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Chapter 2 The Nature of Crime and Victimization

Chapter 2 The Nature of Crime and Victimization. Learning Objectives. Discuss how crime is defined. Be familiar with the methods used to measure crime. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of crime measures. Recognize the trends in the crime rate.

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Chapter 2 The Nature of Crime and Victimization

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  1. Chapter 2The Nature of Crime and Victimization

  2. Learning Objectives • Discuss how crime is defined. • Be familiar with the methods used to measure crime. • Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of crime measures. • Recognize the trends in the crime rate. • Comment on the factors that influence crime rates. • Be familiar with international crime trends. • Know the various crime patterns. • Understand the concept of the criminal career. • Discuss the characteristics of crime victims. • Distinguish between the various views of crime causation.

  3. How is Crime Defined?

  4. How is Crime Measured?

  5. UCR • UCR collects data on 8 Part I crimes based on reports from police agencies • Problems: • Only includes crimes reported • Depends on voluntary submissions • Does not include federal crimes • Differences in defining and counting crimes

  6. NCVS • Surveys victims regarding their experiences with crime • Problems: • Memory errors • Reluctance to report intra-family crime • Not knowing proper legal definitions of crimes

  7. Self Report Surveys • Admission of past and current criminal activities • Reveals the “dark figure of crime”

  8. Compatibility of Crime Data Sources

  9. Crime Trends • Violent and property crimes have declined since the 1990s • Declines were in the UCR and the NCVS • Property crime rates remain a national problem

  10. Property Crimes Violent Crimes 16 14 1,900,000 12 10 1,300,000 Number of Crimes (Millions) 8 12,900,000 6 9,400,000 4 288,000 2 3,100,000 0 1960 1991 2008 Year Source: FBI Crime in the United States; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t31062006.pdf

  11. Trends in Violent Crime Overall rate of violent crime fell by %43 from 1998 to 2007 40 Total violent crimes Simple assault 35 Aggravated assault 30 Robbery Rape 25 Victimization rate per 1,000 persons age 12 or older 20 15 10 5 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Year  Represents 2007. Data for 2006 are not included. Rand, Criminal Victimization, 2007, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv07.pdf

  12. Trends in Property Crimes Property crime rates overall fell by 33% from 1998 to 2007 250 Total property crime Theft Burglary 200 Motor vehicle theft 105 Property crime rate per 1,000 households 100 50 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Year  Represents 2007. Data for 2006 are not included. Rand, Criminal Victimization, 2007, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv07.pdf

  13. Factors Influencing Direction of Crime Rates

  14. Crime Patterns • Ecology • Gender • Race • Class • Age • Career Offending

  15. Victim Patterns • Gender • Age • Income • Marital Status • Race • Ecological Factors • Victim-Offender Relationships • Repeat Victimization

  16. Choice Theory • Individuals use free will to choose between conventional or criminal behaviors • Most people have the potential to violate the law • Motivated offenders balance the risks and rewards • Factors considered are personal, situational and legal • Most will avoid crime if: • Punishment outweighs pain • Substantial likelihood of getting caught • Swift punishment will

  17. Biosocial Theory • Behavior a function of the interaction of biochemical, neurological, and genetic factors with environmental stimulus

  18. Psychological Theory • Psychoanalytic view - criminals are driven by unconscious thought patterns that control behavior • Attachment theory - failure to develop proper attachments may cause psychological disorders • Behavioral theory – behavior patterns are modeled and learned in interactions • Cognitive theory – criminals may lack the ability to perform cognitive functions normally • Criminal personality – may involve hyperactivity and/or impulsiveness

  19. Social Structure Theory • Position in the social structure affects behavior • Culture of poverty is marked by apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions • Social disorganization theory – characterized by high unemployment, deteriorated housing, low income levels, and high single-parent households • Strain theory – conflict between goals and the means to obtain those goals • Cultural deviance theory – a lower-class culture develops in disorganized, poverty-ridden neighborhoods

  20. Social Process Theory • Interactions with key social institutions (family, school, peer group, military service, job) shape behavior

  21. Conflict Theory • Human behavior is shaped by interpersonal conflict • Economic and political forces in society are fundamental causes of criminality • Crimes are defined in a way that meets needs of ruling class and economic/political elites

  22. Developmental Theory • Disruptions in life’s major transitions can be destructive and promote criminality • As people mature the factors that influence their behavior change

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