Sociology 3315
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD
Delinquency and UCR Uniform Crime Report

Self Report Studies
  1. delinquency is much more universal than UCR tells us
  2. the question is nature of offense
  3. Michigan's Institute for Social Research (ISR) shows
    1. typical teenagers commit serious crimes
    2. 9% reported being arrested
    3. delinquency has been stable since 1975 with the exception of assault
    4. property crime rates look like they are declining
  4. there are problems with these studies

National Crime Victimization Suvey (NCVS)
  1. rates have been declining
  2. majority of crimes are unreported to police
  3. young are more likely to be victims than are adults
  4. 15 times more likely to be victims of personal crime than folks over 65
  5. males are more likely than females to be victims
  6. many occurances take place at school or in public places
  7. from Hotaling and Finkelhor - average of 152 stranger-homicides a year
  8. two-thirds of victims are 14-17
  9. girls are twice as likly to be victims
Social Demographic Information

Gender
Racial and ethnic patterns Social Class
Chronic Offenders