Rates, Trends, And Perceptions

Question 1

fear statistics

Answer 1

90% felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhood

83% worried about staying home alone

58% of Canadians felt safe using public transportation at night

Question 2

Fear

Answer 2

Fear of crime is gendered

Aging slightly affects fest of crime

Question 3

Crime rates

Answer 3

1.8 million crimes reported to police

Decreasing

21% considered violent
79% deemed non violent

Question 4

Main types of crimes reported to the police

Answer 4

Violent
Property
Other

Question 5

Violent crime

Answer 5

98% fall into this category
90% sexual assaults go unreported

Reduction of 15,000 
Level three assaults 
Sexual assaults 
Robbery 
Harassment

Increase:
Extortion
Sexual violations against children
Abductions

Question 6

Property crime

Answer 6

Committed with the intent to acquire property without violence or threat of violence

Most common: 88%
Theft under $5,000 
Mischief
Break and enter 
Fraud

Question 7

Other criminal code

Answer 7

Prostitution accounted for most of the decline

Decrease in counterfeiting

Largest increase was in terrorist offences and child pornography

Question 8

Trend in how society depicts certain acts

Answer 8

• Demographics (age structure)
• Reporting (norms)
• police procedures and polices
• social and economic factors
• technological change (hacking, identity theft)

Question 9

Trends II

Answer 9

Researchers look for correlates of criminal behaviour to better understand why crime rates fluctuate

Police have a significant ant impact upon some crime rates

Question 10

Lag effect

Answer 10

Age is the most important cause
Contentious claim

Influenced by the age cohort referred to as the baby boomers

Question 11

Crime statistics

Answer 11

Based upon reports to police, self reports, and victimization reports

None entirely accurate

Question 12

CUCRs

Answer 12

The uniform crime reporting system

Designed to generate reliable crime statistics

Applies standard definitions to all offences

Implemented in 1988 and operational in 1992

Collected incident based data rather than summary data ***

Victims age, sex , victim accused relationship, level of injury, type of weapon causing injury, and drug or alcohol use

Info on the accused: age, sex, type of charges laid or recommended, and drug and or alcohol use

Info on the circumstances of the incident

UCR2 consists of repeats from fewer police services

Question 13

CUCR criticisms

Answer 13

Much unknown crime is not reported

Only the most serious crimes are included

Weighting of crimes: decrease in some crimes is nullified by an increase in others

Recording problems:**

• For non violent crime, one incident is counted for each incident
• for violent crimes, a separate incident is recorded for each victim

Question 14

Victimization data

Answer 14

UCRs are deemed problematic

Lack of reporting is an issue

88% sexual assault = unreported
77% household thefts
66% property thefts

Question 15

Victimization surveys

Answer 15

• Help estimate unrecorded crime
• Explain why victims do not report crimes to the police
• provide information about the impact of crime on victims
• identify populations at risk of being victimized

Question 16

Victimization survey criticisms

Answer 16

Not perfect

Many crime are not reported

Some social groups are more likely to report being victimized
(Different classes trust police more)

Question 17

Triangulation

Answer 17

Victimization surveys
Self report surveys
UCR

Question 18

Measuring crime

Answer 18

Triangulation: 
1. CUCRs 
2. Victimization surveys 
CUVS, GSS, VAWS 
3. Self report surveys

Question 19

Victimization surveys reveal that:

Answer 19

CUCRs underestimate the true amount of crime - 31% were reported (less than 1/3)

25% of Canadians over 15 were victimized by at least one crime in the past twelve months

Younger people are more vulnerable to crime

Question 20

Self report surveys

Answer 20

Asking people directly about their involvement in crime

Perpetrators attitudes, values, personal characteristics, and behaviour

Most focus on youth, age of onset, and drug offenders

Question 21

Types of crime measured

Answer 21

Crimes against the person (violent)

• robbery
• Homicide
• Assault
• harassment

Crimes against property

• breaking and entering
• theft

Other

• white collar
• money laundering

Question 22

Crimes against the person

Answer 22

21% of all crimes reported
(1/5)

They are the most feared because they involve the greatest amount of physical harm

Question 23

Homicide

Answer 23

When a person directly or indirectly causes the death of a human being

505 in Canada (2009)

Culpable (deserving of blame)
Non culpable (suicide, self defence)

First degree, second degree, manslaughter, infanticide

Correlation that when the level of homicides is high, other crimes are high

27% involved a shooting
40% stabbing
21% beating

Handgun was most used
Most victims knew their killer
Him idea have decreased

Question 24

Sexual assault

Answer 24

When a person is sexually assaulted or pledged, or when an attempt is made to do so

5.5% of all violent crimes; but only 10% are reported

Question 25

Assault

Answer 25

Most frequent 54% 34 % reported (1/3) most are level 1 GSS suggests that makes are more likely to be assault victims

Question 26

Robbery

Answer 26

Rate is declining Considered a violent crime cause it includes violence or threat of violence Most suffer no injury

Question 27

Criminal harassment (stalking)

Answer 27

When someone follows or communicates with someone, repeatedly watches a person's house or workplace, or directly threatens that person of member of their families causing fear 5% of all violent incidents Sex and stalking 76% included female victims

Question 28

Forcible confinement

Answer 28

Increasing No transportation involved (cannot be used as kidnapping cause that involves transporting) 3 primary situations: Being held against ones will by spouse Disputes between friends and acquaintances Robberies and break and enters

Question 29

Property

Answer 29

Account for majority | not include the use or threat of violence ***

Question 30

Breaking and entering

Answer 30

Most serious Max penalty is life imprisonment for entering a home Three classifications: Business, residential and other Home invasions = top 5 Breaking and entering is the 4th largest

Question 31

Theft

Answer 31

Includes theft under $5,000 and theft over $5,000 43 % of property crimes Decreasing since 2004

Question 32

Motor vehicle theft

Answer 32

Involves taking or attempting to take a vehicle without consent

Question 33

Other criminal code incidents

Answer 33

Include counterfeiting, weapons offences, child pornography, disturbing the peace, administration of justice violations, prostitution. White collar crime and money laundering those perpetrated in the course of a legitimate occupation (65 billion ponzu scheme) Money laundering occurs when property obtained by crime is concealed or converted into legitimate assets (drug money)

Question 34

Ponzi scheme

Answer 34

Taking in money, not investing | Promising high rate of return for investing but just accumulate the money (stealing)