NCJ Number
73763
Journal
Criminal Justice Quarterly Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1980) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1980
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This 1980 study on arson control in New Jersey provides data on arson and arson convictions; discusses factors contributing to arson; and recommends improvements in police training, insurance law, reporting systems, housing policies, and public information programs.
Abstract
An overview of arson and the arsonist discusses reasons why arson is difficult to prove and arsonists' diverse motives, such as vandalism, psychosis, or to conceal another crime. Although some studies indicate that about 20 percent of all arson is committed for profit, it is generally agreed that arson incidence and causes are difficult to estimate. Although much of New Jersey's arson data are considered unreliable, data projected from a fire-arson survey of about 700 fire and police departments conducted since 1973 estimate 118,000 fires per year, of which 50,000 are arson, of suspicious origin, or of undetermined origin. Although data from the survey also indicate a general decrease in fire investigations, many arson fires continue to be reported where fires are aggressively investigated. Data on loss of life and property due to arson are also discussed. A discussion of arrest and conviction data reports an average of 790 arson arrests per year and covers arrest rates versus percent of arson fires; a review of the arson caseflow for 1975 points to a low arson conviction rate in New Jersey. In addition, the predominant factor contributing to the high incidence of arson in the State is identified as the inadequacy of available data on arson. Moreover, police officers and others involved in arson prevention and prosecution lack training in arson detection and preservation of evidence. Arson presents difficult investigative and enforcement problems due to conflicts in jurisdiction between the police and fire departments and inadequate allocation of resources by police. Further, housing conditions contribute to arson in view of the large numbers of old and abandoned urban housing in New Jersey, while insurance-related problems include inadequate building inspection by agents prior to insuring old buildings and various claim settlement methods. Recommendations call for the development of statewide fire incidence reporting system, additional training of police and fire service personnel in arson detection and investigation, strengthed multifamily housing code enforcement, adoption of insurance law reforms, development of public awareness programs regarding the arson problem, the establishment of a State Advisory Committee on Arson Control, and other measures. One table is included.