Ch 2 Crime Data Systems & Theories

Question 1

What is the UCR? Uniform Crime Report?
Part I index
Part II index

ONLY INCLUDES CRIMES REPORTED TO THE POLICE

Answer 1

Uniform Crime Report (UCR) shows the amount of crime known to the police in a year. Police departments around the country submit to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) monthly law enforcement reports on crimes that are reported to them or that they otherwise know about. The FBI then compiles these data and each year publishes a report called:
Crime in the United States, which details the crime that occurred in the United States for the year.

This report includes information on eight offenses, known as the
-Part I index offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Arrest data are also listed in the report on:
-Part II offenses, which include an additional 21 crime categories.
It does not provide information on the victims. It only reports information that is given to the police.
IT DOES NOT COVER ASSAULT, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND RAPE….AND FEDERAL CRIMES.

Another limitation of the UCR as a crime data source is that the Part I index offenses do not cover the wide range of crimes that occur, such as simple assault and sexual assaults other than rape, and federal crimes are not counted.

Question 2

In the UCR…What is the Hierarchy Rule?

Answer 2

If more than one Part I offense happens within the same crime, report it is only counted as one.
The police then count the highest offense in the reporting process.

Question 3

What is the most common offenses?

Answer 3

The most common offense is larceny-theft.
The most violent are aggravated assault.

The typical criminal is less than 30 years old. White male.
—Even though black males have the highest offending rates.

Question 4

What is the NIBRS? (National incident-Based Reporting System) —DOES NOT USE THE HIERARCHY RULE

Answer 4

FBI began the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), an expanded data collection effort that includes detailed information about crimes. Agencies participating in the NIBRS collect information on each crime incident and arrest in 24 offense categories

—(Group A offenses) that encompass 52 specific crimes.
Arrest data are reported for an additional 10 offenses

— (Group B offenses).
Information about the offender, the victim, injury, location, property loss, and weapons is included.

Also of importance, NIBRS does not use the hierarchy rule when classifying or counting crimes.

Question 5

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey? Created by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 1973

Answer 5

National survey of households that is used to generate annual estimates of victimization in the United States.

They would interview households in person or over the phone with anyone older than 12 years old.
EXCLUDED: MILITARY, PRISONS, HOSPITALS, AND HOMELESS PEOPLE.

-Each household interviewed, they were kept in touch every 6 months and completing 3 years in total.
They had to recall the prior report and update the report.
This is called Bounding: Giving a time frame to reference in order to aid recall.

Question 6

Regarding NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey).
What is Bounding?

Answer 6

Each household interviewed, they were kept in touch every 6 months and completing 3 years in total.
They had to recall the prior report and update the report.

This is called Bounding: Giving a time frame to reference in order to aid recall.

Question 7

What is Series Victimization?

Answer 7

Series Victimizations:
Incidents that occur in which respondents CANNOT distinguish enough identifying details or even recall each incident.
For example, if it happens frequently within 6 months. They cannot remember each crime’s details.

Question 8

What is the International Crime Victim’s Survey? (ICVS)

Answer 8

International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS), which was created to provide a standardized survey to compare crime victims’ experiences across countries.

10 types of victimization that they could have experienced:
car theft, theft from or out of a car,
motorcycle theft,
bicycle theft,
attempted or completed burglary,
sexual victimization (rapes and sexual assault),
threats, assaults,
robbery,
and theft of personal property

Question 9

What is the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)? OR British Crime Survey

Answer 9

Formally called the British Crime Survey, the CSEW asks persons about victimization during the previous 12 months; results provide a picture of the extent and characteristics of victimization in England and Wales.

Question 10

What is Victimization Theory?

Answer 10

Generally, a set of testable propositions designed to explain why a person is victimized.

Question 11

What is Routine activities and lifestyles-exposure theory?
Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felton (1979)

Answer 11

A person’s routine activities and lifestyle place them at risk of being victimized; risk is highest when motivated offenders, lack of capable guardianship, and suitable targets coalesce in time and space.

Created by Cohen and Felson (1979), this is a micro-level theory about victimization

○ When these 3 elements combine, victimization is likely to occur: CRIME
1) A suitable target
2) A likely offender
3) The absence of a capable guardian.

Question 12

What is a Motivated Offender?

Answer 12

People who will commit crime if given an opportunity.

Question 13

What is a Suitable Target? “Attractiveness”

Answer 13

Victims chosen by offenders based on their attractiveness in the situation/crime.

Example: Attractiveness relates to qualities about the target, such as ease of transport, which is why a burglar may break into a home and leave with an iPad or laptop computer rather than a couch.

Question 14

What is a Capable Guardianship?

Answer 14

Capable Guardianship: Means by which a person or target can be effectively guarded to prevent a victimization from occurring.

Guardianship is typically considered to be social when the presence of another person makes someone less attractive as a target.
For example: Herny being with me in public.

Guardianship can also be provided through physical means, such as a home with a burglar alarm or a person who carries a weapon for self-protection. A home with a burglar alarm and a person who carries a weapon are certainly less attractive crime targets!

Question 15

What is Lifestyle Exposure Theory?
Michael Hindelang, Michael Gottfredson and James Garafalo’s 1978

Answer 15

Basically, if you hangout with the wrong people or hang out at bars, you are most likely going to become victim of a crime.

Question 16

What is Principle of Homogamy?
Hindelang (1978)

Answer 16

Hindelang et al. (1978) further delineated why victimization risk is higher for some people than others using the principle of homogamy. According to this principle, the more frequently a person comes into contact with persons in demographic groups with likely offenders, the more likely it is the person will be victimized.

Question 17

What is Neighborhood Context?

Answer 17

Features of neighborhoods that impact risk for victimization.
For example, living in Compton, CA.

Question 18

What is a Hot Spot?

Answer 18

Areas that are more prone to crime.

Question 19

What is a Family Structure?

Answer 19

Family Structure is a household style or shape.
For example, if there are a lot of females living on one home, they are most likely to be violently victimized. Easy targets.

Question 20

What is Structural Density?

Answer 20

Structural Density is The percentage of units in structures of five or more units.

The structure of a neighborhood influences victimization rates for that area, it also has been shown that neighborhood features influence personal risk. In this way, living in a neighborhood that is disadvantaged places individuals at risk of being victimized, even if they do not have risky lifestyles or other characteristics related to victimization.

Question 21

What is Residential Mobility?

Answer 21

Residential Mobility is The percentage of persons 5 years and older living in a different house from 5 years before.

Question 22

What are the Screen Questions?

Answer 22

Used to cue respondents of their memories as to whether they experienced any of 7 types of criminal victimization in the previous 6 months.

Question 23

Who are Delinquent Peers?

Answer 23

People involved in delinquency with whom a person spends time; having such peers increases one’s likelihood of victimization.

Question 24

What is the Social Learning Theory?
Akers 1973

Answer 24

According to social learning theory (Akers, 1973), criminal behavior is learned behavior. Specifically, it is learned through differential association (spending time with delinquent or criminal others) whereby imitation or modeling of behavior occurs.
A person learns behavior as well as the definitions about behavior, such as whether it is acceptable to engage in crime. The likelihood that a behavior will persist depends on the degree of reward or punishment.

Question 25

What is Control-Balance Theory?

Answer 25

Control-Balance Theory:
The amount of control one possesses over others and the amount of control to which one is subject; the ratio of control influences the risk of engaging in deviant behavior.

Question 26

What is Control Ratio?

Answer 26

Control Ratio:
Control surplus and control deficit considered together.
How much control delinquents have of each other.

Question 27

What is Control Surplus?

Answer 27

Control Surplus:
When the control one has exceeds the amount of control one is subject to.

When the amount of control a person can exercise is greater than the amount of control.

Example: Like, the exploitation of a politician would be considered an control surplus.

Question 28

What is Control Deficit?

Answer 28

Control Deficit:
When the amount of control a person exercises is outweighed by the control they are subject to.

Question 29

What is Social Interactionist Perspective?

Answer 29

Proposes that distressed individuals behave aggressively, which then elicits an aggressive response from others.

Stated more formally, Felson (1992) argues that aggressive encounters occur when distressed individuals break social rules and those who are aggrieved by the breaking of rules respond aggressively.

Example: A classmate snapping on another classmate after he found out he got a bad grade and isn’t passing their class.

Question 30

What is General Theory of Crime?

Answer 30

Proposes that a person with low self-control will engage in crime if given the opportunity.

Question 31

What is Age-Graded Theory of adult Social Bonds? (Maturing)

Answer 31

Proposes that marriage and employment can help one desist from criminal behavior.
They basically mature and have better shit to do.

Question 32

What is a gene x environment interaction?

Answer 32

Genes interact with environmental features to shape behavior.

For example, a person who is genetically predisposed toward alcoholism will express these alcoholic tendencies only if first exposed to alcohol.

Dopamine, has been found to increase victimization risk. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to the reward and punishment systems of the brain. Dopamine is released when we engage in pleasurable activities, thus reinforcing such behavior. Too much dopamine, however, can be a bad thing. High levels of dopamine are linked to enhanced problem solving and attentiveness, but overproduction of dopamine can be problematic. In fact, it has been linked to violence and aggression.

Question 33

Who is the Typical Victim?

Answer 33

Black people under age 24 have higher victimization rates.

Males and females are equally likely to be victimized.

LESS THAN HALF OF ALL VICTIMIZATIONS EXPERIENCED BY INDIVIDUALS IN THE NCVS are reported to the police.

Weapon used in 58% of incidents and 55% of violent crimes result in people being injured.

Question 34

What is “The Dark Figure of Crime”?

Answer 34

RAPE AND ASSAULT!
Those 2 are the less likely of all violent crimes to be reported to the police!

Question 35

Size of Theories and Crimes: “Micro-Level”

Answer 35

MICRO-LEVEL…
○ These theories are interested in the criminal behavior (or the victimization) of a SINGLE PERSON.
These theories will explain factors or characteristics that influence someone to commit criminal behavior, or factors that could contribute to someone’s victimization.

Question 36

Size of Theories and Crimes:
“Macro-Level”

Answer 36

MACRO-LEVEL: FOCUSES ON NEIGHBORHOOD/ COUNTY/ COUNTRY LEVEL

○ These theories are focused on crime trends, or crime behavior at the neighborhood/ county/ country level. These theories are used in research to explain why crime may increase or decrease over time, and often look at the role of social contexts (like the environment).

Question 37

What is the General Theory of Crime?

Answer 37

Created by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990)

Low self-control + opportunity = criminal and analogous behaviors
□ Analagous behaviors = not wearing a seatbelt, smoking, gambling, speeding,
promiscuous sexual conduct

○ Six elements of low self-control:
(1) here-and-now orientation,
(2) preference for physical rather than cognitive activities,
(3) adventurousness and preference for risky activities,
(4) self-centeredness,
(5) preference for simple gratifications and avoiding complex tasks,
(6) minimal tolerance for frustration

○ Low self-control is established in childhood (~8 yrs) when parents do not supervise children, do not detect bad behavior, and do not correct the bad behavior.
Once low self-control is established, Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that it remains stable throughout the life course.

Question 38

What is Social Disorganization Theory?

Answer 38

Social disorganization, created by Shaw and McKay (1942), is a macro-level theory that focuses on neighborhood context.

The main idea is that as you get closer to a city’s center, there is more:
□ Residential mobility (this means less home ownership, people moving into the area and leaving)
□ Family disruption (this could mean single-parent households)
□ Low socioeconomic status (this means lower income, social class)
□ Ethnic heterogeneity (more diversity)

○ As a result, neighborhoods have less civic participation and teenage peer groups are unsupervised (people are less committed to protecting their neighborhood perhaps because they are not as invested in the relationships to their neighbors)

○ This results in low collective efficacy, which is a term that describes the ability of a community’s members to regulate their behaviors and promote their safety. As a result, crime is likely to occur.

Question 39

What is Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)?

Answer 39

ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood between 0 and 17 years old

□ This includes experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence in the
home or community; or having a family member attempt or die by suicide

□ Includes growing up in a household with substance use problems, mental health
problems, instability due to parental separation or incarceration in the home.

Felitti and colleagues in 1998 and found a strong relationship between exposure to abuse or household dysfunction in childhood and multiple risk factors for:
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Chronic lung disease
• Skeletal fractures
• Liver disease