Defining and Measuring Crime

Crime measurement and statistics for police departments are very important when it comes to money allotment, staffing needs or termination and it is also used to determine the effectiveness of new laws and programs. There are three tools used to measure major crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Reports, National Crime Victimization Survey and the National Incident Based Reporting System- which is currently being tested to replace the Uniform Crime Reports. Although there different tools used to measure crime, crime rates can be deceiving. Each different tool reports a different type of rate, crime rates, arrest

Cybercrime has experienced significant progress during recent years, as its advance is directly proportional with the advance of technology. In spite of the fact that the authorities devise new and better strategies to fight cybercrime, the fact that the number of people online is constantly increasing means that cybercrimes occur even more frequently. Dishonest people who seek opportunities have discovered how the internet stands as a perfect environment for them to commit crimes by taking as little risks as possible. Computer fraud generates a series of benefits for the person committing it, as he or she can either profit financially from the enterprise or can simply alter files in order for his or her image to be positively affected. Identity theft is a major form of cybercrime and it is essential for society to acknowledge the gravity of the matter in order to be able to effectively fight against criminals using it.

What is Crime? Many People may have different definitions about crime. Some might say crime is an act of offense/breaking the law and is punishable by conviction. Others might argue that crime is an act whereby offenders `might cause harm to the society and should be punished for their actions. Crime has been a great concern to the society as a whole. Sometimes offenders commit crimes intentionally to hurt someone they don’t like or just to cause harm to their fellow human beings. Some people might argue that, some crimes might refer to certain acts.

Throughout crime in Australia, a noticeable increase in crime occurred between the 1970’s to the 1990’s but has declined to a stable rate of crime which is similar trend in America. However, crime itself is often complex to define due to the variety of crime. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately measure crime and if crime cannot be measured efficiently and it proposes concerns of whether crime in Australia is stable or not. Although Australia’s system of collecting crime data is striving to be as accurate as possible, the media will often manipulate the data which misleads the Australian public of crime stability. Inclusively, through gaining an understanding of defining crime, accurately measuring data and comparing Australia’s crime data

Some of the most common cyber-crimes are cyberstalking, identity theft, spam and phishing among others. Cyber stalking has been classified as one of prevalent cybercrimes with many internet users falling victims of cyber bullying. Cyber stalkers meet their victims in different ways; mostly they normally have a relationship either in the real world or online world. Cyberstalking starts when this relationship ends. However, strangers who have collected information on the internet can also be cyber stalkers. The desire to control and even harm their victims is what motivates cyber stalkers. They may go to the measures of personifying their victims and post messages or controversial posts on the boards and chat rooms. In this real regard, cyberstalking is a real crime (Mansourabadi, 2014).

White collar crime is notorious for being difficult to regulate against and even harder to investigate and prosecute, in comparison to more traditional street crime (Friedrichs, 2010). The enforcement and prosecution rates of white collar crimes are lower than that of street crime; white collar crimes are also less likely to be reported (Friedrichs, 2010). The complexity and breadth of white collar crime cases can be crippling to law enforcement and may work to stop enforcement entirely (Friedrichs, 2010). In the Schlegel & Weisburd text (1992), the authors note that, unlike street crimes, many white collar crimes require lengthy investigation before determining if a crime has actually occurred, much less deciding if there is enough evidence

Measuring crime helps criminal justice agencies to reflect on the effectiveness of policies in existence and correctly target resources. Crime statistics are therefore central to solving crime in England and Wales. In order for crime to be tackled effectively, it is vital that it is measured accurately. There are two sources of crime statistics published annually in the UK namely police recorded crime and the Crime Survey of England and Wales. According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, in total there were 7.1 million incidents of crime in 2013-2014. Although there has been an 11% reduction in crime, several categories of crime such as sexual offences, fraud and public order offences are up from the previous year. In comparison, latest figures from police recorded crime shows no overall change from the previous year, with 3.7 million offences recorded in the year ending March 2014. Whilst Left Realists argue that crime statistics are an accurate indicator of the state of crime in society, the disparities between the sources of crime statistics suggest that crime statistics provide an inaccurate measurement of crime in the UK. Marxists believe that crime statistics are flawed and manipulated by the government in an attempt to deceive the public. Research calculated by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary supports this view as it revealed that more than 800,000 offences are left off the official crime figure in England and Wales each year. It is clear that

Crime rates and arrest rates are difficult for a law enforcement agency to produce to the high volume of calls received. Some examples of calls that do not require an arrest include lost pets, individuals needing medical assistance, and noise complaints. Each agency must make an organized effort to make contact with the individuals making the calls with high and low priority due to the unseen or unreported information at the caller’s location. The law enforcement community has also created an organization devoted to crime reports known as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) data is based on law enforcement agencies (Schmalleger, F. 2011, p. 3). Clearance rates are defined as cases that have been solved. Many times if an arrest was made then the case has been cleared. Some case are never cleared one example, if an offender commits a murder and he or she is found dead or flees the country before an arrest is made the data does not go into the cleared category. Recidivism rates are directly related to the quality of life after an offender is released from prison. Many offenders repeat crime related offenses due to the addiction of drugs. At times serious pathological offenders create a threat to the community therefore recidivism rates are often used in determining the punishment required for the offender.

Crime is one of those things like you said is an ever changing definition. As our culture and opinions change we see what is considered to be a criminal act and what is not. An example is marijuana, we can see how the opinion is starting to change while it is still restricted there has been a topic for debate. The media is quick to manipulate statistics and brainwash people into believing what is aired to be true. Especially crimes that are rare and not likely to happen to you.

The measurement of crime is an often overlooked fundamental subject in the field of criminal justice. There are various aspects to be considered when measuring crime; and almost as many questions. Why is measuring crime a fundamental subject? How is crime measured? How much crime is there? What is the purpose of measuring crime? What strategies are available for measuring crime? This paper explores these questions and more concerning crime measurement in the United States. Therefore, in this paper, the instruments used to measure crime are examined; major crime reporting programs and their purposes are discussed; crime, arrest, clearance, and recidivism rates are explained in detail; and what the crime and recidivism statistics tells humans

The agencies employed by governments to police the web in order to protect the vulnerable have seen an increase in child pornography and online fraud. The speed at which information can be distributed and the number of people that can be reached attracts those that are intent on causing harm. The term “cybercrime” is becoming more widely used. The financial gains that can be made and the anonymity the internet can provide, make the virtual world of cyberspace a haven for criminals. Although the internet has huge benefits for information gathering and social networking, in the wrong hands it can cause harm to the vulnerable and criminals are able to vanish into the underground with the use of false identities that are hard to track online.

With the advent of any new technology must also come an added respect and responsibility for that technology. Today's world has been significantly modified over the past decade due the internet and the superconductivity this tool has provided to its users. As a result of this popularity, a criminal element has seeped within the confines of cyberspace to present new challenges for lawmakers and law enforcers everywhere, all the time. The purpose of this essay is to describe the role of the internet and its involvement with crime and criminal behavior. This essay will describe specific examples of how the internet has aided criminal activity and highlight the types of crime that have received more notoriety because of the internet's ability to connect people anonymously.

Crime exists everywhere in the world – in rural and urban areas in many countries, in the East and West, and among all types of people. This has led many government officials, especially those in urban areas, to focus largely on the reduction of crime among their respective constituencies and has led others to speculate on the factors that influence the amount of crime and how those factors can be controlled. Crime has been around since man and there is no doubt that it will continue to be around, until there is an existence of a perfect world. But for now, we

There are many perceptions of what defines crime. The definitions appear to change throughout history and are still changing today (Henry, S. and Lanier, M. M., 2001 ,p.139). For example, in the past marital rape was not considered a crime as it was thought that women were believed to be “sexual property” of the male and, therefore it couldn’t be classed as rape (Brownmiller, 1975, cited by Bergen, R.K., 1996, p.3). However, in the United States in 1978 a man was convicted of rape on his wife (Russell, 1990, cited by Bergen, R.K., 1996, p.4). This shows how it is hard to define crime due to the changes in views over time. Different cultures also have different perceptions of what is, or is not considered to be a crime. For example,

In accordance with many decades of cyber evolution, a cybercrime is shown in different ranges of crimes, which depend on the spread of technology and law. From the introduction of computer in the 1960s to the rise of personal computer in 1980s, cybercrime began to appear. The crimes can vary from piracy of software to patent-related crimes. This caused a surge in the introduction of relevant legislation in many countries and international organizations involved. In late 1990s, when Internet and transnational crimes were born, the international community cooperated in many instances such as the passing of the UN General Assembly Resolution 45/121 in 1990 and the manual for the prevention and control of computer-related crimes issued in 1994. Despite all the