CCJS100 Chapter 2 Crime and Crime Causation Types of Crime Visible Crime An offense against persons or property committed primarily by members of the lower class Often referred to as street crimes or ordinary crimes this type of offense is the one most upsetting to the public Put into three categories Violent Crimes o Acts against people in which death or physical injury o Ex criminal homicide rape assault robbery o Many of these offenses are committed by people who know their victim Property Crimes o Acts that threaten property held by individuals or by results the state o Ex theft shoplifting burglary o Some offenders commit these crimes due to financial need or peer pressure while some make a living off of these crimes Public Order Crimes o Acts that threaten the general well being of society and challenge accepted moral principles o Ex public drunkenness vandalism disorderly conduct o Police treat these as minor offenses but many believe these crimes lead to more serious ones o Often tend to be committed by young minority men Occupational Crime Criminal offense committed through opportunities created in a legal business or occupation Often committed by respectable people who take advantages of opportunities arising from business deals Impose huge losses and costs on society Organized Crime A framework for the perpetuation of criminal acts usually in fields such as gambling drugs and prostitution providing illegal services that are in great demand Engage in activity that provides a minimum of risk and a maximum of profit Money laundering moving the proceeds of criminal activities through a maze of businesses banks and brokerage accounts so as to disguise their origin Has developed global networks and often cross borders Victimless Crimes Offenses involving a willing and private exchange a willing and private exchange of illegal goods or services that are in strong demand Participants do not feel they are being harmed but these crimes are prosecuted on the ground that society as a whole is being injured Ex prostitution gambling drug use and sales Based on moral standards Political Crimes Cyber Crime An act usually done for ideological purposes that constitutes a threat against the state Ex treason sedition espionage terrorism with political motives Describes a criminal act by the state Offenses that involve the use of one or more computers in order to commit acts against people property public order or morality Use computers to steal information resources or funds create viruses download child pornography How Much Crime is there 6 4 decrease in violent crime Dark Figure of Crime a metaphor that emphasizes the dangerous dimension of crimes that are never reported to the police Uniform Crime Reports UCR An annually published statistical summary of crimes reported to the police based on the voluntary reports to the FBI by local state and federal law enforcement agencies Some states underreport their crimes in order to receive incentives Include only reported crimes so many crimes are unaccounted for Reporting is voluntary so police departments may not take the time to report efficiently Report on 29 types of crimes National Incident Based Reporting System NIBRS A reporting system in which the police describe each offense in a crime incident together with data describing the offender victim and property Includes 46 offenses in 22 crime categories Distinguishes between attempted and completed crimes Disaggregated data reports are based on individual crimes instead of departments reporting to the FBI National Crime Victimization Surveys Interviews of samples of the U S population conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the number and types of criminal victimizations and thus the extent of unreported as well as reported crime In household interviews each person is asked a set of screening questions followed by specific questions in order to determine whether or not they have been victimized and are asked this twice a year for three years Surveys are taken to find out about victimization of businesses in order to note demographic patterns learn more about offenders and see how many crimes have occurred Government employees administer the surveys so people interviewed are unlikely to report crimes in which they or members of their family took part Depends on the victims perception of the event Trends in Crime Victimization rate has dropped steadily over the past decade Many factors reduce the crime rate Ex increased security age decline in use of crack cocaine Age o Men aged 16 24 are the most crime prone group Crime Victimization Victimology a field of criminology that examines the role the victim plays in precipitating a criminal incident and also examines the impact of crimes on victims Who is victimized People who are victimized by crime in one year or more likely to be victimized by crime in a subsequent year Members of certain demographic groups are more likely to be victimized than others Demographic factors age gender income affect lifestyle people s work home life and recreation Lifestyles affect people s exposure to dangerous places times and people Women Youths Nonwhites African American teenagers or more likely to be victimized because of where they live how they spend their leisure time and the people with whom they associate Juveniles who engage in a delinquent lifestyle are more likely to be victimized than those who do not Minorities are more likely to be raped robbed and assaulted Most violent crime is intraracial 2 3 of victims are of the same race as the attacker Low Income City Dwellers Americans with incomes below 7500 annually experience victimization rate of 44 violent crimes per 1 000 people Economic factors largely determine where people live work and seek recreation Poor people are more likely to live in crime prone areas lack security devices and cannot avoid contact with people who are prone to crime Acquaintances and Strangers Although some crimes occur between strangers most occur with acquaintances spouses friends and relatives The kind of crime a victim suffers depends on whether strangers or nonstrangers are the perpetrators Ex most robberies are committed by strangers but sexual assault victims are mainly committed by acquaintances Prior relationships among people may facilitate some crimes and keep victims from seeking police assistance ex stealing from a family member in order to get drugs family member does not want to see their
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