Assignment 3: Written Response: Root Causes of Crime
Virtually everything known about crime and criminal justice is generated from data analysis and research. Data analysis and research are used in law enforcement to determine the most effective strategies for combating crime, in the court system to examine the effects of sentencing, and in the correctional system to develop new ways to reduce recidivism. Regardless of the part of the criminal justice system in which you are currently involved or will become involved, you must understand and become familiar with the resources and strategies for this analysis to aid in planning and decision making.
The two main sources of crime and victimology data in the United States are the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) databases. For this Assessment, you will analyze the data and associated reports for crime trends. You will also examine the strengths and weaknesses of these data sources and consider conclusions based on the data within the context of data, research, and theory from other professional and scholarly resources.
The Assessment:
(Complete using template/rubric provided.) please see attachment/template must be complete as well
Examine the past 10 years of crime data in the UCR and the NCVS located in the Learning Resources. Identify three crime trends from the data (2–4 paragraphs). (please see attachment)
Examine the past 10 years of crime data in the UCR and the NCVS located in the Learning Resources. Identify three crime trends from the data (2–4 paragraphs).
What criminological explanations for your identified crime trends can be derived from the UCR and/or NCVS databases? Describe at least two. Then provide an argument for other factors and variables (biological, social, structural, economic, etc.) that cause or influence your identified crime trends that are not present in the UCR/NCVS data. Reference theoretical and scholarly resources that support your criminological explanations (3–5 paragraphs).
