Criminology and Measuring Crime

1
Criminology and Measuring Crime

• Chapter 2 3 In Your Textbook
• John Massey
• Criminal Justice

2
Criminology

• Criminology scientific study of crime and
  causes of criminal behavior
• Why is it important to measure crime/gather
  statistics?
• 3 reasons
• 1) know when crime is decreasing/increasing
• 2) know what types of crimes are becoming
  problems in certain areas
• 3) see who are prone to be victims/perpetuators
• Variety of Ways to Measure Crime
• (UCR, NIBRS, NCVS, Self-Reported Surveys)
• UCR Uniform Crime Report 1930
• Gather crimes that are reported to police
• 3 forms of measurement number of people
  arrested, number of crimes reported by victims,
  witnesses or police, and number of officers

3
More on the UCR

• Rate per 100,000 people
• Does not include crimes not reported
• 2001 just under 12 million index crimes
• Results/stats published every year
• Part I Index Crimes more serious
• Murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, etc.
• Covered by media
• Part II misdemeanors and other felonies
• Arrest data
• Five times more likely than index crimes
• Problems with the UCR
• Citizens have to report it, chain of command

4
(No Transcript)
5
NIBRS Victim Surveys

• National Incident Based Reporting System
• Emerged because of criticisms of the UCR
• 22 offense categories, 46 specific crimes
• Formed in 1989
• Not used frequently
• Results are similar to those found with the UCR
• Victim Surveys
• Researchers ask victims of crime directly
• Mail/phone surveys
• 1966
• Results indicate a higher victimization rate
• Shows that a lot of crime may go unreported

6
NCVS Self-Reported Surveys

• National Crime Victimization Survey
• 1972 people are interviewed twice a year
• Measures both reported/underreported crime
• Unaffected by police bias
• Does not rely on victims directly reporting to
  the police
• Some people may not answer truthfully
• Self-Reported Surveys
• Question offenders rather than victims
• Ask about criminal activity
• Some may not admit, some may overstate their
  involvement

7
(No Transcript)
8
Crime Trends and Patterns

• Crime peaked in the 80s, has since decreased.
• Why is crime data important? (2 reasons)
• Can give a general idea of crime patterns
• Use the stats to determine geographic patterns of
  crime
• What we know
• Urban areas have higher rates of index crimes
• States in the south and west have higher rates of
  index crimes
• More crime in warmer summer months
• Crime is concentrated in hotspots
• Class and Crime
• Highest rates poorest, lowest income, urban
  neighborhoods
• Unemployment predictor of violent crime
• Poverty predictor of violent crime
• POVERTY DOES NOT CAUSE CRIME can be a
  contributing factor

9
Crime Trends and Patterns

• Race and Crime
• Strong correlation
• African Americans 13 of population, 38 of
  those arrested for violent crimes, 31 of those
  arrested for property crimes
• Greater victimization rates
• Age and Crime
• Strongest statistical determinant of criminal
  behavior
• 41 of arrests for violent crime involve
  Americans 24 and under
• Age 50 only 5.6 of violent crime arrests
• Guns and Crime
• Juvenile criminal behavior
• Rise in gun ownership among gangs and its members
• 2001 63 of homicides involved firearm

10
Crime Trends and Patterns

• Drugs and Alcohol and Crime
• As many as 8 out of every 10 prisoners under the
  influence of one when committing their crimes or
  had history of abuse
• Gender and Crime
• Males
• Murder 10 times more than females
• Gender roles
• Career Criminals
• Chronic offenders
• Marvin Wolfgang, 9945 males born in Philadelphia
  in 1945
• Studied til 1963
• 6 percent had committed five or more offenses
• The Chronic 6 percent

11
Causes of Crime

• Many proposed theories and explanations
• Choice Theories
• Rational choice
• Commit the crime because you choose to do so
• Rewards and punishments, gains and losses
• Trait Theories
• Lombroso, father of criminology
• Criminals are throwbacks, not fully evolved
  (atavistic)
• Crime is in the body and the brain
• Sociological Theories
• Crime is the result of social conditions in a
  persons environment
• People socially disadvantaged because of poverty
• Social disorganization theory

12
Social Disorganization Theory

• POVERTY -gt
• SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION (breakdown of social
  institutions) -gt
• BREAKDOWN OF SOCIAL CONTROL -gt
• EMERGENCE OF HIGH CRIME AREAS -gt
• CULTURAL TRANSMISSION -gt
• CAREER CRIMINALS
• The cycle repeats

13
(No Transcript)
14
Social Process Theories

• Crime is the result of a persons interaction
  with their environment
• Learning Theory
• Sutherland
• Crime is a learned behavior
• Conditioned teacher exposes student
• Labeling Theory
• If labeled criminal by authority, you will take
  the role seriously
• Stigma, bragging rights
• Social Conflict Theory
• Power
• Poverty, racism, sexism and destruction of
  environment are true crimes
• Critical of capitalistic society