Larry J. Siegel
www.cengage.com/cj/siegel
Chapter 2
The Nature of Crime and Victimization
Joe Morris • Northwestern State University
Cherly Gary • North Central Texas College
Lisa Ann Zilney • Montclair State
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.
How is Crime Defined?
How is Crime Measured?
Uniform Crime
Report
• UCR
National Crime
Victimization
Survey
• NCVS
Self Report
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
NCVS
• Surveys victims regarding their experiences with
crime
• Problems:
• Memory errors
• Reluctance to report intra-family crime
• Not knowing proper legal definitions of crimes
Self Report Surveys
• Admission of past and current criminal activities
• Reveals the “dark figure of crime”
Compatibility of Crime Data Sources
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
Property Crimes
Violent Crimes
Number of Crimes
(Millions)
16
14
1,900,000
12
1,300,000
10
8
12,900,000
6
4
288,000
2
3,100,000
9,400,000
0
1960
1991
Year
Source: FBI Crime in the United States; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics,
http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t31062006.pdf
2008
Trends in Violent Crime
Victimization rate per 1,000
persons age 12 or older
Overall rate of violent crime fell by %43 from 1998 to 2007
40
Total violent crimes
Simple assault
Aggravated assault
Robbery
Rape
35
30
25
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
Trends in Property Crimes
Property crime rates overall fell by 33% from 1998 to 2007
Property crime rate
per 1,000 households
250
Total property crime
Theft
Burglary
Motor vehicle theft
200
105
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
Factors Influencing Direction of
Crime Rates
• Age Structure of
Population
• Immigration
• Economy/Jobs
• Abortion
• Gun Availability
• Gang Membership
• Drug Use
• Media
• Medical Technology
• Aggressive Law
Enforcement
• Tough Sentences
• Cultural Change
• Criminal Opportunity
Crime Patterns
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ecology
Gender
Race
Class
Age
Career Offending
Victim Patterns
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gender
Age
Income
Marital Status
Race
Ecological Factors
Victim-Offender Relationships
Repeat Victimization
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
Biosocial Theory
• Behavior a function of the interaction of biochemical,
neurological, and genetic factors with environmental
stimulus
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
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
Social Process Theory
• Interactions with key social institutions (family,
school, peer group, military service, job) shape
behavior
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
Developmental Theory
• Disruptions in life’s major transitions can be
destructive and promote criminality
• As people mature the factors that influence their
behavior change