CCJS 105 Notes1/30/14The Science of CriminologyThe politicization of science-science is commonly used to advance political claims: racism, sexism, environmentalism, fascism, socialism, etc.-Nearly every “ism” and ALL political groups attempt to claim the legitimacy of science-Establishing “facts” is the key to winning a debateThe Definition of criminology-Systematic study of (1) the process of making law, (2) the breaking of law, (3) the reaction to the breaking of law-Politics-theory-criminal justiceIs it a science? (Yes… sort of)-Hypotheses are offered (theory rich enterprise)-Theory (explains why something happens)-Methods (Quantitative- #’s & Qualitative- stories)Q: What role does the field play in shaping policy?A: NegligibleQ: Why does criminology, as a science, lack credibilityA: We lack predictive power (ex. Crime decline of 1991)We’ve been able to discredit several proposed solutions, such as:1. Boot camps2. Death penalty3. Three-strike legislation4. DARE5. Scared Straight6. Gun buy-backsIdeology (def. a set of beliefs or values that ALL of us develop, usually unconsciously, about the way thatthe world is or ought to beRange of ideology :-Conservative (Right) punitive and repressive-Liberal (left) forgiving and rehabilitativeProblem creating a science- evidence the field is not scienceWhat is “crime”?The definition is not fixed and unchanging1. Legal definition- no punishment without the crime (nulla poena sine lege)2. Social harm (problems: loss of clarity, victimless crimes)2/4/14Measuring Crime—Catching the Wind with a SieveResearch Methodology—Vocabulary-Independent and Dependent Variables (IV & DV)-Oftentimes difficult to establish than you would anticipate—reciprocal relationships-Crime and povertyEx. Does my assigning a paper produce the needless deaths of student’s grandmothers-Correlation vs. causality-Correlation IS NOT causalityTemporal ElementCross-sectional data: data collected at only 1 point in time—snapshotLongitudinal data: data collected at more than 1 point in time—movie/filmLevels of analysis-Macro: groups-gangs, neighborhoods, states, nations-Micro: individualTo Establish Causality: 3 Criteria-Correlation (it is a necessary insufficient condition)-Temporal ordering-Spuriousness must be eliminated (crazy correlations)The Dark Figure of Crime—the element of crime that is always unknown-Total Crime Rate—we don’t know, but we try to estimate it with:-Official statistics-Victimization surveys-Self-reportUCR/NCVS ComparisonUCR arrests top of pyramidUCR reported crimes top 2 pyramid sectionsNCVS reported crimes top 3 pyramid sectionsUnknown crimes (dark figure of crime) Bottom strip of pyramidDon’t be too concerned with specific numbers and details, focus on understanding the overall scope and reality of the crime situation. Don’t worry about who said what, FOR NOW.The Distribution of CrimeThe Scope of the Crime Problem (UCR)-11,250,000 index crimes in ’07 (3370 per 100k)-Murder rate of 6 per 100k is 5X higher than the avg. rate for the other 15 industrial nations-heterogeneous population to blame?Scope of Crime Problem (NCVS)-22.9M victimizations-violent crime rate 5X of UCR-property crime rate 4X of UCRCrime Clock (UCR)-Violent crime every 22 seconds-Murder every half hour-Rape every 6 minutes-Robbery every minute-Burglary every 15 seconds-Theft every 5 secondsMore accurate crime clock-Evening and nighttime hours have more crime-Weekends also have higher rates-Involvement of alcohol raises ratesHistorical trends-13th century England had crime rates 10-20 times that of today-Crime rose markedly in the ‘60s and ‘70s-Crime dramatically fell in 1991Crime types-Violent: 13% (UCR) 23% (NCVS)-Property: 87% (UCR) 77% (NCVS)-People overestimate violent crime due to extensive media coverage2/18/14TEST: no NIBRS, no peopleThe Distribution of CrimeRegional DisparitiesSouthern states comprise 37% of population-41% of rapes (UCR)-45% of assaults (UCR)The South has the highest rates of homicideWhy? Lingering civil war mentalities, Scotts-Irish pop.Urban phenomenonMetropolitan areas have significantly higher crime rates than rural areasMost violent crime, except rape, occur in public places (NCVS)Sex/GenderNo matter how you slice it, crime is a male driven phenomenon-Table 4.5 on p. 121Women’s arrests is on the rise (about 100% increase from 1937-2005)Race and CrimeAA comprise 15% of pop., but 39% of arrests for violent crime and 50% of homicidesCriminology is beginning to look beyond black/white differences and including HispanicsSelf-report data undermine confidence in the arrest reportsSocial Class and CrimeEarly link was well established using official recordsSelf-report data challenges some of this evidenceThere is an enduring connection between poverty and crime howeverVictimizationPoor more likely than affluent to be victimizedUrban centers have higher rates, when including property crimeAA/Hisp/white—greatest to least in personal victimizationMales more victimized than femalesTeens have highest rates2/20/14Exam covers chapter 1-4Violent & Property Crime PatternsDifficulty of Relying on the Legal Definition of ViolenceSome Violence is approved-Executions-War-Self-defenseOther types are prohibited-Homicide (unlawful killing of one human being by another)-VigilantismTeddy Roosevelt was a vigilante at one point (The Regulators)Homicide80% of victims and 90% of perpetrators are maleMost victims 18-24, 50% happen in cities > 100K peopleMost are intraracialAbout 85% are committed by someone other than a family member25% are “victim precipated”-Ex. Victim is blamed, guy attacks dooley and dooley kills him (attacker is now victim)Victim-Offendor overlap (arrest records)Rape/Sexual Assault Nearly exclusively female victimPoor, young, unmarried, non-white more likely to be victimizedAbout 50% committed by someone known to the victimAbout 70% of those arrested are whiteRates have been declining the last several decades*Evidence to support rape is about biology-Women are more likely to be raped when she’s ovulatingAggravated Assault“Unlawful attack with the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury”Gun or knife often used, but hands and feet qualify as well (Chuck Norris clause)Accounts for > 60% of UCR violent crimesOffenders: 80% male, 40% under 25-65% white, 33% blackRobberyTaking property by force or threat of force (from a person)Requires face to face encounter with victimArrested robbers: 90%
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