Methods of Measuring Crime - University of Minnesota Duluth



Methods of Measuring Crime

Uniform Crime Reports

Uniform Crime Reports

Part I “Index” Crimes

Criminal Homicide

Forcible Rape

Robbery

Aggravated assault

Burglary

Larceny/theft

Motor vehicle theft

Arson

Part II Crimes

All others except traffic

Criticisms and Limitations of the UCR

The Future of the Uniform Crime Reports

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Maintained by the F.B.I.

Twenty-two crime categories

More information on each crime in each category

Data compiled based on incidents, not arrests.

Participants (usually juveniles) reveal information about their violations of the law

Advantages

Helps to get at “Dark Figure of Crime”

Tap into “victimless crimes”

Make comparisons with “official data”

Only way to measure theoretical concepts and connect with criminal behavior

Self-Report Surveys

Disadvantages

May underestimate “chronic offenders”

People Can Lie

Survey Methodology Problems

Seriousness of Offense

REVIEW

UCR

Aggregate Data, Crimes known to police

Self-report

Individual level data, links offender characteristics to criminal offending

NCVS

Aggregate Data, victimizations

Crime Trends and Correlates of Crime

Crime Trends

Is crime increasing, decreasing or stable?

Why?

Correlates of Crime

What factors are related to crime?

Geographic location, Age, Race, Gender, Social Class?

Crime Trends

UCR and NCVS data reveal a recent steady decrease in crime.

The decrease is being driven by a sharp decline in violent crime among juveniles.

Explaining Crime Trends

Age Composition

The Economy

Social malaise

Guns—Availability

Justice Policy—Police or Prisons?

Social Class and Crime

Official statistics reveal a strong class-crime relationship.

Social class causes crime?

No true relationship, but system bias against the lower class?

GENDER AND CRIME

UCR, NCVS, and SR data all indicate that females are more likely than males to commit criminal acts

Chivalry hypothesis?

Socialization?

Biological differences?

Feminist explanations

RACE AND CRIME

Similar dilemma as with social class

SR(weak if any relationship

Official(strong relationship

If relationship is “true,” why?

Relationship to class, neighborhood, culture.

The Age-Crime Curve

AGE AND CRIME

Problems with the age crime curve:

Arrests only

Aggregate data

Hypothetical Age-Crime Curves at Individual Level

Longitudinal Birth Cohort Research

The “Chronic 6%”

Continuity of Crime

Implications of Continuity

If the “Onset” of offending occurs in childhood for some kids, you must start your explanation at that point.

Why do some kids begin their offending in adolescence?

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