Chapter 3 An Introduction to Measuring Crime and

Chapter 3 An Introduction to Measuring Crime and Crime Patterns

Learning Objectives • After reading this chapter, you will be able to: – Describe the main strategies used to measure the amount of crime occurring in the United States – Compare and contrast the various crime measurement strategies – Describe strategies used to measure the extent of juvenile delinquency – Identify three crime patterns that characterize the distribution of various offenses Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 3

Learning Objectives – Explain why crime varies across time and space – Describe juvenile offending trends and the aging-out phenomenon – Discuss three reasons why it is believed that men commit more crime than women Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 4

Introduction • Waco Twin Peaks shooting – Questions: • How many crimes committed? • Multiple incidents? • How many victims? • How many offenders? • Individuals both victims and offenders? Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 5

Measuring the Extent of Crime • An accurate awareness about the extent of crime serves several purposes including – Explaining crime and demographic trends – Understanding cultures and subcultures – Measuring quality of life – Promoting evidence-based prevention strategies – Developing evidence-based policies Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 6

Strategies Used to Measure Amount of Crime • Data is useful in developing specific crime prevention and intervention strategies • Three main strategies – Uniform Crime Reports – National Crime Victimization Survey – National Incident-Based Reporting System Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 7

Uniform Crime Report (UCR) • • Created in 1930 Administered by the FBI Collects data about crimes reported to the police More than 18, 000 police departments across the U. S. report information • Findings are published each year – Crime in the United States Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 8

UCR • Categorizes Part I and Part II offenses – Part I offenses (the most serious) include • Criminal homicide • Forcible rape • Robbery • Aggravated assault • Burglary • Larceny-theft • Motor-vehicle threat • Arson (added in 1979) – Part II offenses (not as serious) Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 9

UCR • For Part I offenses, the UCR includes data on all of the following – Specific crime rates – Frequency of crimes cleared by the police – Demographic characteristics of suspects – Crime trends Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 10

UCR • The “Crime Clock” • Provides information about the clearance rate for Part I offenses • Considers a crime cleared by arrest if one of three conditions is met – An offender is arrested – An offender is charged with an offense – An offender’s case is sent to the court for prosecution Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 11

Criticisms of the UCR • Database does not include crimes that are not reported • UCR mischaracterizes the crime problem • Law enforcement agencies underreport or overreport crime when completing monthly crime reports Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 12

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) • Collects information directly from U. S. residents to asses their victimization experiences • Created in 1972 after Johnson Commission called for data to increase the understanding of the “dark figure of crime” • Has undergone various changes since it was created • Funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and data is collected by the U. S. Census Bureau Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 13

NCVS • Findings provide estimates of threatened, completed, and attempted rapes, aggravated assaults, simple assaults, burglary, personal theft, burglary theft, property theft, and motor vehicle theft • Bonding – The practice of asking about victimization within a specified time limit • Telescoping – Refers to situations in which respondents indirectly identify the timing of past events Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 14

National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) • • • Administered by the FBI Created in the late 1980 s Lack of agency participation Captures information on a broader range of offenses Which agency provides more accurate data? Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 15

Measuring Juvenile Delinquency • Same methods can be used to assess offending by juveniles (UCR and NIBRS) and victimization of juveniles (NCVS and NIBRS) • Methods fall short of in capturing many types of delinquent behavior Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 16

Crime Patterns • Criminologists have demonstrated how crime varies across – Age – Region – Race – Gender – Community – Social class – Time Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 17

Age and Crime • Crime is a “young person’s game” – Age-crime curve – Bulk of offenses are committed by younger individuals (between the ages of 15 and 24) – Phrases • “Aging out” • “Maturation hypothesis” • “Criminal career” Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 18

Age and Crime • Adolescent limited offenders who age of out crime • Life-course persistent offenders who continue to engage in crime throughout their lives (“the criminal career”) Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 19

Region and Crime • The south has the highest rates of both violent and property crimes • “Southern subculture of violence” – Used to characterize the higher crime rate found in the south Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 20

Race/Ethnicity and Crime • UCR data shows that Blacks/African Americans are overrepresented in each offense type • Disparities suggest that race causes crime and victimization • Systemic inequality could be another explanation for the offending and victimization differences between Whites and minorities • Driving while black Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 21

Gender and Crime • Vast majority of crimes committed by males • Suggestions that explain the different offending patterns between males and females – Chivalry hypothesis – Parenting hypothesis – Biological explanations – Socialization explanations/gender role hypothesis – Accomplice hypothesis – Methodological explanations Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 22

Communities and Crime • Certain types of crime are more likely to occur in certain communities than others – Research shows that drunk driving is more likely to occur in rural communities Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 23

Crime and Time • Research shows that crimes tends to vary across time, in terms of time of the day, day of the week, day of the year, and month Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 24

Social Class and Crime • Six possible reasons that have been cited to explain ties between class and crime – Stress from poverty – Lower class values – Violence leading to lower social class – Inequality breeding crime – Inequality breeding differential treatment from the justice system – Methodological limitations Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 25

Conclusion • Accurately measuring crime is important • Crime increased significantly between 1960 s and the early 1990 s, has dropped since • NCVS vs. UCR – UCR portrays a smaller decline in crime over time • Limitations of the UCR • Strategies used to measure and report juvenile offending Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 26

Conclusion • Crime and the life-course • Southern subculture of violence • Blacks/African Americans overrepresented in each offense type in terms of offending and victimization • Different offending patterns for males vs. females • Crime and communities • Crime varies across time • At least 6 reasons to explain ties between class and crime Payne, Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Balanced Approach 2 e SAGE Publications, Inc. , 2019 27