Victim Injury and Death in Urban Robbery: A Chicago Study

Abstract

ROBBERY, the taking of property by force or threat of force, is a major problem in its own right and a central issue in the analysis of violent crime in America. Robbery is a property crime, unlike theft and burglary, that frequently threatens the physical security of its victim.' Robbery is a crime of violence that strikes many more victims than rape2 and reaches across boundaries of social distance far more often than aggravated assault.3 Robbery is the stranger-to-stranger crime that most frequently results in victim death and injury in the United States.4 This paper reports the first systematic comparison of noninjury, injury, and fatal robberies in a big city setting. The first section of this report addresses our empirical findings, including estimates of the volume of robbery killing in Chicago, an analysis of patterns of robbery killing, an examination of patterns of robberies that cause injury, and a preliminary