Burglary, robbery, and theft are among the most feared crimes in the US. While these crimes all sound the same, there are important distinctions between them.
During police reports or home insurance claims, it’s important to know the differences between each type of crime. It’s also crucial to understand the signs of burglary vs home invasion to protect your home.
In this article, we’ll explain the differences between burglary vs robbery, burglary vs theft, and burglary vs home invasion.
Table of Contents
- What is Robbery?
- What is Burglary?
- Is Burglary a Violent Crime?
- What is Theft?
- What is a Home Invasion?
- What’s the Difference Between Burglary and Home Invasion?
- What’s the Difference Between a Robber and a Burglar?
- What’s the Difference Between Burglary and Theft?
- What’s the Difference Between Robbery and Theft?
- What are the Penalties For Robbery, Burglary, Theft, and Home Invasion?
- Conclusion
What is Robbery?
Robbery is defined as taking or attempting to take something from a person. As stated by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is carried out by force or the threat of force. It’s therefore considered a violent crime.
There are two classified types of robbery: strong-arm robbery and armed robbery.
Strong-arm robbery is any robbery carried out without the use of a weapon. It’s known as strong-arm robbery as the person uses their own physical strength.
Armed robbery is any robbery that involves the use of a weapon, like a knife, gun, or other instrument.
What is Burglary?
Burglary is when someone unlawfully enters a property to commit a crime, like theft or assault. This is different from breaking and entering, which refers to the action of breaking into a home without stealing anything.
A crime is considered a burglary regardless of whether the criminal gained entry via force or not. It’s also considered a burglary if nothing was stolen from the property.
For example, if the burglar entered via an open front door (which happens in 34% of burglaries, according to burglary statistics), this is classed as an unlawful entry where no force is used. If the burglar broke a window to get into a property, this would be considered forcible entry.
Is Burglary a Violent Crime?
Burglary is not always a violent crime because the term “burglary” only refers to breaking into a property with the intent to commit a felony.
However, a burglary is classified as a violent crime if an assault occurs (which happens in over a quarter of burglaries, according to the Bureau of Justice).
What is Theft?
Theft is taking any property that doesn’t belong to the person taking it. For example, stealing from a bank is theft, as is stealing from a stranger’s home.
Theft doesn’t just refer to objects. Taking property, money, trade secrets, intellectual property, or even someone’s identity could be theft. It is not considered a violent crime.
In terms of the law, theft is classified in different degrees. Grand theft means the theft of something valuable, like home assets, vehicles, or money. Service theft refers to when someone uses a service without permission or without paying for it.
What is a Home Invasion?
A home invasion is a violent crime. It involves entering a home unlawfully when someone is home to steal something and with the intention to commit an attack. The attack could be verbal or physical, or both.
Theft during a home invasion could be money, objects, trade secrets, or passcodes.
What’s the Difference Between Burglary and Home Invasion?
The terms “burglary” and “home invasion” are often used interchangeably, but the intention behind each is different: a home invasion has violent intent behind it, a burglary doesn’t.
A burglary is carried out to steal possessions, like car keys, wallets, designer clothes, or money. Burglars prefer to break into a property when no one is home, but as many as 28% of burglaries happen when someone is home, according to AlfredCamera.
Burglary tends to be an opportunistic crime, so it’s not usually premeditated.
A home invasion is premeditated, with a violent intent. Criminals make a property a target for a home invasion because of the valuables inside or because of who lives there.
What’s the Difference Between a Robber and a Burglar?
Burglary only refers to theft committed on a property, like a home or business premise. Therefore, a burglar is someone who breaks into a home and steals something.
Because robbery refers to taking something from a person by force or threat of force, wherever it happens, a robber tends to be someone who steals something from a person, often in public.
What’s the Difference Between Burglary and Theft?
Burglary only refers to a crime (i.e., breaking in) against a building, whereas theft can occur to both a person and a place.
A burglary includes theft or other crimes, like assault or illegal surveillance.
What’s the Difference Between Robbery and Theft?
The main difference between robbery and theft is that robbery is a violent crime, whereas theft isn’t.
If the criminal uses or shows a weapon to steal an item from a person, this is a robbery.
Stealing a phone from someone’s bag when they aren’t looking is considered theft.
What are the Penalties For Robbery, Burglary, Theft, and Home Invasion?
Because robbery, burglary, theft, and home invasions are different classifications of crime, varying sentencing applies in the US.
| Crime | Classification | Considered a Violent Crime? | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | Theft using force or the threat of force against the victim | Yes | 3-16 years |
| Burglary | Illegally entering a property without permission | No – but can be | 1-20 years |
| Theft | Stealing an item from a person or property, with or without force | No | Up to 1 year |
| Home Invasion | Unlawfully entering an occupied home with violent intent | Yes | Up to 30 years |
Conclusion
The key difference between burglary vs robbery is that burglaries occur on a property, rather than to a person in public. Robbery is also a crime committed by force or the threat of force, which usually means the criminal is armed or commits assault on the victim.
Whichever crime you’ve been a victim of, the impact can be severe. Many people consider moving house or installing home security cameras to protect a property after a burglary or home invasion.
Learn more about how to immediately protect a property with an instant home security camera.
Recommended reading:
- When Do Most Burglaries Occur?
- What are the Most Common Entry Points For Burglars?
- How Does Burglary Affect the Victim?
- How to Stop Worrying About Being Robbed or Burgled in 8 Steps
- Renovation Burglaries: 8 Ways To Prevent Burglars During Renovation
- Deterring Burglars: Is It Safe To Leave Lights On For A Week?