The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) from the FBI is the most widely cited crime report. It is used for comparison with victim surveys and self-reports. It came about in 1930 when the Department of Justice compiled and published national crime statistics. It was the major source for United States crime sets until 1974. Most information in the media is usually based on the UCR, although it is not properly reported. The UCR involves voluntary participation from local police departments who report the crimes known to and recorded by them. However, not all crimes committed are discovered; not all crimes discovered are reported; and not all reported are recorded. The majority of states employ UCR programs in which local departments are required
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Part I are index crimes, or major felonies reported to the police that have been selected for special analysis because of their seriousness, frequency, and likelihood of being reported. Index crimes include: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, burglary, forcible rape, larceny/theft, robbery, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, and arson. Part II are non-index crimes such as simple assault, vandalism, gambling, and drunkenness. The crime rate is represented as the number of crimes per unit of population. This enables control of the population size and allows for fair comparison. However, the crime index is un-weighted, meaning that each offense is summed and given the same weight as all other offenses. The crime rate is the total number of seven of the original index crimes per 100,000 …show more content…
Using this new system, local law enforcement agencies create a unit-record report based on every crime incident and every arrest. The old UCR system was only a summary of reported crime, counting only the most serious offense if multiple crimes were committed. To describe victims, arrests, crimes, etc., NIBRS uses 52 "data elements" to do so. It also puts focus on 22 Group A offenses (bribery, counterfeiting,/forgery, drug offenses, extortion/blackmail, fraud, kidnapping, etc.), whereas the original UCR only used 8 index crimes. However, if a department lacks in the equipment, time, and ability to process data, their participation may be limited to only the original 8 index crimes that were first
Part I are index crimes, or major felonies reported to the police that have been selected for special analysis because of their seriousness, frequency, and likelihood of being reported. Index crimes include: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, burglary, forcible rape, larceny/theft, robbery, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, and arson. Part II are non-index crimes such as simple assault, vandalism, gambling, and drunkenness. The crime rate is represented as the number of crimes per unit of population. This enables control of the population size and allows for fair comparison. However, the crime index is un-weighted, meaning that each offense is summed and given the same weight as all other offenses. The crime rate is the total number of seven of the original index crimes per 100,000 …show more content…
Using this new system, local law enforcement agencies create a unit-record report based on every crime incident and every arrest. The old UCR system was only a summary of reported crime, counting only the most serious offense if multiple crimes were committed. To describe victims, arrests, crimes, etc., NIBRS uses 52 "data elements" to do so. It also puts focus on 22 Group A offenses (bribery, counterfeiting,/forgery, drug offenses, extortion/blackmail, fraud, kidnapping, etc.), whereas the original UCR only used 8 index crimes. However, if a department lacks in the equipment, time, and ability to process data, their participation may be limited to only the original 8 index crimes that were first