Fundamentals of Crime Mapping

People and Places: Current Crime Trends

Victims◦ Probability suggests you will be a victim of an

offender who has the same age and ethnicity as you do

Offenders Witnesses, Reporting Parties, etc

◦ Help us make sense of an describe what happened to police

People involved in crime

Motivations◦ Ease of opportunity◦ Thrill or excitement◦ Money and property rewards◦ Difficulty and challenge◦ Anger, frustration, and rage◦ Power and control◦ Sexual relief and/or satisfaction◦ Revenge/hatred/payback◦ Sudden impulse or whim◦ Unintentional/accident◦ Offender was on drugs◦ Respect and admiration of others◦ To buy or steal drugs or alcohol◦ Need money for food, rent, or bills◦ Peer pressure or group behavior

Offenders

52% of victimizations were committed by persons who were strangers to their victims

The nature of victim and offender relationships varies by crime type◦ Rape – 35% were strangers◦ Robbery – 80% were strangers◦ 40% of victims are acquainted to the offenders

Offenders/Victims

In 2005, for all crimes of violence, approximately 79% of incidents involved only one offender

When multiple offenders were present, offenders aged 12–20 years accounted for 41% of these crimes◦ Black 40% of the time◦ White 29% of the time

Groups

67% of all violent incidents (excluding murder) were committed without the use of a weapon◦ In 9% of these incidents, the presence of a

firearm was indicated Handguns are the most frequently

mentioned firearm when used

Weapon Use

Gang related◦ A crime committed by gang members to further

their gang activities or to otherwise promote the gang or gang membership

Gang member involved◦ A crime committed by a person who may be a

gang member, but the crime cannot be directly linked to promoting a gang or gang membership

Gangs

According to NCVS data, between 1998 and 2003 approximately 6% of violent victimizations were perpetrated by persons believed to be gang members

Gangs

50% of crime is actually reported to police The BJS estimates that

◦ Only 49% of violent crimes◦ Only 38% of property crime were reported to the police during

2006 Female victims of violence were more likely to report

their victimizations than were males (54.6% versus 42.4%)

Victims of violent crimes aged 65 years and older were most likely to report their victimizations (66.1%)

Victims aged 12–19 years were least likely to report their victimizations of violent crimes (34.5%).

Lower income families less likely to report property crime than higher income families

Reporting Crime

Reasons for non-reporting◦ Suspect unsuccessful◦ Item already recovered◦ Private or personal matter

Reporting Crime

9.4% of violent crime victims reported being the first to use or threaten physical force during the incident

Self-protective measures vary◦ Resisting or capturing offender # 1

Males more than females◦ Running away, getting help, or giving an alarm #2 &

#3 Females more running away or getting help

42% of violent crime victims reported that their self-protective measures helped them to avoid injury or avoid greater injury

Victim Precipitation

When Self-protective actions hurt the victim◦ Behavior made the offender angrier and/or

more aggressive Knowing how these factors affect

victimization can aide the analysis

Victim Precipitation

27.5% of victims perceived their offenders to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the commission of the crime (2005)

35.5% for rape and sexual assault 22.5% for robbery (lowest) Karberg & James, 2005, p. 1

◦ 68% of jail inmates abusers◦ 16% committed crimes for money for drugs◦ 50% self-reporting under the influence when

committing crime◦ Females slightly more than males◦ White more than other races as well

Alcohol and Drug Use

Urban◦ More likely than Suburban

Suburban◦ More likely than Rural, Less than Urban

RuralThere is a difference

Place

”Causes” of crime◦ Population density and degree of urbanization◦ Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth◦ concentration◦ Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting

patterns, and transient factors◦ Modes of transportation and highway system◦ Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job

availability◦ Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics◦ Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness◦ Climate◦ Effective strength of law enforcement agencies◦ Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement◦ Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecution,

judicial, corrections, and probation)◦ Citizens’ attitudes toward crime◦ Crime reporting practices of the citizenry

Place

Location Types◦ Violent Crime

15% of victimizations occurred at or in the victim’s home.

18.6% on street near home◦ Schools

12.3%◦ Own or Rent?

Owners less likely to be victims of property crime than renters

◦ Residential mobility The more transient, higher incidence of crime

Place

Knowing characteristics of victims and offenders helps the analyst do useful analysis and target the correct populations

The ability to predict crime provides us with an opportunity to prevent crime—the ultimate goal of law enforcement

Conclusions