NCJ Number
76435
Date Published
1981
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Based on information from 64 countries, the U.N. report provides an overall view of the world crime situation from 1970 to 1975, the regional distribution of crime, and policy implications.
Abstract
With regard to special and new forms of criminality, the results indicated that (1) organized crime and crimes against the environment were primarily problems in the developed countries, (2) political crimes were considered a serious problem by approximately 20 percent of both developing and developed countries, and (3) illegal possession of firearms was a problem in 48 percent of the developed countries and 34 percent of the developing countries. The world crime rate for the years 1970-1975 was approximately 900 offenders per 100,000 population, and the offender rate increased steadily by about 2 percent annually. The overwhelming proportion of adult offenders were males, with a rate 10 times that for females. Adult offender rates are extremely high for both Western European and other countries as well as the Caribbean region; Latin America displays the highest rate of intentional homicide, closely followed by the Caribbean. In property offenses, Western developed countries and the Caribbean displayed rates 10 times higher than most other regions; the Caribbean showed the highest rates for all drug-related crimes. The report concludes that economic imbalances, social inequalities, lack of opportunities, uneven development, and unbalanced planning are all factors affecting the spread of crime throughout the world. Several statistical tables and charts are included.