Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology Sixth Edition

1. Crime Victims: An Introduction to VictimologySixth Edition By Andrew Karmen Chapter Three: Sources of Information About Crime Victims

2. Introduction The Big Picture Where and when do most crimes occur, use of weapons, are victims usually strangers, how do victims act, fight back, escape, etc., how many are injured or hospitalized, and how much money did they lose?

3. Introduction • How do we “put together” the Big Picture? • Official statistics gathered by government • Criminologists and victimologists gather their own data • Special interest groups gather crime data

4. Use and Abuse of Statistics • Statistics—meaningful numbers that reveal important information • Official statistics—compiled and published by government • Statistics— • Provide realistic assessments of a threat posed to individuals by criminal activity • Reveal patterns of criminal activity • Reflect trends of criminal activity

5. Use and Abuse of Statistics • Statistics –continued– • Reveal costs and losses by criminal activity • Project number of possible victims of a particular crime • Evaluate effectiveness of recovery efforts and prevention strategies • Identify statistical portraits (profiles) of a typical victim

6. Use and Abuse of Statistics • Interpretation of Statistics • Can be used to influence decision makers • Can be used to reduce fears • Can be used to support police administration • Can be used to show something is not working Interpretations of mathematical findings can be given a spin that is usually debatable “Is the glass half full or half empty?”

7. FBI’s Crime Clock • FBI gathers data annually from local police departments nationally and publishes every year an annual report of crime statistics called the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) • The data is reported in a ‘Time Clock’ format, noting how many seconds or minutes apart a particular crime or criminal event occurs—see Figure 3.1, Page 46

8. FBI’s Crime Clock • Crime clock portrayals lend to sales pitches that play on fears that often lend to the exploitation to boost sales of burglar alarms, antitheft devices, or crime insurance • This portrayal is so ominous it may convince citizens “they are next” if they haven’t already been victimized

9. Using Rates per Year • The Crime Clock gives impression that being singled out for crime=common occurrence • Different set of government gathered crime data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is derived from a different source, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

10. Using Rates per Year • NCVS reports criminal activity based upon 1,000 population. Example—2 out every 1,000 citizens were robbed in 2004, or only 2% of the population • 1 out of every 1,000 were injured during a mugging or hold-up in 2004—or only 1% of the population—999 were not injured

11. Using Rates per Year BOTH SOURCES OF DATA ACCURATE AND TRUSTWORTHY—ONLY PRESENTED DIFFERENTLY

12. UCR vs. NCVS • During 70s and 80s, there appeared to be low correlation between the two official sources of data in regards to victimization rates • The two reporting systems again gave conflicting signals at the end of 2001 regarding violent crimes and property crimes

13. Uniform Crime Report (UCR) • Data Gathered by FBI from local agencies • Part One Crimes Reported—8 Crimes • Violent Crime Data—(4) Murder and Victim Info, Forcible Rape, Robbery and Aggravated Assault • Property Crime Data—(4) Burglary, Larceny/Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft and Arson

14. Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Data expressed using “Time Clock”: Number of crimes occurring every minute UCR reflects data for cities, counties and states Reports include: Number of complaints filed with police Proportion of cases solved Characteristics of offenders arrested No information about complainant or victim

15. Uniform Crime Report (UCR) • Reports number of hate crimes reported to police • Analyzes number of law enforcement officers feloniously assaulted and killed in the line of duty, weapons used, etc. • Collects extensive data about victims of homicides including race, age, gender, weapon used, etc.

16. Uniform Crime Report (UCR) • Shortcomings of UCR Report • Underreporting a major problem • Focus is offenders, not victims (homicide exception) • Mixes attempted crimes and completed crimes • Robbery includes all targets, does not single out households, banks, stores, etc. • Use ‘hierarchy rule,’ which reports only the most serious crime in a sequence of several criminal incidents

17. National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) • Tracks 46 Group A Offenses—Greater Breakdown in data: • i.e. simple assault, vandalism, blackmail, fraud, statutory rape, kidnapping • Gathers data relating to commission of crime, victim information, value of theft, race/ethnicity • Originally scheduled for year 2000 implementation

18. National Crime Victim Survey(NCVS) • Crime rates determined by public survey randomly selected by U. S. Census Bureau • First survey, 1966—Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice

19. National Crime Victim Survey(NCVS) • Focuses on four part one crimes • Crimes of Violence • Forcible Rape • Robbery • Aggravated Assault • Simple Assault • Only surveys those 12 years of age or older—Does NOT include crimes against those under 12 years of age

20. National Crime Victim Survey(NCVS) • Crimes Against Property • Larceny • Burglary—No data gathered on businesses burglarized • Motor Vehicle Theft No data gathered on murders or crimes against children under age 12 Crime data reported by U.S. Region and Suburban vs. Rural

21. Four Reasons NCVS Questioned • Bias of Information • Credibility of Information • Wives reporting abuse, girls reporting date rape, boys reporting robberies on bad drug deals • Crimes against children under 12 not probed • Over reporting • Pollsters, not detectives, to sort out conflicting stories or facts

22. UCR vs. NCVS • UCR—No data for victims except murder • NCVS—No data on crimes of murder, bias/hate crimes, line of duty assaults on police • No data on offenses against children under 12 • No data on business robberies or burglaries • No data on arson or victims of arson UCR—computes rates/100.000 population NCVS—computes rates/1,000 age 12 and older or/households (no number)

23. Estimated Victimization Rates • Table 3.1, Pages 55-56 • Estimated Victimization Rates from both the UCR and the NCVS, 2004

24. Key Terms