The Nature of Crime and Victimization

Chapter 2

Primary sources for measuring crime are:

Official Data (Uniform Crime Reports) Victim Surveys (National Crime Victim

Survey) Self-Report Surveys

Measuring Crime

Exhibit 2.1 FBI Index Crimes

They only measure crime reported to the police

All crime is not counted the same– Indexed crimes are measured when

reported– Non-indexed crimes are counted when an

arrest is made Reporting practices

Weaknesses of the Uniform Crime Reports

Exhibit 2.2 Problems Collecting UCR Data

Figure 2.1 Crimes Cleared by Arrest

Definitions of crimes will be revised. Counting method will be by the

number of incidents. More crimes will be included in each

category. Other changes to make the data more

accurate.

Revising the Uniform Crime Reporting System

Data is gathered by the Bureau of Census and compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Sample includes 100,000 people in 50,000 households.

Respondents are over the age of 12. Respondents queried every six months about

household and personal victimizations.

National Crime Victim Survey

Exhibit 2.3 Problems with the NCVS

Asks respondents to tell about their criminal activities.

Measures the “dark figure of crime.” Reveals that crime is a very common

activity. Demonstrates youth crime is spread

throughout the social classes. Is probably a reliable measure of trends

over a period of time.

Self-Reported Crime Data

Exhibit 2.4 Self-Report Survey Questions

Table 2.1 Self-Reported Delinquent Activity During the Past 12 Months Among High School Seniors, 2002

Prominent crime experts have concluded that the data sources are more compatible than was first believed.

Tallies of crimes are not in synch, but trends reported are often quite similar.

Compatibility of Crime Statistic Sources

Figure 2.2 Four measures of serious violent crime

Concept Summary 2.1 comparing the Three Measures of Crime data

Factors that influence crime rate trends include:– Social factors– Economic factors– Personal factors– Demographic factors

Explaining Crime Trends

Figure 2.3 Homicide Rate Trends – 1900 - 2002

Figure 2.4 Victimization rate per 1,000 persons age twelve or older, 1973 - 2001

Figure 2.4 Victimization rate per 1,000 persons age twelve or older, 1973 - 2001

Figure 2.4 Victimization rate per 1,000 persons age twelve or older, 1973 - 2001

Crime is not equally spread across society. Some factors that account for different crime

patterns are:– Day, season and climate– Population density– Firearms and crime– The Graduate Institute of International Studies in

Geneva, Switzerland is the principle international source of public information on all aspects of small arms.

The Ecology of Crime

Most victimization occurs in large urban areas.

Most incidents occur in the evening hours. The most likely sites are open public areas. An overwhelming number involve only one

victim. Most serious crimes take place after 6 p.m.

The Ecology of Victimization

Figure 2.5 Regional Crime Rates 2001

Figure 2.5 Regional Crime Rates 2001

Figure 2.5 Regional Crime Rates 2001

A still-unresolved issue in criminology is the relationship between social class and crime.– Traditional crime has been thought of as

a lower-class phenomenon (instrumental and expressive crime).

Methodologies used to measure the phenomenon vary widely.

Social Class and Crime

Figure 2.6 The Relationship Between Age and Serious Crime Arrests

Three data-gathering statistics tools support the theory that male crime rates are much higher than those of females.– Explanations include:

Masculinity hypothesis Chivalry hypothesis Socialization Development Liberal feminist theory

Gender and Crime

Official crime data indicate that minority groups’ members are involved in a disproportionate share of criminal activity.

Critics of these data argue police bias in the arrest process creates the differences.

Some critics believe institutional racism creates economic deprivation which leads to more crime.

Other researchers focus on family dissolution as an explanatory factor.

Race and Crime

Most offenders commit a single criminal act and upon arrest discontinue their antisocial activity.

Some commit a few less serious crimes.

Career criminals or chronic offenders account for a majority of all criminal offenses.

Careers and Crime