Final answer:
Robbery, a violent crime involving force or threat, is often confused with burglary, a nonviolent crime involving illegal entry. The provided scenario underscores legal strategies to solve crimes with limited evidence. Comparisons between street and corporate crimes explore the societal perceptions of different types of crimes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Robbery is often confused with the crime of burglary. Robbery involves taking property from a person through force or threat of force, classifying it as a violent crime. Burglary, on the other hand, is the unlawful entry into a building with the intent to commit a crime inside, typically theft, making it a nonviolent crime if no force or threat of force against a person is involved. While both are serious crimes, robbery is considered more severe because of the violence involved.
The scenario provided where the police have apprehended suspects for armed robbery but only have evidence of an unlawful weapon charge illustrates the complexities of the criminal justice system. The legal strategies described, such as offering to drop charges if one suspect defects, are tactics used to extract confessions or identify the guilty party when direct evidence of the more serious crime is lacking.
Furthermore, comparing street crime like robbery and burglary to corporate crime highlights the broad range of criminal activities and their varying impacts on society. The mention of Willie Sutton's remarks on bank robbery provides insight into the evolving nature of crime with the shift towards electronic banking, which offers new avenues for financial crimes, which are sometimes considered less harmful despite their potentially vast impact.