studies to date, there is clearly a need for more up-to-date information and more research to obtain a fuller profile of who is responsible for committing the various types of robbery and how various offenders operate. This study also examines the role of firearms in robberies, along with the role of alcohol, narcotics, and dangerous drugs. The recommendations offered pertain to data collection on robbery, research on the nature and extent of violence used in robberies, studies of the link between drug use and robbery, and the development of strategies that target specific robbery problems common to a number of cities. Appended chapter footnotes and a 100-item bibliography