This document discusses primary sources of crime data in the United States, including the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). It also examines crime trends, patterns related to gender, race, age, and social class, as well as chronic offenders and criminal careers.

1. Chapter 2 -
The Nature and Extent of
Michelle Palaro
Criminology 81-220-1
Fall 2014
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Crime

2. Primary Sources of Crime Data
• Official Records: Uniform Crime
Reports (UCR)
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– Part I Crimes
– Part II Crimes
– Cleared Crimes
– Validity of the UCR

3. 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
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4. Class Discussion/Activity
• What are the shortcomings of the UCR?
• Which advantages does NIBRS have
compared to the UCR?
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5. 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
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6. Primary Sources of Crime Data
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• Self-Report Surveys
• Given in groups
• Anonymous
• Additional questions about attitudes,
values, and behaviors
– Validity of Self-Reports
• Honesty of self-reporting participants
– “Monitoring the Future” Survey
• Consistent
• Longitudinal

7. Primary Sources of Crime
Data
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Evaluating Crime Data
Strengths
• UCR
– Offender data
– Crimes that surveys cannot
measure
• NCVS
– Unreported crimes
– Victimization data
• Self-report surveys
– Information on offenders
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. Primary Sources of Crime Data
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Crime Trends
• Contemporary Trends
– Crime rates are declining from peak in 1991
– Violent crimes and thefts have declined
• Trends in Victimization
– Decrease in victimization across all age groups
– Significant decrease among teenagers
• What the Future Holds
– Increase in numbers of elementary school aged
children
– Could indicate a future increase in crime as children
reach teenage and young adult age

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Crime Trends
• Explaining Trends in Crime Rates
– Age structure
– Immigration
– Economy/Jobs
– Abortion
– Gun availability
– Gang membership
– Drug use
– Media
– Aggressive law enforcement
– Incarceration
– Cultural change

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Crime Patterns
• Gender and Crime
– Trait differences
• Masculinity hypothesis
– Socialization differences
– Cognitive differences
– Political/Social differences
• Liberal feminist theory

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Crime Patterns
• Race and Crime
– Institutional racism
• Racial threat theory
• Racial profiling
– Structural racism

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Crime Patterns
• Ecology of Crime
– Day, season and climate
• More crimes are reported during summer
months
– Temperature
• Weather effects may have an impact on
violent crime rates
– Regional differences
• Large urban areas have higher rates of
violence

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Crime Patterns

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Crime Patterns
• Use of Firearms
– According to the NCVS firearms are
typically involved in
• 20% of robberies
• 10% of assaults
• 5% of rapes
– Two-thirds of murders
• On-going debate about gun control

16. Crime Patterns
• Social Class, Socioeconomic
Conditions, and Crime
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– Instrumental crimes
– Expressive crimes

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Crime Patterns
• Age and Crime
– Aging out of crime
– Age and biology
•Neurotransmitters

18. Class Discussion/Activity
From your perspective, why are teenagers
more likely to commit crimes?
What is the aging-out effect?
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19. Chronic Offenders/Criminal Careers
• Delinquency in a Birth Cohort
– Wolfgang, Figlio, and Sellin
• Classic longitudinal study that tracked
a cohort of boys over an 18 year
period
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20. Chronic Offenders/Criminal Careers
• What Causes Chronicity?
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– Early onset
• Implications of the Chronic Offender
Concept
– “Three-strikes”
– “Truth-in-sentencing”