@article{ref1,
title="Is burglary a violent crime? An empirical investigation of the armed career criminal act's classification of burglary as a violent felony",
journal="Criminal justice policy review",
year="2019",
author="Kopp, Phillip M.",
volume="30",
number="5",
pages="663-680",
abstract="Traditionally considered a non-violent property offense, burglary is nonetheless classified as a violent crime under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ACCA, a three-strikes law that provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, is triggered when an offender, who has been previously convicted for a crime classified under the ACCA as either a &quot;violent felony&quot; or &quot;serious drug offense,&quot; is convicted at the federal level for any felony committed while in possession of a firearm. The present study investigated the ACCA's classification of burglary as violent through analysis of National Crime Victimization Survey data for the period of 2009 to 2014. <br><br>RESULTS showed that burglary is overwhelmingly a non-violent offense. The national incidence of actual violence or threats of violence during a burglary was 7.9%. At most, 2.7% of burglaries involved actual acts of violence. Legislative reform of the ACCA classification to match the empirical description of burglary is discussed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0887-4034",
doi="10.1177/0887403416684594",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0887403416684594"
}