Comparing crime measurement: the Uniform Crime Report and NCVS

Crime Reporting

What Do You Think?

Crime Reporting: UCR and NCVS

The Uniform Crime Report is a compilation of offensives collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from all police stations in the United States. Data collected is divided into two groups, Part I and Part II. Part I data includes violent and property crimes such as aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Part II offenses include simple assault, curfew offenses and loitering, embezzlement, forgery and counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, drug offenses, fraud, gambling, liquor offenses, offenses against the family, prostitution, public drunkenness, runaways, sex offenses, stolen property, vandalism, vagrancy, and weapons offenses ("Uniform Crime Reports.," 2012).

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is conducted by telephone and collects information on nonfatal crimes reported and not reported to the police against persons age twelve and older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Since this survey is based on interviews it does not measure homicide. The report measures national rates and levels of violent and property victimization and includes data on rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, household burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft, and personal larceny such as pick pocketing and purse snatching (Truman & Planty, 2012).

Conclusion

Both methodologies used to measure crime have weaknesses as well as strengths and similarities as well as differences. Because each program gathers information through different methods of research, different results are documented and cannot be substantially used to compare both programs effectively. I believe the NCVS is not meant to replace the UCR or visa versa. I think all this data is intended to serve as an additional means to gather information about criminal activity. Used in conjunction with each other these reports provide a powerful instrument for determining the prevalence and types of criminal activity.