Crime In College Campuses

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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.

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