Lec 3 Flashcards
Implications of crime data controversies
The official reported crime is a reflection of how the CJS operates rather than measuring crime
Crime counts in Canada is undermined
Therefore using crime statistics to make theories may not be valid
Dark figure of crime
Crimes that do not get reported
Three methods of counting crime in Canada
Official statistics (Canadian Uniform Crime Reports)
Victimization surveys
Self report studies
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Reflects reported crimes that the police have substantiated
What is the goal of a UCR
To provide uniform and comparable national statistics
Two versions of the UCR
UCR aggregate (UCR 1.0) Survey- Collects summary data for 100 separate criminal offences
UCR Incident-Based (UCR 2.0) Survey- collects more detailed info on only one case
UCR aggregate (UCR 1.0) data is presented as crime rate
Crime rate is a count of all criminal incidents reported to and by police divided by 100k Canadians or population of interest
Uses of crime rate
Allows for comparisons between jurisdictions or over time
It is not influenced by population size between jurisdictions or changes in one jurisdiction
Canadian Centre For Justice Statistics (CCJS)
A division of Statistics Canada
Was founded in 1981 to collect national data on crime and justice
CCJS collects, manages and analyses CJS statistics
Police reports and records
Court decisions
Administrative records of prisons
Decisions of parole and probation officials
What does the CCJS help us understand
Crime trends in Canada
CSI (Crime severity index)
Measures the varying degrees of severity of crimes by weighting each offence on a scale of seriousness
How is CSI calculated
Multiplying the number of offences by the weight for that offence, summing them up and then dividing by the population
How is each offence’s weight derived
From the sentence given by the criminal courts
Benefits or Uses of CSI:
It addresses the matter of the crime rate being driven by high volumes of less sever offences
It allows Canadians or police to identify places where the most sever and dangerous offences can occur
Limitations of the UCR
Only the most sever crime is scored in an incident involving several crimes
Thus
It deflates the total crime count
It inflates severe crimes as a percentage of the total
Not enough qualitative data about crimes are recorded
What does UCR not differentiate between
Indictable and summary offences
Crime statistics are influenced by
Police discretion
Does the UCR tell us why crime is increasing or decreasing?
No
What is not captured by the UCR
Crimes that keep victims unaware
Victimization surveys
Asks a sample of people whether they have been a crime victim
How does a victimization survey capture crime not included in a UCR
The nature and consequences of victimization
Whether it was reported to the police
The criminal justice response
The attitude toward crime and the CJS, and feelings of safety
Benefits of victimization reports
They show more Canadians are victimized than the UCR does
Shows consequences of crime
Limitations of the Victimization surveys
Not all crimes are captures
-Consensual crimes (such as murders) are not captured
-Some crimes have the victim unaware
Survey data may lack reliability
Survey data may be skewed (Well educated people may be more likely to participate)
What do victimization reports tell us
Some categories of victims are more likely to report their victimization than others
Some victims do not report crimes due to fear or stigmatization
Some crimes come to police attention more than others
Some categories of offenders (ie family) are less likely to be reported
How does victimization reports go beyond counting crime
Provide impact of crime
Provide data on reasons for reporting and not reporting crime
Self report studies
Relying on criminals on what they do and how often they commit crimes
Where are most self-report studies administered
Among a specific population (ie Secondary school students)
Benefits of self report studies
They contribute to research and theories on the causes of crime and delinquency, especially the relationship between social class and crime
This method is a reliable source of crime figures
Limitations of self report studies
Respondents tend to report minor infractions and downplay sever crimes
Ethical issues scare away people from participating
