Eighty convicted bank robbers, the Canadian penitentiary service, and police departments across the country have all actively contributed to Desroches' quest to uncover why an individual embarks on a crime for which the proceeds are minimal, the arrest rate high and the jail sentence long.

The first book of its kind, Force and Fear: Robbery in Canada examines robbery not just as a crime, but as a criminal event. The author looks at offender motivation and social background, responses to robberies by the criminal justice system, and interaction between robber and victim.