Criminology Chapter 2

Problems with NBRIS?

-It does not detect crimes that do not come to the attention of the police. -The reporting process is so cumbersome that few agencies participate.

Problems with the UCR?

-It significantly under-represents the actual number of criminal events in the United States each year. -Federal crimes (such as tax evasion) are not included. -Not all jurisdictions participate. -Some agencies keep more thorough records than others. -Crime data may be falsified by police departments. -The hierarchy rule requires police to report only the highest offense committed in a multiple-single incident.

Areas of Agreement Between the UCR and NCVS

-Males, the young, the poor, and African Americans are more likely to be both perpetrators and victims of crime. -Crime rates vary by geographic location and time of year. -Comparisons between the two seem to indicate that an increase in women's arrests (per the UCR) is attributable to net-widening, not an actual increase in crime (based on victims' reports of their perpetrators).

The Three Categories of major crime data sources in the United States?

-Official statistics -Victimization survey data -Self-reported data

Problems with Self-Report Surveys

-Often rely on convenience samples. -Fail to adequately measure serious crime. -Susceptible to dishonesty of respondents. Reporting honesty varies across race/ethnicity and gender? -As a result of these weaknesses, many researchers look for ways to verify information in order to increase confidence in their results.

Self Report Surveys?

-Are good at uncovering the extent of minor offenses, such as drug use. -Allow researchers to explore the relationship of criminal behavior to characteristics such as impulsiveness. -Tend to use high school or college students for subjects, though prisoners and probationers/parolees have also been used. -Greatest strength of self-report research is that researchers can correlate a variety of respondent characteristics with their admitted offenses beyond the demographics of age, race, and gender.

Chapter Summary

-Categorizing and Measuring Crime and Criminal -Behavior -The Uniform Crime Reports: Counting Crime Officially -NIBRS: The "New and Improved" UCR Crime Victimization Survey Data and Their Problems -Areas of Agreement Between the UCR and NCVS -Self-Reported Crime Surveys and Their Problems -The Dark Figure of Crime -What Can We Conclude About the Three Main -Measures of Crime in America

Crime Trends:

-The UCR can tell us whether crime is increasing or decreasing, though it cannot explain the reasons for those trends. -There is no single driver of crime trends; rather, they can only be explained with an understanding of the interactions of historical, social, political, economic, and demographic processes unfolding at a given point in time.

Which measure is the "best" will depend on what we want to know.

-The UCR is probably the "best" source of data for murder and serious crime, but is not helpful in determining rates of drug use. -Victimization surveys cannot tell us about murder or drug use, but is a good source for rape statistics. -Self-report surveys will provide the best information on drug use, but not serious crimes such as murder or rape.

The Dark Figure of Crime

-The dark figure of crime is the portion of total crimes committed each year that never come to light. -For official statistics, the dark figures are highly concentrated at the non-serious end of the crime seriousness spectrum. -For victimization data, the dark figures are primarily concentrated in the non-serious end of the spectrum, although to a lesser degree than in the case of official data. -In the case of self-report data, the dark figures are concentrated in the upper end of the seriousness continuum.

Crime Mapping

-Use of modern technology such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by police departments to "map" (visualize) and analyze patterns of crime. -Geography can strongly influence crime -The features and characteristics of an area of a city or town can make it easier or more difficult for crime to occur

Part 1: Index Crimes

-Violent Crimes: Homicide, Assault, Forcible Rape, and Robbery -Property Crimes: Larceny/Theft, Burglary, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Arson

Index Crimes are considered "clear" when?

1.Crimes are recorded as cleared by arrest if a person is arrested and charged for a Part I offense. 2.Crimes are recorded as cleared by exceptional means if the police have identified a suspect and have enough evidence to support arrest, but he or she could not be taken into custody.

Problems with the NCVS?

Cannot measure "victimless" crimes or murder. Does not include crimes against commercial enterprises. Victimization data do not have to meet legal standards. Crimes may be over-reported or under-reported due to dishonesty or memory lapses

Crime Victimization Survey Data

Crime victimization surveys ask large numbers of people if they have been victimized within a given timeframe, regardless of whether they were reported to the police.

National Crime Victimization Survey

Currently, twice a year Census Bureau personnel conduct interviews of a national representative sample of people age 12 or over on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), called the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) The NCVS requests information on crimes committed against individuals and households, the circumstances of the offense, and personal information about victims and offenders.

First step when measuring a crime?

Extent: When attempting to understand, predict, and control any social problem, including the crime problem, the first step is to determine its extent -We can't begin to address questions of "why" without reliable data about the extent of the problem. -A wide variety of sources provide us with data on the extent of crime. -Each source has strengths and weaknesses.

FBI's Financial Crimes Report

Major white-collar crimes committed by organized groups (banks, law firms, medical practices, and corporations)

Data from the UCR: two parts divided into?

Part 1: Index Crimes Part 2: Less Serious Offenses

NBIRS

The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) began in 1982, in order to collect more detailed and comprehensive crime statistics. -NIBRS provides information about the circumstances of the offense and about victim and offender characteristics. -NIBRS has yet to be widely adopted by law enforcement agencies -There is no hierarchy rule under the NIBRS system. "New and improved UCR"

The Uniform Crime Reports: Counting Crime Officially

The UCR reports both the number of crimes reported and their rate of occurrence.

UCR?

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is the primary source of official crime statistics in the United States -Is compiled by the FBI. -Reflects information gathered from police and sheriff's departments. --Participation is voluntary, but most law enforcement agencies do participate.

Crime Rate

The actual number of reported crimes standardized by some unit of the population. Example: Divide the number of reported crimes by the number of people in the population, and then multiply the quotient by 100,000. If there are 2,407 murders in a population of 35,484,453, the murder rate would be expressed as 6.8/100,000.

White-Collar Crime

Those committed by guile as opposed to force UCR: embezzlement, forgery/counterfeiting, and fraud

Part 2: Less Serious Offenses

Vandalism, gambling, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, etc.