The government and the judicial system of each country have strict laws for al types of misdemeanors and crimes. These can be smaller ones that can be pardoned with community service hours and fines or they can get quite serious.
It is always better to be aware of all that is going in the law and all that can apply to an individual based on the rules set by the authorities. These rules can differ from one crime to another. Read one to find out what is robbery, how many years for armed robbery, the various types of robbery, the elements of robbery, and much more!
What Is Robbery
Robbery is the act of stealing something from someone with the use of force or threats. The robbery definition law states the same thing which is unlawfully taking someone else’s property by force.
Since robbery is a type of theft crime, the consequences of it can range from extreme ones to lower level punishments as well. Because its a theft crime, it can be extreme in a lot of cases and cause harm to lives as well. Hence the consequences are more than often quite severe.
Types Of Robbery
Robbery is a serious crime that is punishable by law. This crime can be as severe as robbing a bank on gunpoint or just snatching someone’s wallet while they are on their way of home. Since both, the acts are recognized as robbery, both the suspects in these cases can be punished. The only difference will be in the amount of punishment handed out to them.
To elaborate it some more, let’s look at the types of robbery given down below
1. Armed Robbery
Armed robbery is one of the most common types of robbery. As the name indicates it involves weapons. Anyone who robs someone of their rightful property with the threat of a gun, knife, or any other weapon, they are taking part in an armed robbery.
Since an armed robbery includes weapons, there is always more threat for the victim and hence the consequences for the perpetrator if he/she gets caught are even more severe. One question that keeps surfacing is, how many years for armed robbery? Well, the answer to this can differ based on the seriousness of the situation.m If someone is harmed with the weapon during an armed robbery then the jail time can go as long as a life sentence. But, at the very least, perpetrators have to complete 8 years in jail time if they get caught.
2. Unarmed Robbery
Unarmed robbery is as simple as one can gauge from the name. Opposite to armed robbery, in this one, the perpetrator does not have a gun or any other weapon in their possession. Instead of using a gun or any other weapon to force someone to give up their property or items, in an unarmed robbery, a robber works more on the vocals to get the most out fo their victims.
3. Looting
Looting is a different type of robbery as it takes place when the owner is not there. During the looting, robbers take someone’s property without their knowledge. This usually takes place when the owner is not present near the property to take safeguard it and is unaware of the theft braking place.
Looting is also of various types as well. It usually takes place during wars, natural disasters, or blackouts. More than often, people involved in looting are not caught that easily or accused of much because it takes place on a larger scale, and convicting everyone at the same time is more than often not possible.
There are also a lot of cases in which looting is being done to meet needs and for survival. In such cases, convictions are also pretty rare or just limited to community service hours. It is a type of larceny.
4. Burglary
Burglary is the opposite of looting because in this one the victims are forced to stay in the sights of the robbers and get them their required items. Forcing people to stay and fetch the valuables for the robbers make this kind of robbery an even more extreme one. In a lot of cases, burglary involves kidnapping and the perpetrators might even make the situation worse by turning it into sexual assaults as well
Burglary is considered as an inchoate offense because it often leads to more than one crime. Any robber entering the house based on robing might also kidnap the residents or shoot them. The act of one crime leading and developing another one turns into an inchoate crime.
The punishment for burglary can depend mainly on the crime that comes after it. If someone forces their way into a person’s property and then murders them the punishment will be severe.
5. Bank Robbery
Bank robbery is said to be an extremely common crime. More than often a bank robbery is an armed robbery as well since there are lots of chances of bumping into security guards. Bank robbery is considered to be a federal crime and the punishments for a bank robbery can be very severe.
Since it includes weapons, there are a lot of chances of someone getting hurt. If someone gets murdered during a bank robbery then the perpetrator can be charged with felony murder.
Because it is a federal crime, anyone getting caught committing a bank robbery is bound to spend a life sentence or some time in federal jail.
6. Aggravated Robbery
Aggravated robbery is quite like armed robbery because in this one there is the use of weapons as well. This is done to force the victims to give up their items quickly. Aggravated robbery is different because it entails that more than one person is included in the robbery.
This is very similar to armed robbery because an aggravated robbery is also one in which a weapon is used to physically harm the victims. Furthermore, some states also call robbery done to disabled and old people as aggravated robbery.
The punishment for an aggravated robbery for first-time offenders is a maximum of 8-9 years in prison and a minimum of 2 years. The law isn’t so lenient for second or third-time offenders. They get a minimum of 3.5 to a maximum of up to 17 years in jail.
7. Piracy
Lastly, the most common type of robbery out there is piracy. Piracy is committed every day by millions of people all over the world because the consequences for it are not carried out as often. The starting point of piracy was back in the olden days when pirates used to take over ships in the sea and kidnap the passengers for ransom, They would also steal their valuables and kill everyone. Piracy is taking over a vessel that doesn’t belong to you.
Nowadays, piracy takes place on the internet when things are bought off from the internet at a lower price and sold off expensively. Sometimes duplicates are often made of the items to sell them to a large audience and gain profit off of it.
Causes Of Robbery
While inspecting the causes of robbery, one can come to many conclusions. There is a lot of bad in the society which takes over certain individuals and as a result, they choose to rob people. Sometimes, and even though this is not an excuse, sometimes people tend to steal when they are in dire need of money or that particular item that steal.
There are various causes of robbery, some of which are:
- Poverty
- Family Status
- Peer Pressure
- Medical Conditions
- Lack Of Proper Security
- Substance Abuse
Elements Of Robbery
Elements of robbery include the very four basic ideas. One, that the property or item must be taken from the individual. Two, that it must be done in the presence of an individual.
Three, that some sort of violence takes place, either verbally or physically, and lastly, that the victim is supposed to be deprived of their value or their items permanently.
In the case of robberies, the victim must be in the presence of the robber for it to be called robbery. If the victim is not there or is unaware that their items are getting stolen then in such cases itis called larceny.
The element of robbery also includes that some sort of violence must take place for it to be termed as robbery. This violence doesn’t necessarily have to be on a physical level. The robber can simply us force vocally or threatened them in such a manner that they install fear in the minds of the victim.