Patterns of force in robbery

This study uses offender interviews and the comparative analysis of cases to examine the conditions under which different modes of force are used by an offender to exact compliance from a target in robbery. The mode of force employed is constrained by two contingencies: the strength of the offender's coercive resources and the meaning of the target to the robbery. The greater the punitive strength of the offender's coercive resources, the more likely the offender will use limited force to exact compliance. The lesser the punitive strength of the offender's resources, the more likely the offender will use massive force to generate compliance. When the target is deemed pivotal to the offender's goal achievement, the offender is confined to the use of limited force, regardless of the punitive strength of his or her resources. When the target is not considered necessary, the offender will use either limited or massive force, depending on the strength of his or her resources.