THE TERM BANDITRY IS APPLIED TO OUTLAWS WHO ALONE OR IN GROUPS COMMIT ARMED CRIMES; CLOSELY RELATED FORMS OF DEVIANCE FOUND IN THE UNITED STATES ARE GANGSTERISM AND THE MAFIA. THE CRIMES OF BANDITS, HOWEVER, ARE RESTRICTED TO ROBBERY, KIDNAPPING, TAKING OF HOSTAGES, AND RACKETEERING. PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF BANDITRY ARE THE USE OF FORCE OR VIOLENCE AND THE PROFIT MOTIVE. SECONDARILY, BANDITS TEND TO ENGAGE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF UNDERTAKINGS RATHER THAN ONE TYPE, TO VARY THEIR METHODS OF OPERATION CONSIDERABLY, TO CONDUCT THEIR ACTIVITIES OVER A WIDE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, AND TO BE PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS, ALTHOUGH BEGINNERS MAY ALSO BE CLASSIFIED AS BANDITS. THE CENTRAL OFFICE FOR THE CONTROL OF BANDITRY IN FRANCE, WHICH MUST COORDINATE ANTIBANDITRY EFFORTS, DETERMINES WHICH CRIMES FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF BANDITRY, WHAT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CRIMES ARE, WHICH WEAPONS ARE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS ARMS, AND WHICH CRIMINAL METHODS FIT THE BANDITRY CONCEPT. BANDITRY CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE MIDDLE AGES BUT HAS BECOME A SEVERE PROBLEM TODAY (19,481 CRIMES IN FRANCE IN 1974, 30 PERCENT OF THEM SERIOUS). PARTICULARLY PREVALENT CRIMES FOR WHICH EXTENSIVE STATISTICS ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDE ARMED ROBBERY, ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE, TAKING OF HOSTAGES, EXTORTION, KIDNAPPING FOR RANSOM, AND HOMICIDE. THE NEED FOR LONG PRISON SENTENCES AS A MEANS OF DISCOURAGING MAJOR CRIMINALS OF THIS TYPE AND THEIR IMITATORS IS TO BE EMPHASIZED. BANDITS ARE GENERALLY MOTIVATED BY A DESIRE FOR ENOUGH MONEY TO SUPPORT AN EXPENSIVE LIFE-STYLE OR TO RISE SOCIALLY; FOR WHICH BENEFITS THEY ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT SOME RISK. IF STRONG REPRESSIVE MEASURES INCREASE THE RISK INVOLVED, BANDITRY MAY BECOME LESS ATTRACTIVE. STATISTICS ARE INCLUDED. --IN FRENCH. (KMD)