According to the Uniform Crime Report, a violent crime occurs on an average of every twenty-six seconds in the United States (UCR, National Data). Young people, primarily between the ages of 17 and 19 and in their early twenties, commit the vast majority of crime (Barkan and Bryjak, 33). It is also common for individuals at this age to attend college. Based on the Uniform Crime Report (Table 9), twenty-four colleges and universities have increased enrollment rates from 2005 until 2012 in New York State alone. Despite the consistent increase in the number of individuals continuing their education, it appears that the amount of violent crime has decreased among college campuses. This contradicts the common crime myth that crime is increasing throughout the United States when in fact it is actually slightly decreasing or remaining constant. It is possible for the relationship between increasing enrollment rates and decreasing rates of violent crime to be explained by the common misconception that crime is actually decreasing. However, there is evidence that supports this inverse relationship is due to the underreporting of crime among college campuses, which often happens because the college doesn’t want to damage its reputation. As a result, they choose to deal with the crime themselves rather than getting the authorities involved.
The collection of violent crime data in the UCR includes the numbers of murders and manslaughters, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, property crimes, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts, and arsons (Table 9). The most common crime that is rarely reported throughout college campuses is rape. Based on the UCR, the rape counts from 2005 through 2012 throughout campuses in New York State ar...
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... that many individuals believe that crime rates are increasing when they are actually decreasing or remaining similar. Based on the UCR, it seems as if violent crime across campuses has decreased in recent years while enrollment rates have actually increased. In conclusion, it is nice to believe, based on the statistics provided, that the rates of crime among campuses are decreasing but it is difficult to prove based on the potential inaccuracy of the statistics provided by the colleges themselves.
References
Bernstein, Nina. 2011. “On College Campsus, Athletes Often Get Off Easy,” The New York Times, November 11. Retrieved November 14, 2013 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/us/on-college-campuses-athletes-often-get-off-easy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0).
Nicklin, Julie L. 2000. "Inconsistencies Mar Web Site on Campus Crime." Chronicle of Higher Education 47(14):A45.
In what is sure to be a very solemn matter for all American students and their families across the country , in January 2013 , President Obama, the office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls converged and issued a renewed call to action against rape and sexual assault report which analyzes the most recent reliable data about this issue and identifies who are the most in peril victims of this malefaction, investigates the costs of this violence both for victims and communities , and describes the replication very often inadequate of the US malefactor equity system.
Students for Concealed Carry, an organization for concealed gun carry on campus, say, “The crux of the SGFS essay is the undeniable fact that college campuses typically have lower crime rates than the cities in which they reside” (642). In “Why Our Campuses Are Safer Without Concealed Handguns”, an article against concealed handgun carry, states that, “Our colleges and universities are safe sanctuaries for learning…” (633). They both have the same point of
College campuses have an increased rate of reported crimes in recent years. How can this be reduced? What can be done to improve this situation? Security can only cover parts of the campus at a time. Spontaneous outbreaks of crime can be thwarted if students actively participate in stopping crimes. Allowing students who have obtained a Concealed Handgun License, CHL, to carry a gun on campus will make campuses safer and reduce the amount of school shootings and other forms of crimes common to college campuses. In order to obtain a CHL a person has to be “21 year of age or older, clean criminal history, not be under a protective order, not be chemically dependent, not be of unsound mind, not be delinquent in paying fines, fees, child support, etc., and must complete the required training” (TCHA, 2013). A poster about the benefits of carrying a legal concealed weapon solidifies positive reasons to allow students and faculty to defend themselves from mass murderers and other criminal acts.
"Statistics about Sexual Assault and College Campuses." Statistics about Sexual Assault. Sarah Lawrence College, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
“The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests, and Self-Reports.” UC Los Angeles: Lochner, Lance; & Moretti, Enrico. (2002). California Center for Population Research.
When it comes to sexual assault on college campuses there is also the question of what can colleges do to decrease the amount of sexual assaults. Bradford Richardson and Jon A Shields wondered the same thing, so they conducted an ...
Colleges desire a crime free environment, however, the fact is, many campuses already have several violent crimes that occur on a regular basis. Crime in schools and colleges is “one of the most troublesome social problems in the Nation today” (“Crime in Schools and Colleges.”). Crime is already an occurring issue because little to no changes have been made to discourage criminal activity. Seen as an ever growing issue, college crime could easily lessen if changes occurred. Criminal activity will lessen if a campus carry were enacted. Permitting gun carry will allow for a positive change, because criminals will be aware of the fact that students may possess weapons. Since 2012, more than 150 colleges in the United States have allowed concealed carry, and “not one of these campuses has seen a single resulting act of violence (including threats) or a single resulting suicide attempt” (“Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.”). This proves permitting guns will allow for a safer, more productive campus. Violence will not drastically increase if campus carry is enacted; the opposite effect will occur. If students who possess their concealed carry licenses are already allowed to carry guns into certain businesses and areas, what difference will it make to continue that carry onto a college campus. If a student wanted to commit violent acts, they could already commit them off campus property. Campus carry promotes safety, and helps diminish criminal
Rape is the most common violent crime on American college campuses. A numerous amount of issues dealing with sexual assaults has been caused by unsafe environments on college campuses. Over the past years there has been a
Voller, E. K., & Long, P. J. (2010). Sexual Assault and Rape Perpetration by College Men: The
The Uniform Crime Report, which was developed in the 1930s, is commonly used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a record of crimes committed all across the United States. These crimes, which fall under two categories, Part I and Part II offenses, are reported by local police to the Federal Bureau of Investigation each year. Part I offenses are considered to be the more serious of crimes recognized by society. Such examples of this are homicide, forcible rape, robbery, arson, motor vehicle theft, etc. Part II offenses are those that are considered less serious, such as fraud, simple assault, drug abuse, gambling, stolen property, embezzlement, etc. Part I crimes can also be subdivided into what are known as violent crimes and property crimes. (Barkan, 2012). However, there are both some positive and negative aspects of this type of crime measurement. The following paper will explore the small amount of pros and numerous cons associated with the Uniform Crime Report.
These numbers may be part of a larger problem. Statistics show that there seems to be an increase in cases of sexual harassment at colleges around the country. Date rape has become the most common violent crime on college campuses today. About one out of s...
“One in five women who attend college will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape by the time she graduates” (National Sexual Violence Resource Center). Although sexual assault and rape is a very known and rising issue on college campuses it is not treated with much relevancy. The poor system of consequences for sexual assault and rape is a controversy among many as the issue is treated with much leniency. There are thousands of women that are affected by this issue daily, over ninety percent of these cases are not reported. Just over ninety-five percent of the vast majority of students, who are sexually assaulted, remain silent according to a study funded by the research of the U.S. Justice Department. Those who come forward can encounter mystifying disciplinary proceedings, secretive school administrations, and off-the-record negotiations. The analysis reveals that students deemed “responsible” for alleged sexual assaults on college campuses can face little or no consequence for their acts. The victims of sexual assault never really recover or redeem themselves of the trauma they went through. For the victims, the trauma of the assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional
College campuses are one of the most popular scenes for crimes of rape to occur. A disturbing statistic resea...
From 1991-2000, statistically there was a dramatic decline in crime nationally. The statistics studied were of all categories of crimes considered serious, including: homicides which decreased by 39%; rape which decreased by 41%; robbery which decreased by 44%; aggravated assault which decreased by 24%; burglary which decreased by 41%; auto theft which decreased by 37%; and larceny which decreased by 23%. The statistics show a range of decline of 23-44%! (United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation 1990, 2000. Uniform Crime Report. Washington, D.C.) The evidence indicates that the benefit of declining crime rates are concentrated on specific groups with...
On college campuses today, there is a lot of violence. Violence occurs for many reasons, its unfortunate but true. One of the main reasons that violence accurs is because 90 percent of violence on college campuses is alcohol related. That is one of the many reasons why violence occurs.