NCJ Number
53337
Journal
Kriminalistik Volume: 31 Issue: 9 Dated: (1977) Pages: 383-387
Date Published
1977
Length
5 pages
Annotation
STATISTICS ON THE EXPLOSION OF VIOLENT CRIMES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE REPORTED TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT COULD ALSO HAPPEN IN WEST GERMANY AND TO ENCOURAGE PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
Abstract
DATA ON KNOWN CRIMES INDICATE THAT IN THE US HOMICIDES HAVE INCREASED BY 100 PERCENT AND ROBBERY BY 300 PERCENT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTIES; THE USE OF GUNS IN ROBBERIES ROSE 947 PERCENT FROM 1962 TO 1974; THE NUMBER OF ROBBERIES FOLLOWED BY MURDER HAVE INCREASED AND ARE ESPECIALLY COMMON AMONG BLACKS, A ROLE PLAYED IN GERMAN SOCIETY BY FOREIGN WORKERS; AND THE AGE OF BOTH OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS HAS DROPPED CONSIDERABLY (FROM 42 PERCENT OF MURDERERS BETWEEN AGES 15 AND 24 IN 1965 TO 74 PERCENT IN 1975). ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF HOMICIDES AND MURDERS DROPPED FROM 1975 TO 1976, THE FEAR OF CRIME SEEMS TO HAVE INCREASED, PROBABLY BECAUSE MANY CRIMES HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED AS A RESULT OF LACKING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICE. IN FACT, ACCORDING TO PROBATION OFFICERS, THE DARK FIGURE FOR ROBBERIES IS 80 TO 90 PERCENT. MURDER CONNECTED WITH ROBBERY IS VIEWED AS A FAIRLY EXACT INDICATOR FOR RISING CRIME STATISTICS. THE CRIME EXPLOSION IS ATTRIBUTED LESS TO BROKEN HOMES THAN TO ANOMIE; I.E., A WIDE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN SOCIAL GOALS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF REACHING THEM, WHICH MAKES INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS FOREIGN WORKERS OR BLACKS RESORT TO CRIME. TWENTY-FOUR REFERENCES, FOUR TABLES, AND FOUR GRAPHS ARE PROVIDED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)