Criminology: Committee on Uniform Crime Records - Essay Example

Criminology: Committee on Uniform Crime Records The International Association of Chiefs of Police formed the Committee on Uniform Crime Records in 1929 after studying state criminal codes and evaluating record keeping practices then used (Schmallege 37). The plan included standardized offence definitions for seven main offence classifications known as Part 1 crimes. This would estimate variations in the in general dimensions and pace of offences commited. The seven Part 1 offence classifications included murder, crimes of burglary, larceny and theft, and motor vehicle theft.

Other crimes counted under this group-included rape, non-negligent manslaughter, robbery and aggravated assault. In January 1930, 400 cities in 43 states began to participate in this program. The U.S.Congress also officially authorized the Attorney General to begin gathering crime information and statistics. He in turn designated the Federal Bureau of Investigations to serve as the general clearinghouse for the felony information composed. Since then, data based on uniform classifications and procedures for reporting offences and arrests was obtainable from law enforcement agencies.

The UCR program consists of four data collections namely crime and apprehension information, Officers Killed and Assaulted Program, Hate Crime Statistics and Cargo Theft Reporting. Two major methods for collecting crime data are law enforcement reports and statistical surveys. Law enforcement reports reflect reported crimes and victimization while statistical surveys rely on individual honesty. In cases of a lesser amount of recurrent offences like deliberate murder and fortified theft, testimonials from the witnesses are more dependable.

As laws vary between jurisdictions, comparing crime statistics within a country with many states can be difficult. The UCR system, however, has several shortcomings that incapacitate it in the gathering of data. Its recorded statistics usually represent only a portion of the true crime rate. The public’s tendency to report crime may also change because of an alteration in public morality. The majority of victimless crimes and white-collar crimes are also not recorded in the UCR. The crime rate recorded is also subject to change due to changes in a police department’s statistical tabulating process (Schmalleger 36-39).

The law enforcers also tend to come under a lot of pressure to lie in the cases of influential members of the community such as politicians. Another shortcoming is that only the most serious crimes merit a mention in the crime recordings. Index crimes are unduly concentrated on. In the case of arson, it can be difficult to establish if the crime was intentional. Beginning in 1977, the IACP effected adjustments to cover these pitfalls. The National Incident Based Reporting System was the result.

It labors in close affiliation with the FBI and 17000 other rule enforcement organizations nationwide. It makes a distinction between attempted and completed crime. This organization collects specific information, which can lead to better criminal profiling. This type of data can give insight into crimes in other countries and provide a basis for comparison.Work CitedSchmalleger, Frank. Criminology Today. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2006.