SOC 4410 Criminology: Ch 3 Lecture

difficulties of measuring crime

• Criminal behavior often occurs privately.

• In many cases, only the offender and victim know that a crime occurred.

• Many crimes are never reported to police.

UCR

Uniform Crime Reports

FBI

Who maintained UCR

NIBRS

National Incident Based Reporting System, where FBI shifted to in 2021

SRS (Summary Reporting System)

What did the UCR use?

Part 1 offenses

What type of crime did UCR mainly report

Part 1 Violent Offenses

• Homicide.

• Rape.

• Robbery.

  • Aggravated assault.

Part 1 Property Offenses

• Burglary.

• Larceny.

• Motor vehicle theft.

  • Arson.

cleared by arrest

When a crime is reported and a person is arrested, the crime is:

Part 2 offenses

• Fraud.

• Embezzlement.

• Vandalism.

• Sex work.

• Gambling.

• Disorderly conduct.

  • Other offenses.

Problems w UCR

1. Many victims do not report crimes to police.

2. Police agencies historically were not required to report all known crimes to the FBI.

   1. Police sometimes decide not to investigate or officially record possible crimes.

hierarchy rule

Police reporting only the most serious offenses

White Collar Crime

What did the UCR divert attention from

t

Most people who commit crimes are never arrested. (t/f)

t

changes in police behavior can affect recorded crime rates (t/f)

affect of crime crackdowns

increased arrest & recorded offenses

different interpretation of crime by police

As a result:

• One agency may record an event as criminal while another does not.

• Agencies may differ in whether they classify an offense as more or less serious.

t

Critics have argued that some institutions may fail to investigate or publicly report certain crimes because of concern about:

• Public image.

• Campus reputation.

• Student recruitment.

(t/f)

National Incident-Based Reporting System

NIBRS

NIBRS specs

This may include:

• The relationship between offender and victim.

• Alcohol or other drug use immediately before the offense.

• The location of the crime.

t

NIBRS eliminated the traditional hierarchy rule. (t/f)

affects of NIBRS

Implementing this allows for multiple crimes to be reported, which could give the implication that crime has increased when in reality it hasn’t.

calls for service

aka calls to police

National Crime Victimization Survey

NCVS

NCVS

created to help w problems w official police stats

NCVS specs

asks:

• The circumstances surrounding victimization.

• Time of day.

• Physical setting.

• Characteristics of victims.

• Gender.

• Race.

• Income.

• Injuries.

  • Victims' relationships to offenders.

NCVS perks

has helped researchers:

• Determine whether victimization rates are changing.

• Examine the circumstances surrounding crime.

  • Test theories of crime and victimization.

dark figure of crime

crimes that are never reported to the police bc:

• The incident does not seem serious enough.

• They believe police will not find the offender.

• They fear additional harm from the offender.

  • They wish to avoid publicity.

self-report studies

asks respondents about offenses they themselves have committed during a particular period, often the previous year.

difficulties of international crime comparisons

countries differ in:

• Definitions of crime.

• Interpretations of criminal behavior.

• Methods of collecting crime data.

warmer months

Violent crime and property crime tend to be more frequent during _____

f

Women's crime rates are substantially higher than men's. (t/f)

17-18

at what age does crime peak?

chronic offenders

a person that:

criminal career

continued offending over time