Caroline Wolf Harlow, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics

April 1, 1987    NCJ 104638

The data revealed that two-thirds of the robbery victims had property stolen, one-third were injured, and almost a fourth suffered both injury and property loss. Offenders displayed weapons in almost half of 11 robberies, and had guns in about 1 in 5. In almost 9 out of 10 robbery victimizations, robbers were male. In about half, they were black or worked in groups of two or more. Blacks were victims of robberies at two and one-half times the rates for whites. Over half of all robbery victims were attacked. Such victims were more likely to be injured if they were female, if the incident occurred at night, if there was more than one offender, or if a weapon was present. Robbery rates declined by 15 percent from 1973 to 1984, largely because of a decrease in attempted robberies. Robbery victims were more likely than rape or assault victims to encounter multiple offenders, strangers, or offenders with weapons. Several factors increased the likelihood that a robbery was reported to the police: whether anything was stolen, the value of the stolen property, whether the victim was injured and how badly, and the presence of a weapon. 20 tables and l graph. (Author summary modified)

Part of the Criminal Victimization in the United States Series

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