Uniform Crime Reports, Essay Example

A crime that is not commonly reported to police is rape because individuals who are victimized often feel embarrassed of their involvement. Furthermore, these victims may be worried about recourse from their attacker if they choose to report it. A crime that is commonly reported is theft because targets of these crimes need help from law enforcement to reverse their damages. When an individual is robbed or their personal property is damaged in some manner, it is necessary for them to call upon the assistance of law enforcement to help them get their property back or to apprehend the appropriate criminal. Individuals report these cases because they know that there is likely to only be positive recourse as a consequence.

UCR data is valuable because it helps law enforcement professionals determine the amount of crimes that have been reported. An advantage related to this information is that it could be used in combination with additional understandings of crime reporting to determine more accurately the amount of crimes that are committed in total, including those that have not been reported. However, a disadvantage is that it doesn’t reflect the total crime committed. NCVS data is advantageous because it provides information about crimes that were likely committed by not reported. However, this is also a disadvantage because it serves as a predictor and it is therefore challenging to determine whether these numbers reflect certain reality.

Since the UCR only collects data on crimes that are reported, it is likely that the crime rate each year is actually higher than the reported figures that are released each year by the FBI. Not all crimes that are conducted could be reported for various reasons, including the documentation status of the victim, fear of the perpetrator, and uncertainty pertaining to how to report the crime. Therefore, the use of predictors using statistical information is an important component of making accurate predictions of criminal actions. Law enforcement professionals could use this enhanced data to better protect the civilians they serve.

References

FBI. (n.d.). Uniform Crime Reports. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr