delinquency measurement

Question 1

methods of measuring crime (3 types)

Answer 1

1. uniform crime reports (UCR)
2. self-report surveys
3. victim surveys

Question 2

uniform crime reports

Answer 2

compiled by the FBI, crime known to the police where the crime was reported and an arrest was made

Question 3

crime rates (UCR)

Answer 3

rate per 100,000= crime/ population size x 100,000

ex: 600/800,000 x 100,000= 75 per 100,000

Question 4

indexed crimes

Answer 4

in the UCR, indexed crimes include violent crime (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and non-violent crimes (burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson)

Question 5

non-indexed crimes

Answer 5

in the UCR, non-indexed crime includes all other offenses, like running away, curfew, liquor violations, and other status offenses

Question 6

violent crimes

Answer 6

juvenile violent crime peaks at 18-20. They are more likely to be solved because there are more resources devoted to them, witnesses are usually available and the victim and offender oftentimes have a relationship

Question 7

property crimes

Answer 7

juvenile property crime peaks at 16-17

Question 8

national incident-based reporting system (NIBRS)

Answer 8

reports more categories of crime than the UCR, includes incidents and not just arrests, but not all states participate

Question 9

threats to validity of the UCR

Answer 9

1. if there are multiple arrests for the same person, only the most serious crime is recorded
2. racial, ethnic, and age biases can occur
3. less than half of all victims report crime
4. only includes teens who are caught
5. varies by agency

Question 10

UCR vs. NIBRS

Answer 10

The UCR is a raw number of arrests that have not been adjusted and are subject to biases so it isn’t comparable across different groups like the NIBRS (has more categories)

Question 11

self-report surveys

Answer 11

asks juveniles about their offenses

Question 12

advantages/ strengths of self-reports

Answer 12

anonymity and confidentiality, expands official data, and helps to get at the “dark figure”

Question 13

threats to validity of self-reports

Answer 13

youths may be hesitant to out-themselves, especially for more serious crimes. They may forget what they’ve done or be confused by the questions. Their answers may be under/overstatements of what they’ve actually done.

Question 14

national crime victimization survey (NCVS)

Answer 14

an annual survey of 160,000 people that includes both personal and property victimization

Question 15

NCVS strengths

Answer 15

can help predict the total amount of annual crimes to get at the dark figure, not just crimes reported to the police. It provides information on victims, offenders, crime details, self-protective measures, and potential substance abuse of offenders

Question 16

threats to validity of NCVS

Answer 16

excludes victims under the age of 12, under/overreporting, no space to record personal activity, and sampling errors