The document discusses various topics related to measuring and explaining crime including: 1. How the FBI collects and reports crime data from over 17,500 policing agencies each year. 2. The differences between Part I and Part II offenses in the Uniform Crime Report. 3. Additional data sources like the National Crime Victimization Survey which measures both reported and unreported crimes. 4. Explanations for trends in crime rates over time as well as relationships between crime and factors like race, poverty, and gender.

1. M ASURING
E
and E L
XP AINING
CRIM E

2.  Identify the publication in which the FBI reports
crime data and list the three ways in which the
data are reported.

3. 17,500 policing agencies The data is then reported
send data to the FBI each as:
year, including:
 Number of arrests.  A rate per 100,000 persons.
 Number of crimes reported.  As a percentage change
 Number of officers and from previous years.
support specialists.

4.  Distinguish between Part I and Part II offenses as
defined in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR).

6.  All crimes recorded by the FBI that do not fall into
the category of Part I offenses.
 Include both misdemeanors and felonies.

9.  Provides information about offenses, victims,
offenders, and arrestees, all unavailable through
the UCR.
 Monitors all criminal incidents reported to the
police, not just those that lead to an arrest.
 Can identify hate crimes.

10.  Distinguish between the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS) and self-reported
surveys.

11.  A method of gathering crime data that directly
surveys participants to determine their
experiences as victims of crime.
 Gives a better understanding of the dark figure of
crime, or the actual amount of crime that occurs in
the country but is not reported to the police.

12.  Advantages over UCR:
◦ Measures both reported and unreported crime.
◦ Unaffected by police bias and distortions in reporting to
the FBI.
◦ Does not rely on victims directly reporting to the police.

13.  A method of gathering crime data that relies on
participants to reveal and detail their own criminal
or delinquent behavior.

14.  Crime in the 1990s and 2000s
◦ The Great Crime Decline
◦ Leveling Off
◦ The Immediate Future

16.  Crime, Race, and Poverty
◦ Race and Crime
◦ Class and Crime
◦ Ethnicity and Crime

17.  Discuss the prevailing explanation for the rising
number of women incarcerated in the United
States.

18.  In the past decade, the rate of arrests for women
has risen much more rapidly than that for men.
 Explanations:
◦ The life circumstances and behavior of women have
changed dramatically in the past 40 years.
◦ The criminal justice system’s attitude toward women
has changed over the past 40 years.

19.  Discuss the difference between a hypothesis and
a theory in the context of criminology.

20. Hypothesis: Theory:
 A possible explanation for  An explanation of a
an observed occurrence happening or
that can be tested by circumstance that is
further investigation. based on observation,
experimentation, and
reasoning.
Criminology:
The scientific study of crime and the
causes of criminal behavior.

21.  People have free will to choose their behavior.
 Criminals find crime more attractive than law
abiding behavior.
 Threat of punishment is the only deterrent to crime.
 “Thrill offenders”
 Choice Theory and Public Policy

22.  Behavior is the result of biological, psychological, and
social forces.
 Criminals are driven to crime by external factors.
 Rehabilitation and treatment is the only deterrent to
crime.
 Biochemical Conditions and Crime
 The Brain and Crime
 Psychology and Crime
 Trait Theory and Public Policy

24.  Questions:
◦ Do you believe someone can be insane if it is drug-
induced?
◦ Do you believe there should be a specified length of time
an insane individual should serve in a mental facility if
this defense is successful?

25.  Social disorganization theory suggests that
deviant behavior is more likely in communities
where social institutions such as the family,
schools, and the criminal justice system fail to
exert control over the population.

27.  List and briefly explain two important branches of
social process theory.

28. LEARNING THEORY: LABELING THEORY:
 The hypothesis that  The hypothesis that
delinquents and society creates crime and
criminals must be taught criminals by labeling
both the practical and certain behavior and
emotional skills
certain people as deviant.
necessary to participate
in illegal activity.

29.  A group of theories that view criminal behavior as
the result of class conflict.

30.  Discuss the connection between offenders and
victims of crimes.

31.  The Risks of Victimization
◦ Most criminal acts require:
 A likely offender.
 A suitable target.
 The absence of a capable guardian.
 Repeat Victimization
 The Victim-Offender Connection

32.  The Criminology of Drug Use
 Drug Addiction and Dependency
◦ Drug Use and Drug Abuse
◦ Addiction Basics
 The Drug-Crime Relationship
◦ The Psychoparmacological Model
◦ The Economically Impulsive Model
◦ The Systemic Model

33.  Explain the theory of the chronic offender and its
importance for the criminal justice system.

34.  A delinquent or criminal who commits multiple
offenses and is considered part of a small group
of wrongdoers who are responsible for a majority
of the antisocial activity in any given community.
 The notion of a “chronic 6 percent.”

35.  Debate continues as to whether or not criminology
has done enough for the criminal justice system.
 Research must be accessible to practitioners and
policymakers.