Crime Data Sources
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Crime Data Sources. Police reports, victimization, and self-report data. Sellin’s Dictum. “The value of a crime for index purposes decreases as the distance from the crime itself in terms of procedure increases” Thorsten Sellin, 1931. Sources of Crime Statistics. Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Crime Data Sources
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Presentation Transcript
Crime Data Sources Police reports, victimization, and self-report data
Sellin’s Dictum “The value of a crime for index purposes decreases as the distance from the crime itself in terms of procedure increases”Thorsten Sellin, 1931
Sources of Crime Statistics • Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) • National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) • Self-Report Data (SRD)
Uniform Crime ReportsPart 1 Offenses • “Serious illegal acts that occur with sufficient frequency to provide an adequate basis for comparison”
Crimes Not Included in the UCR Part 1 Crime Index Reason: they do not come to the attention of police often enough.
Step 1: Step 2: Police must decide… Step 3: Step 4: Becoming a UCR Crime Statistic
Reporting Crimes to the Police • People are MORE likely to report if… • People are LESS likely to report if…
Officer Discretion • Officer discretion influenced by offense and offender characteristics
Recording of Crimes by Police • Characteristics of the offense • Characteristics of offender • Characteristics of the victim
Strengths of the UCR • National • Permits comparisons • Links to other sources
Weaknesses of the UCR • Street crimes • Reactive crime reporting by citizens • Officer discretion • Susceptible to political pressure to over or under-report
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) • Conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Census every 6 months, households remain up to 3 years
Self-Report Data • Unofficial statistics • Gets at the “dark figure” of crime • Provides information on causes of crime from offender’s perspective
Ethical Issues in Self-Report Studies of Violent Crime • Exchange confidentiality for honesty • Ask subjects not to talk about planned violence