2 Crime Occurrence Evaluation Paper Professor M. Callahan AJS/514 Grace Acevedo October 28, 2019 Crime Occurrence Evaluation Criminal Justice involves a set of interdisciplinary knowledge and integrated systematic actions to reach the awareness of a truth related to the criminal phenomenon, which includes the management of strategies that scrutinizes the role of the victim, the offender, and the crime as such, and the study of techniques aimed at countering, controlling and preventing criminal activity. This paper intends to interpret the occurrence of crime. Current Trends in the Crime Rate Based on FBI data, crime rates decreased by 3.9% during the past year and have continued to decrease.  These include murder, robbery, burglary, vehicle thefts, larceny, and non-negligent manslaughter.  With rape, the rate showed to have increased, subsequent in the last six years (https://www.themarshallproject.org/2019/09/30/new-fbi-data-violent-crime-still-falling)   Social and Environmental Factors Influencing Crime Rate Economic circumstances as poverty and lack of employment are issues that affect low income communities. Communities where abnormal behavior is ignored and/or stimulated result in criminal activities.  The population holding firearms has exploded. Between 6% to 10% of teenagers in high school have access to guns carry guns to school, this escalating to committing violent crimes (https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/).  The recruiting of children and teenagers in gangs is rising, drugs and substance abuse are major causes for violent crimes. Exposing children to violent video games is an issue affecting today’s generation by teaching violence and undermining law enforcement (https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/). Factors that contribute to Criminal Behavior and Crime Rate Family relationships lead to criminal behavior.  The lack of attention from parents to children, a household composed of one parent, child abuse, exposure to drugs and alcohol, and prostitution are some situations that push children and teenagers to seek support from other sources where bad influences can trigger delinquency.   Antisocial behavior leads to engage in delinquent acts.   Risk-taking is another factor in committing delinquent activities and is most seen between the ages of 11 to 21.  During this period, behaviors such as careless driving, substance use, unprotected sex, eating disorders, homicidal and suicidal behaviors, and dangerous sports are characteristics of risk-taking that lead to criminal behavior. Investigating Crime Occurrence through Research and Theory Development Social structure theories state that criminality is a product of social forces which include traditions, responsibilities, laws, morality, and religious beliefs (Calderon, M.).  These theories are social disorganization, social change, conflict, and lack of social consensus as root causes of crime. The “broken window” theory focuses on ...

1. 2
Crime Occurrence Evaluation Paper
Professor M. Callahan
AJS/514
Grace Acevedo
October 28, 2019
Crime Occurrence Evaluation
Criminal Justice involves a set of interdisciplinary knowledge
and integrated systematic actions to reach the awareness of a
truth related to the criminal phenomenon, which includes the
management of strategies that scrutinizes the role of the victim,
the offender, and the crime as such, and the study of techniques
aimed at countering, controlling and preventing criminal
activity. This paper intends to interpret the occurrence of crime.
Current Trends in the Crime Rate
Based on FBI data, crime rates decreased by 3.9% during the
past year and have continued to decrease. These include
murder, robbery, burglary, vehicle thefts, larceny, and non-
negligent manslaughter. With rape, the rate showed to have
increased, subsequent in the last six
years (https://www.themarshallproject.org/2019/09/30/new-fbi-

2. data-violent-crime-still-falling)
Social and Environmental Factors Influencing Crime Rate
Economic circumstances as poverty and lack of employment are
issues that affect low income communities. Communities where
abnormal behavior is ignored and/or stimulated result in
criminal activities. The population holding firearms has
exploded. Between 6% to 10% of teenagers in high school have
access to guns carry guns to school, this escalating to
committing violent crimes
(https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/). Th
e recruiting of children and teenagers in gangs is rising, drugs
and substance abuse are major causes for violent crimes.
Exposing children to violent video games is an issue affecting
today’s generation by teaching violence and undermining law
enforcement
(https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/).
Factors that contribute to Criminal Behavior and Crime Rate
Family relationships lead to criminal behavior. The lack of
attention from parents to children, a household composed of one
parent, child abuse, exposure to drugs and alcohol, and
prostitution are some situations that push children and teenagers
to seek support from other sources where bad influences can
trigger delinquency.
Antisocial behavior leads to engage in delinquent acts. Risk-
taking is another factor in committing delinquent activities and
is most seen between the ages of 11 to 21. During this period,
behaviors such as careless driving, substance use, unprotected
sex, eating disorders, homicidal and suicidal behaviors, and
dangerous sports are characteristics of risk-taking that lead to
criminal behavior.
Investigating Crime Occurrence through Research and Theory
Development
Social structure theories state that criminality is a product of
social forces which include traditions, responsibilities, laws,
morality, and religious beliefs (Calderon, M.). These theories
are social disorganization, social change, conflict, and lack of

3. social consensus as root causes of crime. The “broken window”
theory focuses on external factors rather than on individual
crime causation; the strain theory - individuals unable to
succeed through legitimate means and turn to other avenues
promising economic and social recognition and acceptance; and
cultural conflict of values between socialized groups where the
inability of gaining new values, is the root of crime
(Schmalleger, F. ).
The combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies
gave rise to a mixed approach. This new perspective has led to
the search for ways to reconcile the use of research strategies of
quantitative and qualitative methods and encourage
epistemological approximations aimed in providing greater
theoretical support. Social and behavioral research reveal that
mixed methods are being extensively used to solve practical
research problems.
Triangulation is a method that decreases the possibility of
confusions, producing redundant information during data
collection clarifying meanings and verifying the repeatability of
an observation. It is a combination of qualitative or quantitative
research methods in the measurement of the same analysis unit.
These are objective and when combined allow to use resources
and ease the weaknesses of each one of them; to cross data and
to observe these reach the same conclusions. (Denzin, NK, &
Lincoln, YS (Eds.). (1994).
Sources of Crime Data - Advantages and Disadvantages of Data
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is comprised of the National
Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary
Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed
and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics
Program (https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr). It includes
data collected by the FBI which gathers the information and
statistics from local law enforcement agencies on a yearly basis
(https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/).
The UCR Report gathers statistics on violent crime–murder,
rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and non-negligent

4. manslaughter, and property crime–larceny, burglary, theft and
motor vehicle theft. Its purpose is to produce dependable
criminal statistics useful for law enforcement operations,
administrations, and management. It is the most important
report detailing the growth and decline in crime
(https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/what-is-the-uniform-crime-
reporting-program-26494)
The UCR does not include unreported or "dark figure” crimes
such as prostitution, considered a victimless crime. Rapes
reported involve females, not male or same-sex rape. Crimes
that involve multiple-offense violations are only recorded as the
most severe type, for example, a murder would offset arson and
so a murder/arson would only be reported as a murder (Farmer,
S).
Importance of Crime Research in the Development of
Recidivism Reduction Strategies or Crime Prevention Policies
Criminology is the science that covers various areas of
knowledge as anthropology, biology, psychology, and
sociology. Policies created in criminal justice are based on
moral institutions and its theories focus on controlling social
dysfunction. As Weiss explained 30 years ago, “unless a social
condition has been consensually defined as a pressing social
problem, and unless the condition has become fully politicized
and debated, and the parameters of potential action agreed upon,
there is little likelihood that policy-making bodies will be
receptive to the results of social science research” (Weiss,
1979).
Research supports policymakers to make sound, unbiased
decisions and is used to make sure that existing policies are
working and if they need to be changed or dropped altogether.
The method used in criminological research comes from the
social and natural sciences and all use empirical methods of
work based on the observation of the world and the
establishment of hypotheses from these observations.
Conclusion

5. Criminology has a set of intelligence focused on crime trends
and in each of its objects of study: criminal behaviors, victims
of criminal behaviors, citizens that commit criminal doings, and
social control. It does not base its theories on assumptions or
intuitions but on inductions or reasoned deductions The
expertise produced by criminology is coherent and structured; it
has its own principles and laws that explain the fact of a study,
which can be checked in different situations; but as any other
social science, are not universally applicable.
References
Calderon, M., Crime Causation. Retrieved from
http://raurk1.writing.com
Denzin, NK, & Lincoln, Handbook of Qualitative Research., YS
(Eds.). (1994) Retrieved from
https://www.scirp.org/(S(i43dyn45teexjx455qlt3d2q))/reference/
ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=713514
Farmer, Sean, "Disadvantage of the Uniform Crime Report
System,” Retrieved from https://legalbeagle.com/6765451-
disadvantage-uniform-crime-report-system.html.
Importance of Research. (2017) Retrieved from
https://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/importance-of-research-
10978.html
New FBI Data Shows Violent Crime Falling, Except Rapes ...
Retrieved from
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2019/09/30/new-fbi-data-
violent-crime-still-falling

6. Schmalleger, Frank (2006). Criminology today: an integrative
introduction (4th ed). Retrieved from Pearson Prentice Hall,
Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Siegel, L. J. Criminology: Theories, Patterns and Typologies.
Ch. 1 -2, [University of Phoenix]. Retrieved from
https://phoenix.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337514910/
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program — FBI - FBI.gov,
Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr
References
Weiss, C. (1979). Journal of Criminology, 35(1), 1–16. The
many meanings of research utilization. Public Administration.
Retrieved from
https://acawiki.org/The_Many_Meanings_of_Research_Utilizati
on
What is the Uniform Crime Reporting Program? -
HG.org, Retrieved from https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/what-
is-the-uniform-crime-reporting-program-26494