bank robberies Flashcards
sample typology
- N=35 crews
- N=31 note pusher (beggar bandits) 85-90% of bank robbers
- N=14 solo gunmen
- N=10 committed armored vehicles robberies
robbery definition
must be present:
- violence/ threat of violence
- victim and offender must both be present
examples of what’s robbery/ not robbery
- Purse snatching
· If no force, not
· Victim was knocked off feet, yes
· Utter threats, yes - Fraud
· Threat of force or actual force, yes
· Assumed no weapon therefore not robbery - Note pusher
· Wording of notes key
· Implicit threat, yes
reporting robberies
- Robbery however is reported more than other categories because it is an overt crime
- Environments are structured to report it
criminogenic knowledge structure (CKS)
“negative life events are connected and provide a hostile view of ppl and relationships, preference of immediate rewards, and a cynical view of conventional norms”
- leads to crime bc of the negative lessons learned from these events; socialized into environment where criminal behaviour is acceptable
- offenders dip in and out of crime
- needs based approach
consensus theory
everyone agrees on what constitutes a crime and the severity of punishment
conflict theory
criminal behaviour is defined by those in power to advance interests of the elite
crime rate dropping in Canada
- dropped 50% (2000-2012)
- criminogenic age (20s) replaced by older pop; older pop less likely to commit robbery
- mandatory minimums on weapons (4 yr flat sentence)
- keeping ppl in prisons longer/ more time off the streets
- better surveillance tech
- ppl more drawn to internet/ cyber attacks
- banks hold less money+ have more efficient design
awareness space
- readily available knowledge of suitable targets
- freestanding buildings avoided (more open space around which leads to easier detection)
- cash businesses (some rely more on credit now)
robbery type 1: individual/ mugging
- uncommon in canada
- young, inexperienced, armed (individual/group)
- violence as a result of resistance and preemptive force
- hotspots/ vulnerable victims; older women in underground garages
robbery type 2: commercial/ retail
- most common in Canada
- known targets, local individual who is familiar w the area, young
- big risk/ small rewards ($100 or even less sometimes)
- taxi hold ups, liquor stores, convince stores
- violence escalates w resistance
robbery type 3: institution/bank
- industry standard to comply
- least violent
- reward minimal (2k)
- banks sued if customer is harmed
criminalization hypothesis
deviant lifestyle comes first (dabble in it, experiment w drugs) addiction comes later
addiction makes forming plans difficult
lunch bucket brigade
refers to factory workers who do the same hard work everyday (not appealing enough to robbers)
types of bank security
- Alarm systems (intruder, manned, cctv)
- Access control (intercoms, keypads fobs for restricted areas)
- Turnstiles (good for restricted access of personnel) to cordon off areas
- Biometrics (fingerprint, iris scanners, voice recognition)
- Gates/barriers (external areas customers or contractors, bollards for ramming, road blockers, gates)
rational choice theory
- Criminal decision making characterized by a rudimentary cost benefit analysis
- Analyzes the decision making process as it relates to various stages of criminal involvement, ex initial motivation, motivation to continue, desistance
- RCT concerned with tactical nature of criminal event
- Includes selection of crime, target, getaway, decision to use/ not use weapon
- RCT assumes that decision made by the offender exhibits limited or bounded rationality, rather than have normative rationality
- Adopts a crime specific focus because
A) Different crimes meet different needs
B) Situational context of decision making and informational being processed will vary amongst offences
the UC (unemployment/crime) relationship
- no connection
- as unemployment rises, robbery rates remain the same
- dividends also reduced during recession
- desroches argues improved job market would not influence these men to seek employment as robbery is easier
limitations of RCT as theoretical framework
- Ignores background factors- root causes of crime; irrelevant- little can be done to rectify them
- Age gender SES race gang membership
- Correlates of crime- ignored beyond certainty, celerity (ig swiftness) and severity of legal punishment
- Overlooks social/ cultural context of decision making
- Overemphasize the intellectual sophistication
motivation to rob
initial: $$ to satisfy immediate needs (pay rent, get out of debt, etc)
secondary: the power and excitement
as motivation continues some might long for the celebrity status popular robbers have (ex; billy the kid)
6 reasons for lack of deterrence
- Low risk
- Nothing to lose attitude (no skills, support, just released)
- Life assessment bleak
- Lack of attachments, investments, involvement in conventional life
- Fatalistic, dispirited, no sense of control
- Get out of rut by robbing (material wealth)
media functions
two functions:
1) Idea to rob originates from media
2) Influenced M.O
- 1/3 of sample idea conceived through newspaper reports
- Trajectory of offending: (what triggers the offender)
A) Media, period of dormancy, event, decision to offend
B) Event, media, decision to offend
the decision to leave crime
- Related to age-crime curve
- Move from subjective to objective rationally as you age,:
· fear of imprisonment (little time left)
· Psychic exhaustion
· Desire normalcy
· Lower expectations: $, sex, excitement
· Satisfying relationships
· Conventional activities,, hunting, fishing, job
fear based deterrence
- Higher probability of getting caught: low risk (young, high risk (old)
- Doing time,, low tolerance, less time to live
- Weight of previous convictions,, aggravating factor to increase jail time
- Certainty of punishment,, diminished self concept of skills
5 reasons why MO never changes
1) If it ain’t broke don’t fit it
2) No way to improve it- simple
3) Superstitious (majority)
4) It is their last, won’t get caught
5) Naïve to distinctiveness
typology 1: note pushers/ beggar bandits
- 31/80 are note pushers, common and increasing in popularity
- quiet, discreet and fast (30-60 sec)
- Unlikely to encounter a hero
- Prepared to use force if they have weapon
- Complimentary to tellers; ask for unauthorized transactions and no bait money
- Avoid drugs and alcohol beforehand
typology 2: solo gunmen
- 14 sample, 12 of them used loaded weapon
- Same MO as crew but alone; aggressive, overt and gutsy
- These men mostly all had previous convictions
- Begin w crews and move towards independence, could’ve lost partner, no one to replace, and MAY use driver
benefits:
· No splitting money
· No informants
· No qualified candidate
typology 3: bank robbery crews (2+ ppl)
- 35/80 of sample
- Gains often shared, getaway driver may get set free (equal risk, equal share)
- No set leadership, partnerships based on respect
- DOL AND CONSENSUS; no force, mutual deference
- Often go separate ways after robbery
· Doormen is gunmen (making sure no one escapes) most important role, last to leave, not a hothead
· Bagman ($) gets a hold of head teller
benefits
- Safety in numbers, sense of power, learning from others
- More tills to hit up (5k each)
disadvantages
- Less autonomy and direct control
- Greater chance for mistakes to be made
- Less reliability
- Someone else can rat you out
typology 4: armoured vehicle robbery (work in crews 3-4)
- Very few exist (DesRoches N=10)
- Move through provinces and to US, majority Quebec, hull, Ottawa
- Careful planning and execution, ex business suits, delivery outfits
- Require setting up in another city or region, ex rent an apartment, car armoured vehicles difficult targets
- Monitor police scanners; learn codes, phone in fake robberies, dry runs, create traffic problems, signs
- 50% are inside jobs by security guards/ employers
- However, uncommon (3 or 4/year in Canada)
- Police look for two factors:
· Montreal and inside job
armoured vehicle roles
- Traditionally 3 person crews, crew size= risk
- Driver- ops truck, delivery logs, loads/unloads
- Messenger- collects/ delivers goods while communication with driver
- Guard- protects the messenger and goods
- All off model: guard is eliminated; driver must exit the vehicle; no warning of an ambush
- Driver has weaponry
sykes and maza: techniques of neutralizations (social control theory)
- Delinquents accept legitimacy of conventional norms however render them temporarily ineffective
- Techniques are rationalized to justify courses of action and protect self concept
- TN release individuals from the social controls imposed by the internalization of societal values, ex juvenile delinquents violate values they nonetheless respect
- TN is a strategy to manage cognitive dissonance to resolve feelings of guilt/shame
- TN learned through culture and interaction w others
critique of TN
-when are TN formed (before or after the commission of the offence?)
- Only explains behaviour of those who have conventional attachments
- Guilt not experienced by all and depending on subculture the crime may be viewed as acceptable and desirable
several different TN’s
- Denial of responsibility- passive role, mental illness
- Denial of injury- dismiss trauma, bank can afford loss
- Denial of victim- victim deserved it, Nazi blamed jews for depression
- Condemnation of the condemners- deflecting blame, others are hypocrites, crooked cops
- Appeal to higher loyalties- conflicting commitment
- Injustice and revenge- fighting against oppression, terrorist attacks against gov
- Extraordinary situation- place crashes start eating each other
cognitive dissonance
- Physiological incompatibilities between two or more items of knowledge or belief
- Periods or instances of CD give rise to the pressure within an individual to resolve the dissonance
- Ex; a person who views himself as honest yet steals will attempt to resolve the dissonance by using a technique of neutralization
