Many research works have been carried out on armed robbers who have already transformed from their law breaking activities. Researchers are often reluctant to carry out their research work in the prisons. The reason behind this has been explained by Richard Wright and Scott Decker in their book, “Armed Robbers in Action Stickups and Street Culture”. They attribute this to the fact that most people engage in criminal activities due to the temptations in the streets and the pressures from life’s challenges (Richard and Decker 4). Such pressures, for example financial constraints do not exist in the prison. In addition to that, prisoners always hope that their cases would be reevaluated and their jail terms reduced. Exposing their past criminal experiences would reduce any chance of their jail terms being reduced (Macdonald 77). In the prisons, it is difficult to get enough people to confess their criminal activities.
Reports have shown that most of the armed robbers are young, black and poor men. As explained by Richard and Decker, young blacks often lack job opportunities as compared to young white people. This can be attributed to the fact that the young blacks often lack proper skills and educations to enable them compete for more lucrative job opportunities. However, the young blacks have to pay bills and finance daily activities in life. Thus, engaging in criminal activities such as armed robbery becomes a quick means to earn cash. They the need for cash can be viewed by many as the primary reason for a person to engage in criminal activities. Armed robbers spend the money they get only to satisfy their daily need for cash but not to improve their future lives. They also engage in law breaking activities when their cash reserves are very low (Richard and Decker 35).
Another reason why armed robbers engage in their criminal activities as outlined in Richard and Scott’s book is to finance their extravagant lifestyles. Most criminals party excessively. They spend a lot of money to engage in activities like gambling, excessive drinking, prostitution and drug abuse.Engaging in criminal activities make someone to be feared and rejected by the community. It also makes someone feel guilty. Excessive partying reduces the time one spends in thinking about his or her mysteries (Richard and Decker 37). Drug abuse makes a criminal to be courageous to commit a crime. However, to finance such activities they require huge sums of cash. This need for quick cash push many people to carryout armed robbery. Physical appearance is a vital consideration for many criminals. They wear expensive clothes and jewelry. It is a common believe in the streets that a criminal who has committed a lot of criminal activities is determined by how expensive he wears. Armed robbers have to keep on changing their clothing from time to time to hide their identity. Most criminals hide cover their faces and distort their voices and thus only their clothing can be used to easily recognize them. To avoid being recognized, they can change their clothes severally every day. Thus, they need a lot of money to buy the clothing. This make them carry out robberies either for the cash or jewelry.
Before attempting any criminal activities, offenders take time to plan the attacks. One of the most important considerations in the plan is choosing a suitable victim. The victim chosen should be less likely to report to the police or fight the offender (Gabor 27). The victim must be desperate to resist attack. To determine a desperate victim Richard and Decker explain that offenders consider three types of victims. The first type are the law breakers. These are criminal victims. They are suitable victims because they are less likely to report to the police. They know that reporting that they have been robbed might put them into trouble. Armed robbers rob dope dealers. They know that they handle a lot of cash at any given time. They also know that they get their money in illegal ways thus they would not dare report to the police. Also, white drug users go into black neighborhoods in such of drugs (Richard and Decker 65). Robbing such people would be much easy to get away with.
The other type is the non criminal victims. They rob the law abiding citizens. This is because law abiding citizens are unlikely to carry guns with them. This is opposed to criminals who carry guns for their safety. Country residents are more suitable victims as opposed to the people living in the city. This is because they are unlikely to report to the police and the police patrols are rear in the country sides ((Richard and Decker 68).
Lastly, armed robbers believe that commercial institutions and businesses are suitable victims. Businesses located in poor neighborhoods often lack security systems in place. Robbers thus take advantage of the poor security measures and carry out attacks (Richard and Decker 69). Businesses have a lot of cash in circulation thus armed robbers believe that if they are successful to rob the businesses, they will get a lot of money as opposed to robbing a person (Barton 58).
To carry out a robbery and get away with it requires the robber to inflict fear to the victims. More often, the armed robber portray the illusion of impending death. Victims, for fear of losing their lives, do not fight back and this makes it easy to carry out the crime.
To approach victims, Richard and Decker outline two methods used by offenders. First, they use speed or stealth to get to the victims. Some offenders approach their victims from behind to avoid being suspected while others approach them from the front to instill fear and show the victims that they are serious (Richard and Decker 97). The other method explored by Richard and Decker is the offenders appearing normal (Richard and Decker 99). Offenders wear decent clothes and use female accomplice. This gives them a chance to get closer to the victim and carry out their criminal activities by surprise (Montville 116).
One of the remedies given by Richard and Decker to prevent armed robberies from taking place is by creating more jobs. Employment would engage the minds of the offenders thus not giving them time to plan and carry out attacks. However, this is not a guaranteed solution as not all robbers are unemployed. Also, most robbers are unskilled and uneducated thus making it hard for them to get jobs(Montville 116). Deterrence and incapacitation is also a way of reducing criminal activities according to Richard and Decker. Prolonging jail terms for offenders can protect victims from attacks. It can also deter other criminals for fear of being locked up in prison for long (Brown 81). However, this does not transform the criminals and they can continue with their activities in the prison (Richard and Decker 132). Reducing victim vulnerability can reduce criminal activities as explained by Richard and Decker. However, it is hard to know precisely how one should act when he or she is attacked by robbers. The most effective way of preventing attacks as provided by Richard and Decker is situational change. Increased surveillance and lighting all streets can reduce the chances of an attack being carried out (Richard and Decker 133). However, it is expensive for the poor people to set up expensive security system to deter armed robbers.
References
Barton, Alana. Expanding the Criminological Imagination: Critical Readings in Crimonology. Cullompton: Willan, 2007. Print.
Brown, Mark. Dangerous Offenders Punishment and Social Order. London: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Gabor, Thomas. Armed Robbery: Cops, Robbers, and Victims. Springfield: Thomas, 1987. Print.
Macdonald, John M. Armed Robbery: Offenders and Their Victims. Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1975. Print.
Montville, Leigh. The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery. New York: Doubleday, 2008. Print.
Wright, Richard, and Scott H. Decker. Armed Robbers in Action Stickups and Street Culture. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1997. Print.