NCJ Number
94463
Date Published
1984
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This bulletin provides a detailed look at the crime of bank robbery, based on data from a Federal justice data base which traces case processing from investigation through corrections.
Abstract
By 1982, the number of reported bank robberies had risen to over 7,000. The majority of bank robberies appear to be perpetrated by amateurs. FBI bank robbery investigation data show that in 1978 and 1979 slightly over 6 percent of all bank robberies involved violence. The typical bank robber is a young, unemployed male recidivist, somewhat more likely to be black than white. Most have extensive criminal histories, with previous incarcerations. Drug use appears to be common among bank robbers. Bank robbers differ from other Federal offenders; they are younger, less well-educated, less likely to be married, and more likely to have lower incomes than are those convicted of fraud, forgery, and drug abuse. The FBI initiated almost 11,000 bank robbery investigations during 1978 and 1979. The U. S. attorneys accept more than half of bank robbery investigations for prosecution as felonies. Bail is often difficult for these offenders to acquire, and many stay in detention until the trial. Bail violations occur with 18 percent of bank robbers. Most who are convicted engage in plea bargaining. Plea bargaining is quite successful in reducing sentences for these offenders. Sentencing tends to be harsher than that received for other high-volume offense types. Four tables and 21 notes are included.