NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022 hold up, however, as the data shows judges are giving shorter, not longer, sentences. A 2021 analysis found the typical bank robber, most of whom used guns, was sent to prison for fewer than seven years. A mid-1980s study put the median sentence at 10 years if a gun wasn’t used, and 15 if a gun was involved. Another explanation could be that there are fewer banks to rob. After peaking at over 85,000 in 2009, the number of bank branches in the U.S. has declined to a little over 72,000. A more compelling reason for me is that robbing banks has become far less lucrative – after adjusting for inflation, anyway. The typical robber made away with about $5,200 in the late 1960s. That’s over $38,000 in 2019 dollars. But in 2019, the average was just $4,200. As a 2007 U.K. study on the topic noted, “The return on an average bank robbery is, frankly, rubbish.” As it turns out, cyber heists are much more lucrative, with even fewer penalties. A government report showed that in 2016, *https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov/ This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from The Conversation, an independent and RSRTVSƤX WSYVGI SJ RI[W EREP]WMW ERH GSQQIRXEV] JVSQ academic experts. This Hoosier Banker EH SJJIVIH ƤVIEVQW JSV WEPI XS LIPT FEROIV ZMKMPERXIW TVSXIGX FEROW MR XLI LMKL GVMQI IVE of the 1920s. convicted credit card offenders took in over $60,000 on average and were given a prison sentence of just a little over two years. Willie Sutton was an infamous U.S. bank robber during the 1920s and 1930s. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton supposedly replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” While in Sutton’s time that may have been true, it may not be the case today. HB Josh Myers, vice president of member engagement for the Indiana Bankers Association, was featured in a podcast released in the May 19 issue of the ABA Banking Journal. The podcast, “Thwarting Would-be Bank Robbers, Hoosier-style,” covers the IBA’s role in the formation of the Indiana State Police, as well as the Association’s history of promoting “bank vigilantes” and state shoots. The IBA has been studying this history as part of its 125th anniversary this year. Listen by clicking the podcast icon in HB Digital or sending a request to HB@indiana.bank. Podcast Bonus
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