Abstract
The level of crime in a country can only be established if appropriate criteria for investigating the extent of crime in that particular country are put in place. Two mechanisms that the USA uses to trace the rate of crime in the country are the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The two methods use different techniques to collect, analyze and interpret data. This gives the country a more vivid panorama of the crime situation in the country and its impact. This paper will discuss in-depth facts about this two methodologies and how they have been effective in tracing crime in the United States of America.
Uniform Crime Reports
This methodology was formulated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in 1926. It was formed at a time when the United States of America was experiencing an upsurge in the cases of criminal activities. A need to keep record of the crimes and their perpetrators was felt by the board members of the IACP. The increase in the rate of crime portrayed a failing judicial and security system. Therefore, the decision to establish a technique of tracking and keeping record of crimes and criminals was most welcome by the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is in charge of the administration and assessment of data in Uniform Crime Reports since 1929.
The FBI collects information presented in the Uniform Crime Reports from law enforcement agencies destined countrywide in every state. The agencies are charged with the responsibility of submitting accurate and highly reliable data. The FBI has a set of rules and regulations that every agency has to observe while submitting crime records. For instance, any information submitted by an agency that does not meet its guidelines is subject to correction by the FBI. In the same manner, the affected persons have a right to make corrections to the record if it bears a misrepresentation of the facts, fails to underscore some significant information or tends to exaggerate on the original information.
The FBI has a list of eight index offences that are targeted in the Uniform Crime Reports. For a crime to quality to be listed under the reports, it must fall under one or more of these index offences: forcible rape, robbery, burglary, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, larceny, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault and arson. An offence that does not fall under the above listed categories is not considered eligible enough to be recorded in the Uniform Crime Reports.
Uniform Crime Reports have a number of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of these reports are:
- They can be used for research purposes due to their wide scope and reliability.
- Can be used to identify areas prone to crime leading to a crackdown on the criminals in that area.
- The identification of areas prone to crime can lead to creation of job opportunities in the area to reduce idleness which leads to criminal acts.
On the hand, the disadvantages of Uniform Crime Reports are:
- They use wrong racial classifications leading to misleading information.
- They fail to acknowledge child abuse as a form of a violent crime.
All in all, Uniform Crime Reports are a primary source of enlightenment about crime activities in the U.S. For instance, through Uniform Crime Reports, it is possible to find out that the total index crimes reported in 2005 in the US were 296,507,061.
National Crime Victimization Survey
This is a nationwide survey carried out on thousands of homes in the country at predetermined intervals. This survey aims at establishing the frequency of the occurrence of crime victimization, its features and its effects. This method takes into account the crimes that were never reported to law enforcement authorities.
Since most of the information collected is confidential, there is a need to secure the data. This is done by reserving the identity of the victims when releasing the information to the public. The information is also copyrighted and only used by the government in its efforts to counter crime victimization.
The NCVS provides detailed information about both the victim of the crime and the criminal. This information includes type, time and place of the offense, the relationship between the offender and the victim, actions taken by the victim in self-defense, the characteristics and personal details of the offender and the victim. The information provided helps to determine exact circumstances when a crime is likely to happen.
According to the National Crime Victimization Survey of 2005, approximately 293,987,475 crimes were committed. The difference between this value and that of Uniform Crime Reports is caused by the crimes that went unreported. The reason behind this could be that they were too personal. Most cases of rape and sexual harassment went unreported. The most likely reason is that the victims of rape and sexual harassment lost their dignity and could not even come out freely and talk to anyone about it, let alone reporting it to the authorities (Ennis, 1967). In other cases, it is possible that the offenders were people who were close to the victim and showed remorseful feelings after their ruthless actions. It is possible that the victims then decided to treat their cases as personal matters.
Victims of aggravated assault have a number of characteristics that distinguish them from other victims. These victims are ever fearful of being left alone, even in broad daylight. It is possible that they can live the rest of their lives with memories of their attack fresh on their minds. Because of this, they hardly trust anybody, especially strangers. They are always speculating that something bad may happen to them again.
The statistics provided by the Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey point to the fact that crime has been increasing in the US over the years. The current rate of crime is double the rate of crime forty years ago. This is attributed to the moral decadence of today’s society. The virtues that were highly upheld many years ago are no more.
Sherman is one of the greatest criminologists that have ever walked on the surface of the earth. One of his greatest achievements is the discovery of the hot spot concept. In this concept, he found out that if the police were to intensively patrol in an area that is prone to gun crimes, they would capture many illegally possessed guns and hence cut down on the cases of gun crimes. This concept has been experimentally tried by six other criminologists and found to be true. The concept has also been applied in real life situations and proved right.
There are two main reasons for repeat victimization. According to Hirschi (1969), the vulnerability of some victims exposes them to constant victimization. For example, a homeless teenager girl is vulnerable to rape. The vulnerability of the girl will expose her to constant rape attacks, either by the same offender or others. The second reason for repeat victimization is that the offender learns a lot about a victim after the first victimization. The offender gains some information about the target and then utilizes it to reoffend. For instance, burglars can use their experience to know when property is unguarded or they can learn the techniques of outshining security.
Burglary, theft and robbery are the crimes that are likely to be cases of repeat victimization. This is because the initial offenders may decide to come back for some of the valuables they could not carry away during the first victimization. Moreover, the first offenders may tell other criminals about the valuables left in the shop or store. This will lead to a repeat victimization by different offenders. In general, stores and shops containing valuables are bound to be re-victimized.
Repeat victimization is directly influenced by the time frame. Research has revealed that the highest risk of repeat victimization is a few hours or days after the first offence. The research also established that sixty percent of repeat victimization takes place in a short time span of one month after the first offense. The likelihood of a repeat victimization in the subsequent months is close to zero.
Conclusion
From the discussion, it can be discerned that Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and National Criminal Victimization Survey (NCVS) are crucial tools in the keeping and tracking of crime records in the country. Finally, it is also evident from the foregoing that repeat victimization is a case that occurs to vulnerable victims and lucrative targets.
Reference List
Ennis, P. H. (1967). Criminal victimization in the United States: A report of a national survey. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.