Robbery, a crime that originated at common law, is an act of unlawfully taking the property of another by violent force or the threat of such force, with the intent to deprive them of it permanently.
Because robbery involves violent force or the threat of such force, it is considered a more serious crime than other similar theft crimes, such as larceny (which does not require such force), for example.
The crime of robbery generally contains several elements:
- The taking of the property of another
- From their person or in their presence
- By violent force or threat of such force
- With the intent to deprive them of it permanently
However, these elements may vary slightly by jurisdiction. For example:
- Virginia: In Butts v. Commonwealth, the court defined robbery as “the [permanent] taking, with intent to steal, of the personal property of another, from his person or in his presence, against his will, by violence or intimidation.” This matches the elements listed above.
- Florida: According to Florida law, robbery is defined as “the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny, from the person or custody of another, with the intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the money or other property, when in the course of the taking there was a use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear.” In Florida, such an act will be considered a robbery even if the intent was only to temporarily (not permanently) deprive someone of their property.
Many states also have schemes whereby robberies with higher levels of violence will be charged with a higher form of robbery, such as aggravated robbery or armed robbery, for example.
[Last updated in April of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]