Similar terms have different meanings that definitely matter, especially when you are talking about the legal definitions associated with criminal law here in California
Today, we’ll address the similarities and differences between the terms burglary, theft and robbery — and how those charges could affect you.
First, the similarities
All three words deal with the crime of someone taking another person’s property without the person’s permission, e.g., stealing. However, how that stealing is accomplished is what determines the charges you face.
And the differences
Theft is the least serious of the three. And while all three involve stealing something, if the value is low enough, the theft charge may only be a misdemeanor.
Things escalate with both burglary and robbery. Burglary is the only one of the trio of charges where nothing has to be taken for the person to be charged, as it only requires the person to enter a place without permission to commit another crime. They don’t even have to “break” in. Simply stepping over the threshold of an unlocked door in a place where you have no permission to be can generate a burglary charge.
The most serious is robbery
It’s treated more severely than the other two charges because robbery takes place when a victim is forced by violence or threat of violence to surrender their property to the alleged offender.
Avoiding a conviction is your best option
Being convicted of any of the three above charges can be life-altering in ways that you may not yet even comprehend. Your best strategy is to assert your right against self-incrimination and begin to build a stalwart strategy against the charges you face.