Crime Data Comparison

Crime Data Comparison

Crime statistics are important to have a general understanding of crime. Crime is a major public concern. Members of the public are concerned about the risks of becoming victims of crime. The amount of crime and violence in a community affects quality of life. In cities and towns, in suburban and rural areas, crime is a significant social problem. The criminal justice system is the primary institution responsible for responding to crime. To understand all aspects of a crime it is important to measure crime. Using the FBI Uniform Crime Report data, the reported murder rate in the city of San Antonio, Texas and the city of San Diego, California will be compared.

Crime Statistics determine the effectiveness of new laws and programs, and staff and procedural changes. Budget decisions about equipment, staffing, and initiation, continuation, or termination of new programs are based on changes in crime rates (Schmalleger, 2012). The most cited and recognized official type of data is the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program also known today as the UCR/NIBRS program. The FBI produces an annual overview of major crimes in the United States called crime in the United States. These statistics are based on reports reported to the police by victims of crime. The well-known type of victimization statistics is the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This annual survey of selected American households conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, determine the extent of criminal victimization, especially unreported victimization in the United States (Schmalleger, 2012). This survey provides information related to six crimes: vehicle motor theft, assault, rape, larceny, robbery, and burglary. Other sources of crime data discussed include statistics provided by professional organizations and other publications about crime, including the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics.

Although both of these official data-gathering programs offer some understanding of the crime problem, there are some limitations. For example, to gather UCR data, the FBI depends on the police departments to report all crimes and assumes the information provided is precisely represented. However, citizens sometimes do not report all crimes to the police; reducing the accuracy of the UCR data. Crime statistics do not account for unreported crime. Victimization statistics could present a more precise representation of crimes not reported to the police. Limitations to this source include exaggeration or lying by the victim.

There have been some significant changes to the UCR/NIBRS program important to note. For example, it discontinued the use of Crime Index. In addition, since 1988, the FBI has developed a new national crime collection effort called (NIBRS) the National Incident-Based Reporting System (Schmalleger, 2012). Under NIBRS, law enforcement agencies furnish