NCJ Number
86345
Date Published
1981
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This paper provides three project sites in Florida, Illinois, and New York with data on original offense characteristics of their probationer caseloads, based on a multidimensional offense seriousness index.
Abstract
Studies scaling the concept of offense seriousness have been undertaken to refine the measurement of recidivism. Previous research in this area has demonstrated that approximately six dimensions appear to underlie judgements of the seriousness of criminal or delinquent acts: bodily harm, property loss, major drug, tertiary victimization, fraud, and victimless/vice. Furthermore, two or more offenses may be judged to have the same relative seriousness but for different reasons, and different groups view the six dimensions of offense seriousness in diferent ways. Studies have also shown that scores assigned to specific criminal acts occurring within an offense are not additive when the final score is determined. This experiment coded offense descriptions from 351 probation cases handled by projects in Florida, Illinois, and New York according to this multidimensional offense seriouness scoring system. Cases were also scored by the Sellin-Wolfgang method, although 128 could not be scored according to its format. Offenses involving property loss made up the bulk of all cases in all jurisdictions, but they constituted a much larger proportion in Illinois and New York than in Florida. Cases involving major drug offenses were disproportionately high in Illinois, while victimless, vice-type offenses were a large share of Florida's caseload. Tables provide a profile of the seriouness, by dimension, of the offenses committed by probationers across and within project sites. The appendixes contain seven references, a description of the offense seriousness scaling system, tables, and diagrams.