This document summarizes the key topics covered in Chapter Two of the textbook on the nature and extent of crime. It discusses the primary sources of crime data including the Uniform Crime Reports, National Incident-Based Reporting System, National Crime Victimization Survey, and self-report surveys. It also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each data source and examines crime patterns related to ecology, age, gender, race, and chronic offenders.

1. Larry J. Siegel
www.cengage.com/cj/siegel
Chapter Two
The Nature and Extent of Crime
Valerie Bell • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

2. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Primary Sources of Crime Data
– Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
• Part I Crimes
• Part II Crimes
• Cleared Crimes
• Validity of the UCR

3. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Primary Sources of Crime Data
– National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
• Improvement over UCR
• 46 specific offenses
• 22 crime patterns
• Incident, victim, and offender information
• 20 states have implemented
• 12 states finalizing data collection

4. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Primary Sources of Crime Data
– National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
• Annual survey of victims
• Addresses “non-reporting” issue
• Information regarding victims, offenders, and
crimes.
• Validity of the NCVS
• Future of the NCVS

5. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Primary Sources of Crime Data
– Self-Report Surveys
• Given in groups
• Anonymous
• Additional questions about attitudes, values , and
behaviors.
• Validity of Self-Reports
• “Monitoring the Future” Survey

6. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Evaluating Crime Data
– Strengths
• UCR
– Offender data
– Information on crimes surveys cannot measure
• NCVS
– Unreported crimes
– Victimization data
• Self-report surveys
– Information on offenders

7. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Evaluating Crime Data
– Weaknesses
• UCR
– Does not include unreported crimes
• NCVS
– Limited samples
– Personal recollections
– Does not include homicide, drug abuse crimes
• Self-report surveys
– Rely on honesty of offenders

8. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– The Ecology of Crime
• Day, Season, and Climate
• Temperature
• Regional Differences
– Use of Firearms

9. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– Social Class, Socioeconomic Conditions and Crime
• Instrumental crimes
• Expressive crimes
– Age and Crime

10. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– Age and Crime
• Aging out of crime
• Age and biology
– Neurotransmitters

11. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– Gender and Crime
• Official statistics
– Male to female arrests 4-1 overall
» 5-1 for serious violent crime
» 8-1 for murder
• Self-report
– Same pattern but smaller ratios
• Difference is decreasing

12. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– Gender and Crime
• Trait differences
• Socialization differences
• Cognitive differences
• Social/political differences

13. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Crime Patterns
– Race and Crime
• Racism and discrimination
• Economic and social disparity
• Family dissolution

14. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Chronic Offenders/Criminal Careers
– Delinquency in a Birth Cohort
• Wolfgang, Figlio, and Sellin

15. The Nature & Extent of Crime
• Chronic Offenders/Criminal Careers
– What Causes Chronicity?
• Early onset
– Implications of the Chronic Offender Concept
• “three-strikes”
• “truth-in-sentencing”