Chapter 5 Pt. 1

Question 1

Why is having an accurate measure of the true nature of crime important?

Answer 1

(1) Enables police departments to allocate resources to fight crime by showing the “hot spots” of criminal behavior and any risk factors associated with it
(2) accurate data helps criminologists evaluate the utility of criminological theories
(3) citizens can have a reasonable estimate of their risks of victimization

Question 2

Victimization surveys and self-report studies prove what correlation between the lower class and crime?

Answer 2

lower class people in the U.S. are not necessarily more crime prone than other social classes

Question 3

What are the three distinct approaches to crime?

Answer 3

(1) the use of official crime statistics compiled by police departments
(i. e.- the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) )
(2) Self-Report Studies
(3) Victimization surveys

Question 4

Who created the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and why?

Answer 4

Were created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the early 1930s in order to provide a uniform measure of crime across different jurisdictions.

Question 5

What is Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) based on?

Answer 5

based on reports from police agencies across the country, which are given to and compiled by the FBI annually

Question 6

True or False: giving information for the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is not voluntary

Answer 6

False; it is voluntary

Question 7

The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) cover ___% of police agencies across the country for any given year. (Although this can be misleading).

Answer 7

95%

Question 8

How accurate are the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)?

Answer 8

It is the best estimate law enforcement can give, because most crimes are not know to the police

Question 9

How does the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) divide offenses?

Answer 9

Part 1 Offenses

Part 2 Offenses

Question 10

What are Part 1 Offenses?

Answer 10

(1) violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assaults)
(2) property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson).

Question 11

Which type of crimes are the primary focus in Part 1 Offenses of UCR data?

Answer 11

property crimes

Question 12

Most of the Part 1 offenses known to the police are ________ crimes.

Answer 12

property

Question 13

the single most prevalent property crime according to UCR is _______-_____ .

Answer 13

larceny-theft

Question 14

According to UCR data (2011); Over 750,000 _________ _________, about 350,000 _________, about 15,000 ________, and 83,000 ______ were known to law enforcement.

Answer 14

aggravated assaults
robberies
murders
rapes

Question 15

According to UCR data (2011); _______ crimes have a far higher clearance rate than property crimes

Answer 15

violent

Question 16

According to UCR data (2011); _______ and _________ _________ have the highest clearance rates among all Part 1 Offenses.

Answer 16

murders

aggravated assaults

Question 17

Why do murders and aggravated assaults have the highest clearance rates among all Part 1 Offenses?

Answer 17

(1) greater pressure on police departments to “solve”
(2) most murders and aggravated assaults involve family members and friends/acquaintances homicides
(3) offenders are more likely to call the police and report these crimes themselves

Question 18

According to UCR data (2011); most arrests in the U.S. are for Part __ offenses.

Answer 18

2

Question 19

Out of all the arrests for Part 2 Offenses, ________-related offenses are the highest with _____ related offenses coming in second

Answer 19

alcohol

drug

Question 20

According to UCR data (2011), how have crime rates changed over time:
crime rates increased over the ______ and peaked in the early ______, dropping until the mid ______, increased again until early _______, followed by step decline

Answer 20

1960s
1980s
1980s
1990s

Question 21

Why has there been a rise in violent crimes throughout the 1960s?

Answer 21

(1) the theory of legitimation of violence
(2) a rise in juvenile gang activities in major U.S. cities in the 1960s
(3) an increased availability of handguns in this time period
(4) changes in the age structure, with more people in the crime-prone age group of 18 to 24 years old
(5) changes in routine activities and lifestyles in the 1960s

Question 22

Violent Crime rates tend to be higher in the _________ and ________ States.

Answer 22

Southern

Western

Question 23

Violent Crime rates tend to be higher in areas with greater __________ _______.

Answer 23

population density

Question 24

Violent Crime rates tend to be higher in ________ months.

Answer 24

summer

Question 25

________ crime rates exhibit less dramatic differences by region of the country, population density, and seasonality

Answer 25

property

Question 26

Gender differences shown in UCR data shows that; ______ are over-represented for every Part 1 Offense and most of Part 2 Offenses.

Answer 26

males

Question 27

Gender differences shown in UCR data shows that; males are over-represented for every Part __ Offense and most of Part __ Offenses

Answer 27

1

2

Question 28

Gender differences shown in UCR data shows that; the only offense in which females are over represented in comparison to men is ___________.

Answer 28

prostitution

Question 29

Gender differences shown in UCR data shows that; males account for 80% of those arrested for ______ crime and 63% of those arrested for _______ crimes.

Answer 29

violent

property

Question 30

According to UCR data (2011): males account for 80% of those arrested for violent crime and 63% of those arrested for property crimes
Why is this?

Answer 30

(1) biological explanations
(2) sociological factors
(3) police biases in arrests

Question 31

According to UCR data (2011), what are the differences in age?

Answer 31

the peak age for criminal behavior ranges from 18 to 24 years old

Question 32

According to UCR data (2011): the peak age for criminal behavior ranges from 18 to 24 years old.
Why is this?

Answer 32

low self control
the vitality of youth,
weak bonds to traditional institution