Hoosier Banker there are a variety of prison sentences for those caught. Robbers using force or violence get a maximum sentence of 20 years. Hurt someone while robbing a bank and the maximum sentence increases to 25 years. Kill someone and face death or life imprisonment. Robbers who don’t use weapons face less time. Robbing a bank of more than $1,000 without using force is a sentence of up to 10 years. Stealing less than $1,000 without force has a maximum sentence of only one year. Bank Heists Are Going Out of Style The FBI has been tracking bank robberies and other crime in the U.S. since the 1930s. Unfortunately, early data was based only on voluntary reports from police chiefs of very large cities. Moreover, early data was not standardized when multiple offenses were committed, like bank robbers who stole a getaway car. This resulted in very low figures, like 1948 having only 53 bank robberies. Higher-quality bank robbery data began around 1970, when the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports reported just over 2,000. The number of U.S. bank robberies peaked in 1991 when 9,388 where committed. The number has declined pretty much ever since. By 2021, it was just 1,724 after hitting a 51-year low of 1,500 in 2020. An artist’s sketch of the interior of the former Fountain Square State Bank detailed a 1929 robbery in which one bandit escaped and the other [EW WLSX HIEH F] E XIPPIV ,SSWMIV &EROIV ƤPI photo) Stick 'em ups are going down 8LI RYQFIV SJ FERO VSFFIVMIW MW EX XLI PS[IWX PIZIP MR SZIV ]IEVW HS[R WMKRMƤGERXP] JVSQ XLIMV TIEO in 1991. A Less Lucrative Career Path One potential reason for the downward trend could be that punishments have increased, thus acting as a deterrent and convincing would-be bank robbers to find another line of work. This reason doesn’t BEDFORD FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK CONGRATULATES THE IBA ON YOUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY! 2955 John Williams Blvd. Bedford, IN 47421 812.275.5907 1030 15th Street Bedford, IN 47421 812.275.5907 BedFed.com This graphic compiled by The Conversation shows the number of bank robberies in the U.S. by year, according to FBI data. (Continued on page 44.)
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