“Home invasion robbery has characteristics of both residential burglary and street robbery. Like residential burglars, home robbers must usually gain unlawful entry into an individual’s residential dwelling (a single-family home, apartment unit, or mobile home). Like street robbers, home robbers physically confront victims in order to obtain desired items. Yet, home invasion robbery is distinct from these crimes. Street robbery occurs in public or quasi-public space and victims are pedestrians, not occupants. Most residential burglars try to avoid confrontation, but home robbers seek it. Residential burglars who confront and rob unexpected occupants are not necessarily home robbers, because they did not intend to commit robbery when they entered the home.
In general, home invasion robberies have the following five features:
1. Offender entry is forced and/or unauthorized (except in some drug-related robberies)
2. Offenders seek confrontation (i.e., the intent is to rob)
3. Confrontation occurs inside dwellings
4. Offenders use violence and/or the threat of violence
5. Offenders demand and take money and/or property
There are several common motives for home invasion robberies. The most obvious is to steal valuable items, such as cash, drugs, or property, which can be sold for cash. Another is retaliation, such as against a rival drug dealer, gang member, or domestic partner; robbery is part of the retaliation. Another is sexual assault in which robbery is committed incidentally. In some communities, home invasion robberies are principally drug rip-offs in which the target is cash or drugs, or both, and both offenders and victims are involved in the illegal drug trade.”
