Babs sees an e-book reader on the porch of Coco's house, takes the reader to her home, and tells everyone she owns it. Danno, wielding a knife, forces Easter to give him her smartphone, and runs away with it. Fritz breaks into Ginger's apartment, takes

Question

alaptop, and leaves. Hazel sells Idi an expensive wristwatch for a fraction of its value, admitting that the watch is stolen property but claiming that she is not the thief. Which of these acts are crimes, and what are the differences among them?

Answer 1

Babs has wrongfully taken and carried away the personal property of an¬other with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property. This is larceny.
Danno has unlawfully and forcibly taken the personal property of an-other. This is robbery.
Fritz has broken into and en¬tered a dwelling with the intent to commit a felony. This is burglary.
The basic differences: burglary requires breaking and entering a build-ing without the use of force against a person; robbery does not involve any breaking and entering, but force is required; and larceny is the tak¬ing of per-sonal property without force and without breaking and enter¬ing a building. Generally, because force is used, robbery is considered the most serious of these crimes and carries the most severe penalties. Because larceny involves no force or threat to human life, it carries the least se¬vere penalty of the three. Burglary, because it involves breaking and en¬tering, frequently into people's homes, carries a lesser penalty than rob¬bery but a greater penalty than larceny.
Idi committed the crimeof receiving stolen goods. She was aware that the watch was stolen property but she bought it anyway. That Hazel knew the watch was stolen indicates she committed the same crime as Idi—receiving stolen goods—when she initially obtained the watch.