Assignment
1: LASA 2: Predicting Crime with the Uniform Crime Reporting System
In your final consulting
assignment, the mayor of Centervale and the city counsel have asked you to help
them understand how to better predict crime rates.
An important part of the
criminal system is tracking data to help society develop a better understanding
of crime and to prevent further crime in the United States. Every year, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) releases a statistical report on crime in
the United States, called the Uniform Crime Report (UCR). In this assignment,
you will access this report, familiarize yourself with its functionalities, and
analyze the data to develop a prediction.
All the information you
provide is to be presented in a formal 3- to 6-page paper that properly uses
subheadings to categorize information. Be sure to use specific information from
external sources to support your ideas.
Part 1:
Learning the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting System
Access the FBI’s Uniform
Crime Reporting System athttp://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr and
familiarize yourself with the site.
Using research and data
from the site, address the following:
·
Explain how individual agencies classify information that is
compiled into the report.
·
Analyze and identify resources public safety officials, like
sheriffs or police chiefs, have to classify or categorize crimes in their
cities, counties, and states.
·
Discuss the pros and cons of the Uniform Crime Reporting System
and the yearly reports.
Part 2:
Analyzing Specific Data
An important goal of the
criminal justice system is to use the information gathered about crimes to
understand and predict criminal behavior. Access the homepage of the UCR (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr) and
complete the following steps:
1.
Select a type of crime to research (e.g., “Violent
Crime” or “Property Crime”). Then, choose a specific crime
within one of those categories (e.g., Violent Crime: Murder).
2.
You will need both national data and your state’s data for the
crime you chose.
a.
Choose your state to research that type of crime: Under
“Browse By,” click “City Agency,” click “Table
8,” and choose a state.
b.
Gather the national data for that type of crime: Under
“Browse By,” click “National Data”; use the tables to
answer the questions.
Using research and data
from the site and other external sources, address the following:
·
Explain how the UCR can help public safety officials predict crime
and present crime rates to the American public.
·
Based on the data and what you have learned in the course,
forecast the criminal activity for the nation, your state, or a selected city.
·
Compare the UCR data for the crime you selected with the same
statistical information for that crime in 1950 (you will need to search for
these statistics). Are there similarities or differences or can you infer from
the data that the trends have remained the same?
·
How can government officials use the crime statistics data from
the 1970s to predict crime twenty years later? How reliable are the statistics
in the UCR? Are law enforcement agencies required to report their criminal
incidents for compilation in the yearly UCR?
Include a title page with
your name, date, and assignment title and check for correct spelling, grammar,
punctuation, mechanics, and usage. Provide at least three references (one may
be your textbook) in the APA format that you used in writing your paper (make
sure all your in-text citations link to a reference in your list). You should
read the grading rubric before starting your paper to ensure you cover all the
material appropriately.
