Overview
The information gathered in this report provides data regarding the crime rates in colleges and universities and compares it with the crime rates of the general population of the United States. It shows that the violent crime rates are higher in the general population than they are in colleges. This could be due to the fact that colleges and universities have a more networked policing system. It also could be due to a higher concentrated population at these schools, which allows people to constantly be near others who can help them, which deters violent crime offenders.
A property crime occurs every 3 seconds across the country and claims $17 billion dollars a year in losses. It is an inconvenience to many citizens who may never know who the offender was. It is important to understand the offense and deter it from future occurrences so people may live in
Crime affects the lives of everyone, especially those that are involved. The fear of crime is a social problem which prevents people from taking a walk outside alone, in the dark, or visiting different places. Many people live in fear after being a victim of a non-violent crime, while victims of violent crimes and their families are changed forever.
Report
Introduction
No matter what community a person lives, violent and non-violent crimes are a reoccurring problem. Although law enforcement is in place, crime is still present in schools and colleges. This paper will cover differences in crime percentages between the general population versus that of college campuses.
Review of the Literature
The literature suggests that the amount of crimes reported correlate to the amount of law enforcement in place . It also shows, however, that there is a dramatic increase of crime in densely populated areas.
Method and Data
The method for this study was a comparison of thirty various colleges from different states to the general population's crime (violent vs. non-violent). Data were supplied by the FBI (2006) In this study, a graph will be used to display the added crime rate of thirty college campuses versus that of the general population. Details follow.
Hypothesis
The author thinks that violent crime rates would be higher on college campuses than it would be for the general population. This is because college campuses have high population density and a more networked law enforcement.
Data
Table 9 displays the number of crimes and their nature on college campuses. There does not appear to be a positive or a negative skew on the information. The data are a compilations of information submitted by each college/university in the county, categorized by state to the FBI Uniform Crime Report. The only way it could be bias is if the institutions which submitted them, did not provide all or the correct data.
Analysis
Figure one, illustrates the differences in percentage of crime rates between college/university campuses and the general population. The general population had higher instances of violent crime. Violent crime made up 13% while nonviolent crime made up for the other 87% of the crime total. College crime rates were different in that violent crime was only 3% and nonviolent crime made up for the remaining 97% of total crime in colleges.
Discussion
This research shows, within the thirty colleges/universities analyzed, that the general population has a higher percentage of violent crimes compared to the higher educational institutions. This may be because of the differences in security measures on campuses versus neighborhoods. It also may be due to the fact that on college campuses, the population lives in closer areas, making it difficult for a person to be attacked without getting noticed.
Limitations
This study is not definitive. This is merely compilation by the author and does not represent every college campus in the country. It is based off of the data of only 30 colleges across the country which were chosen at random from 30 different states.
