Question 1

NCVS data provide a means to estimate the dark figure of crime.

Accepted Answer

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) collects data on personal and household victimization, including crimes not reported to the police, thus helping to estimate the "dark figure" of crime, which refers to unreported or undiscovered crimes.

Question 2

The UCR includes FBI estimates of data for localities that do not report their information.

Accepted Answer

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program by the FBI includes estimates for jurisdictions that do not submit their crime data to ensure comprehensive national crime statistics.

Question 3

Police face pressures to have both high and low numbers of arrests.

Accepted Answer

Police may face pressure to have high arrest numbers to show effectiveness in crime control, while also facing pressure to have low numbers to avoid perceptions of over-policing or targeting specific communities.

Question 4

The FBI encourages the use of UCR data as a measure of law enforcement effectiveness.

Accepted Answer

The FBI cautions against using UCR data as a measure of law enforcement effectiveness because it does not account for various factors affecting crime rates and reporting practices.

Question 5

Group A offenses provide data about street crime; Group B offenses provide data on corporate crime.

Accepted Answer

Group A offenses typically include more serious crimes such as violent and property crimes, while Group B offenses include less serious offenses. The classification does not specifically categorize crimes as street or corporate crimes.

Question 6

GLBT community and state organizations typically report much higher numbers of hate crimes against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons than does the UCR. Based on what you know about sources of UCR data distortion and the processes involved in creating a UCR datum point, explain why the UCR might undercount anti-GLBT hate crime.

Accepted Answer

The answer of GLBT community and state organizations typically report...

Question 7

Identify, compare, and contrast the two main official sources of crime data in the United States on the following points: who produces the report, what kind of data the report is based on, and the relation of the report to the dark figure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify, compare, and contrast the two main...

Question 8

Although the UCR is the oldest and most important measure of crime in the United States, it is a flawed document. Identify and briefly explain three critiques of the UCR.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although the UCR is the oldest and...

Quiz 2: The Measurement of Crime