Unit 8: Law, Courts, and Procedure

The Volume of Crime

Crime is measured in society in two different ways. The first method is through the use of survey data. A typical example of crime statistics derived from survey data is the National Crime Survey (NCS). The second method is by the use of aggregate record data (compiling actual crime numbers from police reports). The single largest example of aggregate record data statistics is the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Within the UCR, there are two major categories of offenses, Part I and Part 11. Part I offenses (also known as index offenses) include homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, motor  vehicle theft, and arson. Part 11 offenses include all other crime (excluding traffic offenses).

Crime data from the UCR is usually expressed in three different ways. First, the number of offenses and number of arrests expressed as raw data (e.g. there were 30 homicides in New Hampshire last year); Second, as percentage changes in the amount of crime between years, (e.g. homicides were up in New Hampshire by 15% last year); and Third, the crime rate per 100,000 people. Thus, when the UCR states that in 1987 the robbery rate in the United States was 212, it means that about 212 of every 100,000 persons in the U.S. fell victim to a robbery in 1987.

Aggregate record data is very useful to track and even predict crime trends. For example, crime rates increased gradually from 1930 to 1960, when the growth rate increased significantly. In 1981 the rate fell gradually until 1985, when the rate started up again. Thus, after 2 decades of intense governmental efforts to deter, prevent, and otherwise eliminate crime, criminal behavior remains a major societal problem.

Aggregate record data is also used to track crime patterns. Among the patterns, there is a distinct relationship between rates of urbanization and crime rates. Crime rates are also higher in the West and South as opposed to.the Midwest and New England. Crime rates also tend to be higher in the summer than in the winter. Another pattern that is tracked is the relationship between gender and crime. Adult males have had (and continue to have) significantly higher crime rates than females.

A pattern of particular interest today is the relationship between age and crime. Fifteen to twenty- five year -olds account for the lion’s share of arrests, but, with the graying of the population and the emphasis on health and fitness in older adults, we are seeing criminal careers that are lasting later into life, e.g. shoplifting prevalent among seniors, due to economic status. This pattern will have a particular impact on you as you embark on your careers.