| Abstrakt: |
Armed robbers do not act rationally. They are young, impulsive offenders who are rather easily detected by criminal justice agencies. They are aware that their crime is not lucrative, and carries a high price in the courts. When asked what group they admire, the consensus of opinion was that the embezzler or fraud offender was doing things correctly. The robbery convicts noted that these offenders use their heads, get a large amount of money, and a short sentence. They saw themselves as losers. This may explain why only 14 of the 113 robbery convicts had previous convictions for armed robbery. They had engaged chiefly in other types of property crime. Though 59 percent were drug abusers, only five persons had previous sentences for drug possession. And 69 percent were engaged in robbery with one or more partners. Judges retaliate rather severely when robbers appear for trial. Actual time spent in prison is controlled by the Parole Board, however, and is far short of the sentence imposed in the court. Plea-bargaining reduces the sentence by an average of 10 years. Judges consistently hand down more severe sentences to more experienced robbers, in line with established legal theory. This study corroborates research by other criminologists who have defined armed robbery as an unplanned crime with little gain and serious legal consequences. |
