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8/18/2015

Prepared by Emily Berthelot, University of Arkansas at Little Rock ©

CHAPTER FOUR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE VICTIMS OF INTERPERSONAL CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AND THEFT

1. To understand the meaning of differential risk.

2. To appreciate the complications of making international

comparisons.

3. To discover which countries and which cities across the globe

have the highest and lowest homicide rates.

4. To use official statistics to spot national trends in murders,

aggravated assaults, and robberies in recent decades.

5. To discover the profile of the typical victim in order to

determine which demographic groups face the highest and

lowest chances of getting murdered and also of being robbed.

Learning Objectives

6. To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of statistical

projections about the risk any given individual faces of

being on the receiving end of violence.

7. To grasp the meaning of cumulative risks.

8. To become acquainted with the suffering of people whose

homes are burglarized.

9. To become knowledgeable about the situation of people

whose cars are stolen.

10. To become familiar with the aggravation arising from

identity theft.

Learning Objectives

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Differential Risks

 The chances of becoming a victim differ

from group to group and according to the

type of crime.

 Examples:

Women are at a higher risk of becoming a

victim of rape than are men.

Taxi drivers are more at risk of armed

International Comparisons

 Main Sources of Data

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Control

 periodically surveys its members’ law enforcement

agencies

European Union (EU)

 collects data from the criminal justice systems of its

member states and publishes an annual European

Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics

Differential Risks

Murder rates

vary by

geographical

location.

Highest in

South and

lowest in

Northeast.

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Using UCR to Analyze Murders

 Data come from Supplemental Homicide Report (SHR)—age, sex, race of victim and age, race, motive, weapon and relationship of accused

 Homicide: Defined as killing of one human being by another—accidents and suicides are NOT homicides.

 Justifiable Homicide: use of deadly force in self defense

Intent and Capital Murder

 Capital Murder (Death Penalty): Requires

premeditation and ―aggravating

circumstances;‖ not all states allow death

penalty.

 First-Degree Murder: Requires premeditation

 Second-Degree Murder: Intentional but not

planned (includes ―Heat of Passion‖ killing)

Did the Victim Know the Killer?

 Relationships in Homicides (1990-2013)  Friend or Acquaintance—29-38%

 Family—12-14%

 Strangers—12-16%

 Unknown or unsolved—35-45%

 Victims killed by complete strangers most likely

charged with most serious of charges—Capital

Homicide.

 Those killed during an argument or by an

acquaintance—less harsh charges.

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Trends

 Trends refer to changes that occur over long period of time—not just one year

 Homicide Rate Trends—1900-2007

 Aggravated Assault Rate Trends are important to review as they involve attacks or threats with deadly weapon.

Trends

F I G U R E

4.2

Trends in

Aggravated

Assaults,

United

States,

1973–2013

SOURCES: FBI’s

UCRs 1973–2013;

BJS’s NCVSs

Trends

F I G U R E

4.3

Trends in

Robberies,

United

States,

1973–2013

SOURCES: FBI’s

UCRs 1973–2013;

BJS’s NCVSs

1973–2013.

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Trends

 Conclusion of Violent Crime Rates

 Dramatically decreased from early 90s

 Interpersonal violence NOT out of

control

 Future is unsure

 Victims of interpersonal violence not

growing as rapidly as 60s-80s

Robberies

 Robbery combines stealing with extortion

or outright violence.

 Completed Robberies—face-to-face

confrontations in which perpetrators take

something of value directly from victims

against their will by either force or by

threats of violence.

Using NCVS to Analyze Robberies

 More information available about victims and the

events using NCVS.

 Primary motive is theft—27% of attempts unsuccessful

 45% were victimized by complete strangers

 Over half of the assailants unarmed

 Over 67% informed the police

 Forceful resistance reduced monetary loss but increased

likelihood of more severe injury

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Robberies Turn Into Homicides?

 Your Money or Your Life

Murders where robbery was motive—

decreased from 2,500 in 1980 to 685 in 2013

Less than 2/10 of 1% of those accosted are

murdered

T A B L E

4.3

Robbery

Rates for

Various

Groups,

2010

Using NCVS to Analyze Robberies

Differential Risks of Robbery

 Profile or Statistical Portrait (2013)

 Most robbed— males

whites have lower risks than blacks,

Hispanics, and others.

People younger than 35 were targeted more

often than those who were older.

Those who were not married were more

likely to be victims of robbery.

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Differential Risks of MVT

 About half of all stolen vehicles were made by

domestic automakers and half were produced by

foreign manufacturers

 A high proportion of the vehicles stolen during 2013

were very old.

 The key risk factors appear to be the make, model,

and year of the car; its resale value; the demand for

it by chop shops that fence stolen parts; and how

easy or difficult it is to break into, start up, and drive

away.

Identity Theft

 Identity Theft arises from the illegal

appropriation of someone’s personal

information—such as the individual’s

name, address, date of birth, Social

Security number, and mother’s maiden

name.

undermines the basic trust on which our

economy depends.

Identity Theft

 A persistent problem is that this crime often

goes unreported, uninvestigated, and/or

unsolved.

Police reluctant to accept complaints

 Many officers lack necessary training, and their

departments lack the needed resources to provide an

adequate response

 Multijurisdictional complications undercut an agency’s

commitment to follow through on a complaint.

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Projecting Cumulative Risks

 Annual crime rates represent the ―rare

events‖ of crime to Americans.

 Cumulative risks represent the likelihood

of occurrence over a lifetime or 60 years.

 At least one theft but more likely 3 or more

 8% of females raped—Black females 11%

 30% robbed

Projecting Cumulative Risks

T A B L E 4.10 Chances of Becoming a Victim over a Lifetime