Criminal Justice in the United States - Essay Example

The three most common crime reporting measuring systems are; 1. Official reports of law enforcement departments, 2. Surveys that ask people about offenses they have committed and 3. Surveys that ask people about victimizing experiences (Burgess, Regehr, & Roberts, 2010). There is also a newer classification which is the National Incident-Based Reporting System or NIBRS which is an upgraded version of the UCR (Samaha, 2006).

These systems are all very different. They range from random-sampling-based surveys to more tangible nationwide percentage surveys. The more popular of all of them is the Uniform Crime Report as conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This is the first to be cited in crime reporting statistics because it is based on actual data gathered throughout the country annually. The others, being primarily based on sample populations taken at random reasonably yields a more vague assumption when it comes to results. Statistically, they have a higher rate when it comes to margin of error. We can classify crime reporting measuring systems into two logical kinds, official crime statistics, and unofficial crime statistics. They are also gathered at different stages (Wold & Weis). I find that the official reports are more useful because they are based on actual data. Over time this system has transformed and included other types of more specialized data such as Hate Crime Statistics and the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Its newest addition, the NIBRS is a more fine-tuned version of the older UCR.

Statistics and other data are becoming more and more available to the public with the help of government departments such as the FBI. This is a positive indication as it provides for a more transparent accounting to the people of what is going on in their community and the country. At the same time, the aids of modern times such as the internet and television have also allowed for faster dissemination of information that is sometimes highlighted on only one or a few facets of crime. There will be crimes that may lessen but there will also be those that will increase. Only decades ago there is no such thing as a cyber crime but today it has become rampant and a household term. In the future, this level of people’s awareness will only rise and systems will only further develop as we are already seeing to be able to cope with the changes. Read More