NCJ Number
64182
Date Published
1979
Length
211 pages
Annotation
RESEARCH IS DESCRIBED THAT COMPARED THE DISCOVERY, REPORTING, DETECTION, AND SUBSEQUENT HANDLING OF CRIME IN NINE RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND; SPECIAL ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE ROLE OF THE POLICE.
Abstract
THE ORIGINAL INTENTION OF THE RESEARCH WAS TO CONSIDER HOW FAR DIFFERENCES IN THE RECORDED CRIME RATES OF NINE SIMILAR RESIDENTIAL AREAS COULD BE EXPLAINED AS DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN POLICE AND PUBLIC REACTIONS TO CRIME IN THE AREAS. POLICE REPORTS WERE EXAMINED THAT PERTAINED TO SITUATIONS REGARDED AS 'REAL' CRIME, MINOR CRIME, AND RELATED INCIDENTS OF A NONCRIMINAL NATURE. THE DIFFERENT INCIDENTS WERE ANALYZED AND COMPARED (E.G., HOW A CRIME WAS DISCOVERED, HOW AN OFFENDER WAS IDENTIFIED). ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO ASSESS THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT AGENTS ON THE CREATION OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH OFFICIAL DATA ARE UNRELIABLE OR INVALID MEASUREMENTS OF CRIME DETAILS. AN AREA ANALYSIS OF POLICING PATTERNS REVEALED THAT THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT DIFFERENTIAL POLICING AFFECTED THE RELATIVE OFFENDER RATES OF CONTRASTING RESIDENTIAL AREAS. DESPITE SOME SUGGESTION THAT OFFENSE RATES MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE EXTENT OF POLICE PRESENCE, THE OVERALL FINDINGS LINKED CRIME DIFFERENTIAL TO TYPE OF AREA--RESIDENTIAL OR NONRESIDENTIAL. THE TYPE OF VICTIM AND THE VISIBILITY OF THE OFFENSE SEEMED TO EXERT CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE ON THE ROLE OF THE POLICE. IN ADDITION, THE FOCUS OF MUCH OF THE DATA SHIFTED FROM THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH INTENTION TO THE ROLE OF THE POLICE, PARTICULARY IN REPORTING, DETECTING, AND CAUTIONING VIS-A-VIS CRIME COMMITTED IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS OR BY RESIDENTS OF THOSE AREAS. DATA ON SPECIFIC TYPES OF CRIME, ESPECIALLY SOLICITING, DRUG OFFENSES, AND TELEVISION LICENSE EVASION, AND ON THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY ARE POLICED, ARE INCLUDED. NOTES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MHP)