Chapter 2 – The Nature and Extent of Crime

Crime Patterns and Trends Want to know How much crime is there? Is it increasing or decreasing? Who commits crime? Answers are used to formulate

theories and develop policies to control crime

Methods of Measuring CrimeMethods of Measuring Crime

Uniform Crime ReportsUniform Crime Reports

Victim SurveysVictim Surveys

Self-Report SurveysSelf-Report Surveys

Uniform Crime Reports Best known source of aggregate

criminal statistics 98% of the police departments in

the US voluntarily participate in UCR

Yearly FBI publication Started 1930

Uniform Crime Reports 2 types of data collected: 1) Offenses reported to the police Collect information on index

crimes reported to the police Known as Index or Part I crimes

Uniform Crime Reports

Index Crimes Criminal Homicide Forcible Rape Robbery Aggravated

assault Burglary Larceny/theft Motor vehicle theft Arson

ViolentViolent Crime Crime

Non-violentNon-violentCrimeCrime

Uniform Crime Reports 2) Number and characteristics (age,

gender, and race/ethnicity) of those arrested for all other crimes

Known as non-index or Part II crimes

On average, 20% of all reported index crimes are cleared by arrest, lower for many non-index crimes.

69%

50%

28%19%14% 14%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Percent of Crimes Cleared by Arrest

murderraperobberylarcenyburglaryMVT

Uniform Crime Reports Problems with the UCR 1) On average approximately 50%

of all index crimes are reported to the police 26% of thefts 50% of burglaries 45% of rapes 57% of robberies

Uniform Crime Reports 2) On average, 20% of all reported

index crimes are cleared by arrest 3) State law definitions may be

different than UCR definitions 4) Systematic errors in reporting 5) Deliberate alteration

Uniform Crime Reports• 6) Only the most serious crime is an

“episode”

• 7) Weak on “white collar” crime

The Future of the Uniform Crime Reports

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Maintained by the F.B.I. Twenty-two crime categories More information on each crime in

each category Data compiled based on incidents,

not arrests.

Victimization surveys

National Crime Victimization Survey-NCVS

US Census Started in 1972 60,000 households 120,000 people over 12 years old Interviewed 2 times a year for 3 years

NCVS Ask about theft, burglary, robbery,

assault, rape, and auto theft Used to estimate the national

frequency of index crimes

Data provided by NCVS Victimizations Victims, offenders, crime event Reported loss & injury Whether crimes were reported

NCVS

Source: National Crime Victimization Survey. Criminal Victimization, 1997. Adapted from U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 1998), p. 3.

*Includes 357,000 “personal crimes” of purse snatching & pocket picking.

Number of Offenses20,106,000

7,359,000

4,635,000

1,433,000 944,000 311,000

Theft* Assault Burglary Motor vehicle theft

Robbery Rape/ Sexual assault

Total = 35,145,000

Advantages & Limitations of NCVS

ADVANTAGES1) Best victimization data

2) “larger picture of crime”

DISADVANTAGES1) Victim misinterpretation2) Memories fade 3) Lying to interviewer4) Telescoping – problems with recall5) Expensive

Self-Report SurveysSelf-Report Surveys

Participants reveal information about Participants reveal information about their violations of the lawtheir violations of the law

Helps to get at “Dark Figure of Crime”Helps to get at “Dark Figure of Crime” Supplement and expand official dataSupplement and expand official data Can find out about the personality, Can find out about the personality,

attitudes, and behavior of criminalsattitudes, and behavior of criminals Accuracy for chronic offenders and drug Accuracy for chronic offenders and drug

abusers may be limitedabusers may be limited

Participants reveal information about Participants reveal information about their violations of the lawtheir violations of the law

Helps to get at “Dark Figure of Crime”Helps to get at “Dark Figure of Crime” Supplement and expand official dataSupplement and expand official data Can find out about the personality, Can find out about the personality,

attitudes, and behavior of criminalsattitudes, and behavior of criminals Accuracy for chronic offenders and drug Accuracy for chronic offenders and drug

abusers may be limitedabusers may be limited

Self Report Studies

Interviews mainly with juveniles Most youth engaged in delinquency

(crime is universal Higher crime patterns than UCR and

NCVS

Self-Report Surveys Strength of self-reports surveys is

get more detailed information Weaknesses include

Inaccuracy – are they telling the truth?

Focus on trivial acts frequently

Current Crime TrendsCurrent Crime Trends

Current data from the UniformCurrent data from the UniformCrime Reports and the NationalCrime Reports and the NationalCrime Victim Surveys reveal aCrime Victim Surveys reveal asteady decrease in crime. Self-steady decrease in crime. Self-reported data reveals no reported data reveals no discernable change in the rate.discernable change in the rate.

Current Crime Trends Caution in interpreting UCR and

other data Time frame is important Overall rate hides increases and

decreases within crime categories Want disaggregated data

By offense, state/region, etc.

Explaining Crime TrendsExplaining Crime Trends

Age The economy Guns

Gangs Drugs Justice Policy

Some of the importantSome of the importantcritical factors that havecritical factors that havebeen used to explain the been used to explain the

puzzle of crime rate trends.puzzle of crime rate trends.

Correlates of CrimeCorrelates of Crime

• AgeAge• GenderGender

• RaceRace• Social classSocial class

Correlates of Crime – Social Class Higher crime rates in lower class

areas Rely on official statistics Concern over whether function of police

practices or actual behavior patterns Crime is not just street crime

Self-report studies indicate class-crime relationship doesn’t exist Focus on trivial offenses

Correlates of Crime – Social Class Why important? 1) If class-crime relationship then

poverty and neighborhood deterioration related to crime

2) If not then factors experienced by all classes (poor family environment, peer pressure, school failure, free will) related to crime

Correlates of Crime – Age Some argue that age structure of

society is the single most powerful influence on the crime rate

13-17 year olds make up 6% of the population but 30% of index crime arrests

Correlates of Crime – Age Property crime arrests peak at age

16 Violent crime arrests peak at age

18

Correlates of Crime – Age Why does aging out occur? Cognitive changes in late teens

No longer need for immediate gratification

Fear of punishment Adulthood brings powerful ties to

conventional society

Correlates of Crime – Gender Male crime rate higher than female Males commit more serious crimes

Recent view of female criminality Socialization of females (supervised

closely) Changing social and economic role of

women

Correlates of Crime – Gender Crime more a function of economic

inequality instead of female rights End of “chivalry hypothesis”

Correlates of Crime – Race/Ethnicity Minorities involved in

disproportionate % of crimes Blacks 12% of population, 44% of

index violent crime arrests Reflection of police practices or

true criminal participation?

Correlates of Crime –Race/Ethnicity Causes of racial disparity in crime Differential treatment by police Subculture of violence Racism and discrimination affect

personality and behavior Poverty/Urban problems Etc.

Knowledge drawn from UCR, NCVS, and Self Report Studies

Crime Trends

Characteristics of Crimes

Characteristics of offenders & victims

Correlates of Crime

After following a birth cohort of 9,945 boysAfter following a birth cohort of 9,945 boysborn in Philadelphia in 1945, Wolfgang and born in Philadelphia in 1945, Wolfgang and his associates found that 6% of the total samplehis associates found that 6% of the total samplewere responsible for 51.9% of all offenses.were responsible for 51.9% of all offenses.

The “Chronic 6%”The “Chronic 6%”

The “Chronic 6%” Wolfgang findings 1) Small number of offenders

commit a disproportionate amount of crime

2) Chronic offenders continue into adulthood

3) More violent as generations progress