Transcript Criminology and Measuring Crime

Criminology and Measuring
Crime
Chapter 2 & 3 In Your Textbook
John Massey
Criminal Justice
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
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






Part II – misdemeanors and other felonies



Murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, etc.
Covered by media
Arrest data
Five times more likely than index crimes
Problems with the UCR

Citizens have to report it, chain of command
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
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
Crime Trends and Patterns


Crime peaked in the 80’s, has since decreased.
Why is crime data important? (2 reasons)



What we know





Can give a general idea of crime patterns
Use the stats to determine geographic patterns of crime
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


Crime Trends and Patterns

Race and Crime




Age 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
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
Crime Trends and Patterns

Drugs and Alcohol and Crime


Gender 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
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”
Causes of Crime


Many proposed theories and explanations
Choice Theories




Trait Theories




Rational choice
Commit the crime because you choose to do so
Rewards and punishments, gains and losses
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 person’s
environment
People socially disadvantaged because of poverty
Social disorganization theory
Social Disorganization Theory

POVERTY ->

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION (breakdown of
social institutions) ->

BREAKDOWN OF SOCIAL CONTROL ->


EMERGENCE OF HIGH CRIME AREAS ->
 CULTURAL TRANSMISSION ->
 CAREER CRIMINALS
The cycle repeats…
Social Process Theories

Crime is the result of a person’s interaction with their environment

Learning Theory




Labeling Theory



Sutherland
Crime is a learned behavior
Conditioned teacher exposes student
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