Final answer:
Robbery in the second degree is a serious crime lacking aggravating factors of a first-degree robbery. The scenario presents a prisoner's dilemma where suspects must choose between cooperation and defection, which could lead to various sentencing outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Robbery in the second degree, as defined by RCW 9A.56.210, involves committing robbery without the factors that would elevate the crime to first degree, such as displaying a deadly weapon or inflicting bodily harm.
The described scenario by the police to the suspects is reminiscent of the classic prisoner's dilemma, a concept in game theory where two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. Here, the dilemma is the offer of a potential reduced sentence if one 'defects' and informs on the other, with varying outcomes based on the decision to cooperate with each other or not.
The police are leveraging the fear of a longer sentence for armed robbery against the certainty of a lesser charge of an unlawful weapons charge. By presenting each suspect with this choice, the police hope to encourage one or both suspects to admit to involvement in the robbery or to implicate the other, thereby resolving the question of who committed the robbery.
If neither suspect admits to the armed robbery nor implicates the other, they both face a certain, but lesser, consequence for the weapons charge. This introduces strategic decision-making based on perceived risks and benefits, reflecting the complex nature of legal outcomes in criminal justice.