Fundamentals of crime mapping chapter 7

2. Victims

◦ Probability suggests you will be a victim of an
offender who has the same age and ethnicity as you
do
Offenders

Witnesses, Reporting Parties, etc

◦ Help us make sense of an describe what happened
to police

3. Motivations

Ease of opportunity
◦
Thrill or excitement
◦
Money and property rewards
◦
Difficulty and challenge
◦
Anger, frustration, and rage
◦
Power and control
◦
Sexual relief and/or satisfaction
◦
Revenge/hatred/payback
◦
Sudden impulse or whim
◦
Unintentional/accident
◦
Offender was on drugs
◦
Respect and admiration of others
◦
To buy or steal drugs or alcohol
◦
Need money for food, rent, or bills
◦
Peer pressure or group behavior
◦

4. 52% of victimizations were committed by

persons who were strangers to their victims
The nature of victim and offender

relationships varies by crime type
◦ Rape – 35% were strangers
◦ Robbery – 80% were strangers
◦ 40% of victims are acquainted to the offenders

5. In 2005, for all crimes of violence,

approximately 79% of incidents involved
only one offender
When multiple offenders were present,

offenders aged 12–20 years accounted for
41% of these crimes
◦ Black 40% of the time
◦ White 29% of the time

6. 67% of all violent incidents (excluding

murder) were committed without the use of
a weapon
◦ In 9% of these incidents, the presence of a
firearm was indicated
Handguns are the most frequently

mentioned firearm when used

7. Gang related

◦ A crime committed by gang members to further
their gang activities or to otherwise promote the
gang or gang membership
Gang member involved

◦ A crime committed by a person who may be a
gang member, but the crime cannot be directly
linked to promoting a gang or gang membership

8. According to NCVS data, between 1998 and

2003 approximately 6% of violent
victimizations were perpetrated by persons
believed to be gang members

9. 50% of crime is actually reported to police

The BJS estimates that

◦ Only 49% of violent crimes
◦ Only 38% of property crime were reported to the police during
2006
Female victims of violence were more likely to report

their victimizations than were males (54.6% versus
42.4%)
Victims of violent crimes aged 65 years and older were

most likely to report their victimizations (66.1%)
Victims aged 12–19 years were least likely to report

their victimizations of violent crimes (34.5%).
Lower income families less likely to report property

crime than higher income families

10. Reasons for non-reporting

◦ Suspect unsuccessful
◦ Item already recovered
◦ Private or personal matter

11. 9.4% of violent crime victims reported being

the first to use or threaten physical force
during the incident
Self-protective measures vary

◦ Resisting or capturing offender # 1
 Males more than females
◦ Running away, getting help, or giving an alarm #2 &
#3
 Females more running away or getting help
42% of violent crime victims reported that their

self-protective measures helped them to avoid
injury or avoid greater injury

12. When Self-protective actions hurt the victim

◦ Behavior made the offender angrier and/or more
aggressive
Knowing how these factors affect

victimization can aide the analysis

13. 27.5% of victims perceived their offenders to be

under the influence of drugs or alcohol during
the commission of the crime (2005)
35.5% for rape and sexual assault

22.5% for robbery (lowest)

Karberg & James, 2005, p. 1

◦ 68% of jail inmates abusers
◦ 16% committed crimes for money for drugs
◦ 50% self-reporting under the influence when
committing crime
◦ Females slightly more than males
◦ White more than other races as well

14. Urban
◦ More likely than Suburban
Suburban
◦ More likely than Rural, Less than Urban
Rural
is a difference
There

15. ”Causes” of crime

Population density and degree of urbanization
◦
Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth
◦
concentration
◦
Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting
◦
patterns, and transient factors
Modes of transportation and highway system
◦
Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job
◦
availability
Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics
◦
Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness
◦
Climate
◦
Effective strength of law enforcement agencies
◦
Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement
◦
Policies of other components of the criminal justice system
◦
(i.e., prosecution, judicial, corrections, and probation)
Citizens’ attitudes toward crime
◦
Crime reporting practices of the citizenry
◦

16. Location Types

◦ Violent Crime
 15% of victimizations occurred at or in the victim’s home.
 18.6% on street near home
◦ Schools
 12.3%
◦ Own or Rent?
 Owners less likely to be victims of property crime than
renters
◦ Residential mobility
 The more transient, higher incidence of crime

17. Knowing characteristics of victims and

offenders helps the analyst do useful
analysis and target the correct populations
The ability to predict crime provides us with

an opportunity to prevent crime—the
ultimate goal of law enforcement