Primary Source Of Crime Data And Crime Trends

In Module 1, you learned primary sources of crime data and crime trends. In the week 1 writing assignment, you will look at official crime data collected by the FBI. First, using the Internet, search for "crime in the United States 2019". One of the first listed websites should be the FBI's website (ucr.fbi.gov). Alternatively, you can just copy and paste the aforementioned URL into your browser. Click on "UCR Publications page." Next, click on the year 2019 under "Crime in the United States " Because murder is the best crime to use when comparing data (Its definition is easily interpreted and universal, plus it is the most violent of all the violent crimes.), we will stick to homicide data.. Therefore, click on "violent crimes" then under browse by offense, click on "murder". Then proceed to "Table 8" (listed off to the right-hand side of the page). Under table 8, you will see a listing of states. Choose the state you were born in (if you were not born in the US, you may pick any state you wish!) Then, choose a city in that state which begins with the same letter as the first letter of your last name (so, since my last name is "Shay", I could choose the city Steubenville, Ohio). If there is no city that begins with the first letter of your last name, then move to the second letter, and so on until you have a city. Then, answer ALL of the following questions:
1 - Tell me the state and city you are investigating. What is the population of your city? How many violent crimes were committed in 2019? How many murders were committed in 2019?
2 - Now calculate the violent crime rate and the murder rate: (# of crimes or murders/population) x 100,000, What is the violent crime rate and what is the murder rate for your city? What do these numbers mean, in words?
3 - How does the violent crime rate and murder rate of your city compare to the national violent crime rate of 366.7 per 100,000 and the national murder rate of 5.0 per 100,000?
4 — Based on the course material, what is your overall interpretation of these rates in the city of your choice? Why is it important to know this data based on what you have learned about criminology thus far?

State and city: Ohio, Steubenville Population: 17,768 Violent crimes: 33 Murders: 3 Violent crime rate: 187.3 per 100,000 Murder rate: 16.9 per 100,000 Interpretation: The violent crime rate in Steubenville is higher than the national violent crime rate of 366.7 per 100,000. The murder rate in Steubenville is also higher than the national murder rate of 5.0 per 100,000. Comparison to national rates:
  • Violent crime rate: Steubenville's violent crime rate is 50.4% higher than the national violent crime rate.
  • Murder rate: Steubenville's murder rate is 338% higher than the national murder rate.
Overall interpretation: The violent crime rate and murder rate in Steubenville are significantly higher than the national rates. This suggests that Steubenville is a relatively dangerous city. It is important to know this data because it can help us to understand the crime problem in Steubenville and to develop strategies to address it. Why is this data important? This data is important because it can help us to understand the crime problem in Steubenville and to develop strategies to address it. The data shows that Steubenville has a higher violent crime rate and murder rate than the national average. This suggests that there are some specific factors that contribute to crime in Steubenville. By understanding these factors, we can develop strategies to reduce crime in the city. For example, the data shows that Steubenville has a high poverty rate. This suggests that poverty may be a contributing factor to crime in the city. We could develop strategies to address poverty in Steubenville, such as providing job training and education programs. The data also shows that Steubenville has a high percentage of young people. This suggests that youth may be another contributing factor to crime in the city. We could develop strategies to address youth crime in Steubenville, such as providing after-school programs and mentoring programs. By understanding the data on crime in Steubenville, we can develop strategies to reduce crime in the city and make it a safer place to live.      

Sample Solution

Interpretation: The violent crime rate in Steubenville is higher than the national violent crime rate of 366.7 per 100,000.