the nature and extent of crime. crime data surveys and official records are the primary source of...
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The Nature and Extent of Crime
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Crime Data
• Surveys and official records are the primary source of crime date
• Different techniques are used by criminologist to measure the nature and extent of criminal behavior in addition to personality, attitudes, and background of offenders
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Primary Sources of Crime Data
• Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)• National Incident-Based Reporting System
(NIBRS)• Survey research• National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)• Self-report surveys
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Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)• A large database compiled by the FBI of crimes
reported and arrests made each year throughout the U.S.
• Accuracy is somewhat suspect as research indicates less than half of all crime victims report incidents to police
• FBI publishes reported offenses by city, county, metropolitan area, and geographical divisions of the U.S. for the most serious crimes (Part I crimes) see page 25
• The UCR also includes data characteristics of the arrested indivduals (age, race, gender)
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Compiling the UCR• Complex methods• Agencies report number of Part I (Index) crimes
– Reported by victims– Officer discovery– Other sources
• If further investigation finds false claims, data is eliminated from count
• Still reported to the FBI if no one is arrested• Cleared crimes reported
– Arrest, charge, or turned over to courts for prosecution
– Exceptional means (beyond police control – leaves country)
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UCR Validity• Less than half of crime victims report crimes• What are some reasons a victim might not report a
crime?– Private matter– Not important– Their own fault– Don’t trust the police– Retaliation– Insurance
• Agency error– Define crime loosely– Assault, but reported attempted rape
• Methodology– If there are multiple crimes in one incident the most serious is
the one recorded
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National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
• A program that began in 1982 that requires local police agencies to provide a brief account of each incident and arrest, including incident, victim, and offender information
• Has expanded crime categories• Includes federal crimes• Includes hate crimes• Once it is adopted across the nation
it should improve the accuracy of official crime data
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Survey Research• A survey that asks people about their
attitudes, beliefs, values, characteristics, and experiences with crime and victimization
• Includes sampling the population
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National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
• The UCR cannot measure ALL crimes since many victims don’t report the crimes – as a result the fed. gov. sponsored NCVS
• The federal government sponsors this comprehensive, nationwide survey of victims about their experiences with law violation
• Victims seem to report only crimes that have considerable loss or injury
• NCVS may also have methodology problems– Overreporting – lost wallet reported stolen– Underreporting – fear of embarrassment or trouble – or
forgetting– Inability to record – inability to record personal criminal activity– Sampling errors – not a good representation– Inadequate question format – produce responses
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Self-Report Surveys• A research approach that asks subjects to
describe, in detail, their recent and lifetime participation in criminal activity
• Most focus on juvenile delinquency and youth crimes
• Critics say that people are not likely to openly admit illegal acts
• Some people might exaggerate their activities
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Evaluating Crime Data
• Each source of crime data has strengths and weaknesses
• All sources record similar trends regarding personal characteristics of serious offenders, and when and where the crime occurs
• Sources are reliable indicators of changes and fluctuations in yearly crime rates
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Trends in Violent Crime
• Violent crimes include murder, rape, assault, and robbery
• Between 1995 and 2005, violence in the U.S. decreased more than 20%
• Between 2004 and 2005, murder, assault, and robbery increased, though are still much lower than in the past
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Crime Rate Trends – Violent Crimes
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Trends in Property Crime
• Property crimes include larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson
• Between 1995 and 2005, the total number of property crimes declined about 15%, and the property crime rate declined almost 25%
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Trends in Victimization Data
• Reported victimizations have declined significantly during the past 30 years
• Between 1993 and 2004, both the violent crime victimization rate and the property crime victimization rate decreased approximately 50%
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Explaining Crime Trends
Crime experts have identified a number of social, economic, personal, and demographic factors that influence crime rate trends:
• age• economy/job• social malaise• abortion • guns • gangs • drug use• media • justice policy
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Crime Patterns
• Most reported crimes occur during July and August
• Large urban areas have the highest violence rates
• Western and Southern states have higher crime rates than the Midwest and Northeast
• Age is inversely related to criminality (one increases the other decreases)
• Male crime rates are much higher than those of females
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Regional Crime Rates
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Chronic Offenders
• Data shows that most offenders commit a single criminal act, and on arrest, discontinue their criminal involvement
• A small group of offenders, called chronic offenders or career criminals, are responsible for a majority of all criminal offenses
• Punishment is inversely related to chronic offending
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In Class Activities• Would you answer honestly if you were involved
in a national crime survey about your own behavior? Why or why not? Based on the class responses what do you think about the survey accuracy?
• Explain gender differences in crime rates?• What social and environmental factors influence
crime rates in your opinion?• Do you think a national emergency would
increase or decrease crime rates?• Campus crime rates map.• Create a crime survey and go interview a
sample population