This document discusses different perspectives on how crime is defined and categorized. It also examines sources of crime data in the US, including the Uniform Crime Report compiled by the FBI and the National Crime Victimization Survey. The document analyzes factors that influence crime rates such as age, gender, race, social class, drugs and alcohol. It explores geographic crime patterns and chronic offending.

1. Chapter 2
The
Nature
and Extent
of Crime

2. How Crime is Defined
Consensus View
 The criminal law is a set of rules, codified
by state authorities, that expresses the
norms, goals, and values of the vast
majority of society
Conflict View
 The law is the instrument that enables the
wealthy to maintain their position of
power, and control the behavior of those
who oppose their ideas and values, or who
might rebel against the unequal
distribution of wealth

3. How Crime is Defined
Interactionist View
 Criminal law is structured to reflect the
preferences and opinions of people who
hold social power in a particular legal
jurisdiction…there want to control
behaviors they view as immoral or wrong

4. How Crime is Defined
Though consensus, conflict, and
interactionist views of crime differ,
they generally agree that:
 Criminal law defines crime
 The definition of crime is constantly
changing and evolving
 Social forces mold the definition of crimes
 Criminal law has a social control function

5. How Crime is Defined

6. Video: Philadelphia
Violence
Categories of Crime

7. Video: Discussion
Questions
 Does the Philadelphia crime-fighting
unit seem to be working?
What are the potential benefits of
using an “elite” unit to fight
violence?
What are the potential risks of
using an “elite” unit to fight
violence?

8. What are the Different
Categories of Crime?
Violent Crime
Gang violence
Multiple murder(s)
 Mass murders
 Type of multiple killer who kills many victims in a
single violent outburst
 Spree killers
 Type of multiple killer who spreads the
murderous outburst over a few days or weeks
 Serial killers
 Type of multiple killer who kills over a long period
of time but typically assumes a “normal” identity
between murders

9. What are the Different
Categories of Crime?
Violent Crime Continued
Intimate violence
Greater danger is faced by those we
know
Hate crimes
 Criminal acts directed toward a particular
person or members of a group because they
share a discernible racial, ethnic, religious, or
gender characteristic.

10. What are the Different
Categories of Crime?
Public Order Crimes
Prostitution
Substance abuse
Economic Crimes
Amateur and professional thieves
White collar crime
Organized crime

11. Sources of Crime Data
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
 Compiled by the FBI, this national survey
compiles criminal acts reported to local police
 The acts are called
Part I crimes:
 Murder
 Rape
 Burglary
 Robbery
 Assault
 Larceny-theft
 Motor vehicle theft

12. Percentage of Crimes Cleared
by Arrest

13. Sources of Crime Data
National Incident-Based Reporting System
 Program that collects data on each reported crime
incident
 Requires local police agencies to provide at least a
brief account of each incident and arrest, including
the incident, victim, and offender information
 There are expanded crime categories, such as
blackmail, embezzlement, drug offenses, and
bribery
 Includes all the offenses that occur in an incident,
rather than only the most serious offense.

14. Sources of Crime Data
National Crime Victimization Survey
 Asks people about their experiences with
crime
Self-Report Surveys
 Asks offenders themselves to report about
their criminal behaviors

15. Victimization

16. Victimization

17. Video: Crimes Reported
How much crime is there, how do
we measure it?

18. Video: Discussion
Questions
 Do most crimes get reported to the
police?
 What factors make the difference in a
crime being reported?
 Why is it important to report a crime?
 Why don’t people report crime?

19. Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol
 Alcohol use is suspected of being involved
in half of all U.S. murder, suicides, and
accidental deaths.
Drug Use
 As drug use increases, the crime rate
increases. The surge in the violent crime
rate between 1985 and 1993 has been tied
directly to the crack cocaine epidemic that
swept the nation’s largest cities.

20. Video: Violent Society
 Crime Trends

21. Video: Discussion
Questions
 Does the Philadelphia crime-fighting
unit seem to be working?
What are the potential benefits of
using an “elite” unit to fight
violence?
What are the potential risks of
using an “elite” unit to fight
violence?

22. Crime Patterns
The Ecology of Crime
 Day, season, and climate
 More crimes occur during the summer
 Regional differences
Social Class, Socioeconomic
Conditions, and Crime
 Explaining the class-crime relationship
 Instrumental crimes
 Inner city, high poverty areas

23. Crime Patterns
Age and Crime
 Young people commit
more crime
Gender and Crime
 Men commit more crime
Explaining Gender Differences in the
Crime Rate
 Physical strength, hormonal influences
 Socialization and development
 Cognitive differences
 Feminist views

24. Crime Patterns
Race and Crime
 Minority group members involved in a
disproportionate share of crime
 True differences? Bias?
 System bias
 Cultural bias
 Structural bias
 Is convergence
possible?

25. Crime Patterns
Chronic Offending and Crime
 What causes chronicity?
 Policy implications
 Three-strikes
 laws require that convicted felons
spend a significant portion of their
sentence behind bars?
Truth-in-sentencing
 Laws requiring convicted felons to
spend a significant portion of their
sentence behind bars.