NCJ Number
17625
Date Published
1973
Length
40 pages
Annotation
IN THIS REPORT THE SELLIN-WOLFGANG CRIMES SERIOUSNESS INDEX IS APPLIED TO TEXAS CRIME STATISTICS, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ARRESTS AND CRIME SERIOUSNESS POINTS BY AGE AND SEX IS REPORTED FOR THE FBI PART I OFFENSES.
Abstract
THIS REPORT, WHICH IS BASED ON CRIME STATISTICS COLLECTED IN TEXAS FOR THE FBI IN 1970 AS PART OF VOLUNTARY REPORTING OF THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (UCR) PROGRAM, SUGGESTS HOW THE CRIME SERIOUSNESS INDEX COULD BE USED TO RANK NEIGHBORHOODS, CITIES, METROPOLITAN AREAS, COUNTIES, AND STATE PLANNING REGIONS ACCORDING TO THE SEVERITY OF THEIR CRIME PROBLEMS. IN THE CRIME SERIOUSNESS RANKING METHOD, EACH PART ONE OFFENSE IS ASSIGNED A SERIOUSNESS VALUE BASED ON THE DEGREE OF PHYSICAL INJURY, THE DEGREE OF INTIMIDATION, AND THE VALUE OF PROPERTY. CRIMES SUCH AS MURDER AND FORCIBLE RAPE ARE THEREBY GIVEN MORE WEIGHT THAN CRIMES SUCH AS LARCENY. THE DISTRIBUTION OF ARRESTS FOR EACH AGE GROUP FOR MALES AND FEMALES IS FIRST PRESENTED; IN ADDITION, THIS INFORMATION IS USED TO RANK AGE-GROUPS FOR THESE OFFENSES. THE DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL ARRESTS FOR ALL THESE OFFENSES AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS POINTS ACROSS AGE GROUPS ARE GIVEN; THIS INFORMATION IS LIKEWISE USED TO RANK AGE-GROUPS AS SOURCES OF THE CRIME PROBLEMS IN TEXAS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)