Constructing Images of Crime Crime… “it is everywhere” - in % took precautionary measures

Crime Data How much crime is there? What are the patterns and trends in crime? Who commits crime? What is the nature of criminality? … make up the study of criminology --- try to be objective in answering

Purpose of Crime Data Another sub-area of the criminological enterprise we try to generate reliable and valid data FIVE key purposes: 1. Descriptive; 2. Explanation; 3. Program evaluation; 4. Risk assessment, and 5. Prediction.

Kim Rossmo and “geoprofiling” (Box 3.3) … descriptive to prediction … hi-tech crime fighting strategy … integrates theory and practice … reduce false positives Ethic concerns?! Future implications (DNA, forensics, satellite tracking, etc.)

The “looking glasses of crime” Defining: Actual crime Official crime Dark figure Official Sources... Huff ’54: secret language of statistics “reality is merely an appearance of something more real”

Police Data Although NOT the first, today the most frequently used form of official data Address the ‘dark figure’ UCR History 1962 and standardization Summary vs. indictable offences

Judicial Data France and Compte General in 1825 The work of Guerry and Quetelet Canada began collection 1876 Role of the CCJS Growth of Legal Aid vs. court costs Examine sentencing lengths

Correctional Data English prison data as early as 1836 Demographic and socio-economic information From Prison Statistics to CCJS Federal vs. Provincial data Info re incarceration rates, expenditures, inmate profiles, etc.

The limits of Official Data Data reflect official responses to social behaviours as defined by the Criminal Code Crime Funnel (Table 3-4) Suggestive rather than declarative “artificial fluctuation”… Public interest, police enforcement practices, recording procedures…

Crime rates drop 6th year - ‘98 WHY? Linden ‘96: “just getting too old” Foot ‘96: shift in demographics RAT: shift in opportunity if demographic can predict… how use in policy???

To calculate crime rates: # of reported crimes R/ = X total population !! Census ever 10 years, mini 5 yrs. reported vs. charges

Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics History: … a need for a central information collection and dissemination centre 1981 – Juristat Bulletins Yet limitations… no uniform court data, limited insight in crime and criminal behaviour, nothing on white collar crime, organized crime, & victimless crimes

See Box 3.6 CCJS continues to evolve CCJS a primary source of official data Quality of data improving but theoretical foundation still lacking Relevance of unofficial sources

Victimization Data Pioneers Ezzat Fattah, Hans Hentig, and Stephen Schafer… all European heritage overlooked in N.A. until recently OBJECTIVES: measure extent and distribution of selected crimes impact; risk of victimization; indicators of CJ functioning

GSS ‘88, ‘93, ’98 (Box 3.7) CUVS ‘81-’88 (Box 3.8A) VAWS ’96 (Box 3.8B) Left Realism and Feminist T ICVS… Jan van Dijk (NL) 17 to 54 countries participate Caution: !sampling, questions, memory, urban, types of crime…

Self-Report Data Thorsten Sellin ‘31… 1st to suggest importance pragmatic approach to enumeration focus groups diverse BUT young offenders males, urban, property crimes, illuminate the ‘dark figure’

Methodological issues… comparability standardization different interests honesty trust interviewer deep sense of guilt exaggerate BUT, many improvements DeKeseredy and abuse; Farrington & youth; corporate crime

Observational Procedures field research data directly impression and first hand face validity Humphrey and “tearoom” (Verstehen, symbolic interactionism ) Types: non-participant & participant triangulation… convergence-discriminant validity dark figure Research methodology and epistemology

Objectives and Purpose Correlates of crime Cause vs. probability Discovery Demonstration Refutation Prediction RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - theory

Summary Describe and evaluate the four main methods of gathering and interpreting data each has strengths and weaknesses choice depends on resources and objectives criminologists take ‘sides’… Need for integration and interdisciplinary

See you next class...