If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. U.S. Department of Justice Bureau or Justice Statistics Federal Offenses and Offenders Bank robbery Is a potentially dangerous crime-offenses routinely involve a August 1984 firearm and sometimes result in serious injury, kidnat?ing, or murder. It is an Rarely can one get a comprehen~ Federal justice agencies: the expensive crime-millions of dollars are sive look at the operation of a Federal Bureau of Investigation, stolen each year and much more is crim fnal justice system. Usually the Executive Office for U.s. spent for private security and public only a glimpse Is available-of Attorneys, the Administrative law enforcement"! It is n flagrant arrest, prosecution, sentencing or Office of the U.S. Courts, and crime-robberies are typically commit­ corrections. Earlier this year, a the Bureau of Prisons. During ted in full view of witnesses and are EJS bulletin provided a detalled the comIng year, thc IlJS inte­ frequently recorded on vIdeotape. analysis of drug law offenders grated Federal justIce data base and the processing of their cases will be expanded to incorporate Even when violence is absent, bank through the Federal justice data from additional justice robberies threaten innocent bystanders system. This bulletin provides a agencies and to reflect trans­ ll and the tlvictim impact of the crime similarly detailed look at another actions over a longcr period of can be substantial. Bank employees and serious crime, bank robbery, time. Future BJS publications customers face grave threats, because Neither bulletin would have will address issues relevant to the as a group, bank robbers have ex tensive been possIble without the avall­ Federal justice system utili71ng histories of prior arrests, convictions, abllity of the Integrated data this expanded data base. drug abuse and antisocial behavior~ base assembled by BJS from Steven R. Schlesinger separate files provided by four Director Unlike other crimes, bank robbery is always detected and almost always reported. According to FBI data for are lengthy-approxima tely 10 years on crea ted specifically to address the need the years 1978 and 1979 combined, ap­ average. for joint policies dealing with crimes, proximately two of every three re­ such as bank robbery, which fan within portedfank robberies were cleared by Because the offense is pernicious the jurisdiction of both Federal and arrest~ Investigations presented to and bank robbers frequently have ex­ State/local justice systems. U.S. Attorneys during 1979 more often tensive crim inal records, such robbery than not resulted in prosecution in a has been of special concern to the This bulletin summarizes statistical Federal court (59%), and Federal Federal Government since the estab­ findIngs abou t Federal bank robberies. prosecutions generally resulted in lishment In 1934 of programs providIng 3 Data are derived from a recently estab­ conviction (86%). Prison sentences Federal insurance for private deposits lIshed BJS integrated Federal justice maintained in most of the nation's data base that traces case processing lEstimates or loss 'larS between 25 and 47 million banks. Recently, the Attorney from investigation through prosecution, doUars per yenr in 1979. Source~ Uniform CrimI? Reprt find unpublished semiannual tflbulation.'l General's Task Force on Violent Crime adjudication, sentencing, and correc­ pro'l ded by the Federal Bureau or Iflvestiga tion. has highlighted the problems assocIated tions. The integra ted file focuses on 2uGIeared by nrrestlt means tho t evidence 1s suf­ with violen t crimes including bank rob­ criminal cases term ina ted in Federal ficient to charge fI suspect with (\ crjme, ulthaugh bery. Additionally, the Law Enforce­ DistrIct Courts during 1979, the most fflr technical reasons (generally reluting to other ment Coordinating Committees were recent year for whieh reasonably com­ eXIsting outstanding charges), the offender mny not plete correc tional da ta could be ex­ in fuct be charged. pected to be available. Secondary 3The ratc of CBse acceptances at Ole Federal1evet Attorney may be referred to a local prosecutor. analysis of other data sources was also understates the rate at which banI. robbery eases Bank robbery incidents invt'!stignted by the FBI are arc prosecuted beciluse ceses declined by the O,S. routinely presented to a U.S. Attorney. conducted in order to provide a more compr~~ensile review of bank robbery disgUises despite the widespread use by classified as using opiates; 28% of and robbers. banks of surveillance equipmenti 86% all bank robbers were considered never inspected the bank prior to the addicted. PSA interviews revealed Characteristics of baak robbery: offense; and 9596 had no long-range that 20% of the suspects had been using An overview scheme to avoid apprehension and spend opiates within 1 month prior to the the money without being noticed. interViews; 27% of all suspected bank Number of incldenb;. Prior to the robbers were considered to have been 1960's, the FBI reported fewer than 500 Physical harm and eeonomic loss. Re­ addicte~8t some time during the past bank robberies per year" This number cords of FBI bank robbery investiga­ 2 years. jumped to over 2,300 bank robberies as tions for the years 1978 and 1979 of 1970. During the past decade, bank combined showed that slightly over 6% Since these statistics focus solely robberies have increased a t a far higher of all ban1( robberies involved actuai on opiates, they do not fully reflect rate (209%) than total robberies violence: 3.6% involved discharge of a the level of total drug use. Other data (42%). (Total robberies include bank gun, and 2.4% involved other forms of from the PSA records indicate that 35% and "nonbank" incidents at both the violence, such as assaults. Injuries oc­ of all bunk robbers abused some type Federal and state level.) The number curred in 2.1% of all robberies; death of drug; the FBI has estimated that of incidents reported to the FBI occurred in .4%. The 1982 Uniform as many as 12% of all bank robbers remained relatively stable during the Crime Report indicates that the aver­ used drugs. 1 early 1970's, increasing gradually to age dollar loss was approximately slightly over 4,500 in 1976. A more $3,300 per incident.S Available d.t. The presentence investigation re­ dramatic change in the number of indicate that less than 20% of amounts ports revealed that 8% of the offenders reported incidents occurred between stolen during 1979 were recovered.9 Of were intoxicated with some drug 1978 (approximately 4,600) and 1979 course, this statistic pertaining to dol­ (excluding alcohol) at the time of their (approximately 7,600)-an increase of lar losses by banks does not reflect offense. One-quarter of all the reports approxima tely 65%. Minor increases costs associated with physical and psy­ indicated that the offender intended to occurred in 1980 and 1981 (about B,OOO chological trauma inflicted by bank use the proceeds of the crime to sup­ incidents in each year) followed by a robbers. port drug use. small decline (to about 7,000) in 1982. Bank robberies accounted for about 6% Cbarllcteristics of Fede.... l Recidivism. As a group, bank robbers of all robberie\of u.s. commercial bank robbers are highly recidivistic_ In a sample of establishments (and about 1.3% of all convicted bank robbers, about half were robberies) reported to Federal, stgte, OUender pronle~ Interviews conducted rearrested within 6 years ofl~eir re­ and local authorities during 1982. by the Pre trial Services Branch or the lease from Federal custody. Those Administrative Office of U.S. Courts robbers with 8_ history of heroin use Despite increases in the nu mber of (commonly referred to as the PSA­ were estimated to recidivate about 3 reported incidents, the number of bank Pretrial Services Administration) pro­ years sooner on average than those 1Yo robbery defendants against whom vide a profile of the typical bank robber did not have a history of heroin use. Federal cases were terminated, which prosecuted in Federal District Court. Comparison with other offenders. Bank peaked in 1976 (2,516 defendants) was The typicai bank robber is a young f Significantly lower in 1979, (1,292 male recidivist who is likely to be robbers differ from other Federal of­ defendants); 198~(1,329); 1981 (1,402) unemployed at the time of the crime fenders~ In Table I, Federal oonk rob­ and 1982 (1,603). and slightly more likely to be black bers are contrasled with Fedr~al fraud, than white. Ninety-six percent of the forgery and drug defendan ts. Bank Nature of crime. According to presen­ robbers were male. Thirty percen t rabbers, as a group, are younger than tence investigation reports, the major­ were steadily unemployed for the 2 topresentence investigations and pretrial services ity of bank robberies nppear to be un­ years prior to their arrests. Accord­ Interviews rely on self-reports, although verlfiefi­ sophistica ted and lIunpro fessiona}1' ing to the integrn ted dB. ta, most had tion or the orrender's responses with family, frJends crimes: 76% of bank robbers used no extensive criminal histories and had and drug abuse tHlnies Is routine. been incarcera ted previously. Clas­ 11 of 40ther sourees Include 1I sample of 656 presnntenee sified according to their most serious Investigation reports provided by the Administrative prior correctional SID tus, 45% had OWee of u.s. Courts (defendants were eonvleted 12Deborah Buchner et ill., Recidivism Amon between 1915 lInd 1978 in I~!ght Federal districts served prior terms in excess of one Convieted Federal Offenders Washington, D.C.: which were oonsidered generaily representative); year, another 12% had served jail terms lNSLAW, Inc.