The extent of crime

Crime is one of the world's oldest social problems. Almost every generation has felt itself threatened by increasing crime and violence. However, no country has yet developed completely reliable methods for measuring the volume and trend of crime.

Crime in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) serves as the main source of information about crime in the United States. The FBI has maintained national crime statistics only since 1930. Reporting procedures between 1930 and 1958 gave only a very inexact national estimate of crime. Since 1958, improved reporting methods have provided increasingly reliable figures. The FBI receives monthly and annual crime reports from law enforcement agencies throughout the country. It summarizes and publishes this information in semiannual reports and in its annual Uniform Crime Reports for the United States.

The FBI's Crime Index measures the amount and distribution of serious crime in the United States. The index covers seven crimes that the FBI considers serious offenses likely to be reported most accurately to the police. Four of these offenses are classified as violent crimes--aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, and robbery. The other three are crimes against property--burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.

FBI reports show that the U.S. crime rate per 100,000 population has gone up sharply (резко) since 1960. From 1960 to 1993, the crime rate for reported serious offenses rose more than 400 percent. However, criminologists and police authorities find it difficult to determine how much of this increase actually occurred and how much resulted from improved crime-reporting procedures. In 1960, slightly more than 31/3 million serious crimes were reported in the United States. More than 14 million serious crimes were reported in 1993. Crimes against property accounted for 86 percent of the offenses reported in 1993. The remaining 14 percent of the offenses reported in 1993 were for crimes of violence against the person.

Many people believe that most arrests are made for the same serious crimes covered by the FBI's crime index. But such crimes account for only about one-fifth of the arrests each year in the United States. Four offenses related to alcohol and drugs--driving under the influence, drug abuse, drunkenness, and liquor law violations--account for more than a fourth of all arrests in the United States.

Crime in other countries. Countries vary greatly in their definition of crime and in the reliability of their crime statistics. Conditions that affect the amount of crime also vary from one country to another. Such conditions include the proportion of people living in cities, the proportion of young and old people in the population, and the degree of conflict among various cultural, economic, and racial groups.

One basis of comparison is the homicide rate in various countries. Most murders are reported to the police, though their definition may vary. In 1994, the United States reported 23 homicides per 100,000 population. Canada's homicide rate was close to that of the United States, at about 21 such killings per 100,000 population. The U.S. and Canadian rate was almost 3 times higher than the homicide rate in England and Wales.

A comparison of the changing crime rates within a country proves more valuable than comparing the rates of two or more countries. For example, studies show that crime rates for both property crimes and violent crimes rose in most countries from 1984 to 1994. During that period, the property crime rate in England and Wales increased more than 35 percent, and the violent crime rate increased about 70 percent. During the same period, the property crime rate in the United States went up nearly 4 percent, and the violent crime rate went up more than 30 percent. In Canada, the property crime rate declined slightly from 1984 to 1994, but the overall crime rate increased about 8 percent.

Comparisons of the crime rates of various nations indicate that increases in crime accompany increases in the rate of social change. The crime rate stays relatively stable in traditional societies where people believe their way of life will continue. Crime rates tend to rise in societies where rapid changes take place in where people live and what they do for a living--and in their hopes for their future well-being. Crime rates are particularly high in industrial nations that have large cities.

Unreported crime. Statistics about crime are based on complaints to the police, offenses observed by the police, and arrests of suspects. Much crime goes unreported. One national survey of 10,000 U.S. families has shown that family members were victims of major crimes in more than twice as many offenses as those covered by police statistics that year. Many other types of crimes also remain unreported, including offenses against businesses, organizations, and public agencies and against public order and morality.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice produce an annual survey called Criminal Victimization in the United States. This survey reveals that in the early 1990's, 50 percent of all violent crime and 70 percent of personal theft went unreported to the police.

The cost of crime to its victims is impossible to determine accurately. Any estimate based on existing data will probably underestimate the cost considerably. For example, a dishonest business scheme may cost consumers or investors millions of dollars, but no records are kept of such losses. Similarly, there is no way to determine the profits to the crime syndicate of gambling, loan-sharking, narcotics sales, and prostitution.

The cost of crime prevention and control measures is also difficult to determine. Expenditures for law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in the United States total many billions of dollars annually. However, these agencies also deal with many non criminal matters, such as traffic control. About 40 percent of police costs can be directly charged to crime control. In addition, most courts handle both criminal and civil cases.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29