Erie Community College s6

ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

TITLE III

Developmental Mathematics Project

Interdisciplinary Course Materials

Criminal Justice

Course: MT 006 Basic Mathematics

Course Outline Topic: Ratio and Proportions

Project Title: Crime Rates and Percent Change of Violent Crimes in New York and the United States

Project description: In this project, the students will calculate the crime rates and percent change of violent crimes between the years 1996 and 2006 using data for the United States and New York

.

Author: Mark R. Marino

Curriculum Expert: Michael Summers, Criminal Justice

Semester Created: Spring 2008

A.  Essential Question

What is the violent crime rate for the United States in 2006?

What is the violent crime rate for New York in 2006?

What is the percent change of violent crimes in the United States between the years 1996 and 2006?

What is the percent change of violent crimes in New York between the years 1996 and 2006?

B.  Introduction

The Uniform Crime Report collects data on violent offenses classified as murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data reports the figures for each year on violent crimes in the United States as well as the individual states.

C. Basic Directions

Students will follow the guided worksheet to determine the crime rates and percent change of violent crimes between the years 1996 and 2006 using data for the United States and New York. Students will use their knowledge of percents, ratios and proportions to determine these calculations.

D. Things to Learn Before Starting the Project

Students should have the fundamental skills of percents, ratios and proportions.

E. The Project Assignment
In this project, students will calculate the crime rates and percent change of violent crimes between the years 1996 and 2006 using the data for the United States and New York. The guided worksheet is included with this project description.

F. Student Resources (websites, books, technology, etc.)

Basic Four Function Calculator.

G. Faculty Resources (teacher notes, websites, books, technology, etc.)
Criminal Justice by Inciardi, 7th Edition, Oxford University Press.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Crime_Reports
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Same as the student resources.

H. Grading Rubric
This project will be graded out of 100 points.

Criminal Offenses

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects data on certain offenses, termed Part I offenses, reported to law enforcement in order to measure the level and scope of crime occurring throughout the Nation. The following are classified as violent offenses:

·  Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter - The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. Deaths caused by negligence, attempts to kill, assaults to kill, suicides, and accidental deaths are excluded. Justifiable homicides are classified separately.

·  Forcible rape - The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Rapes by force and attempts or assaults to rape regardless of the age of the victim are included. Statutory offenses (no force used - victim under age of consent) are excluded.

·  Robbery - The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

·  Aggravated assault - An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Simple assaults are excluded.

Population CoveragePopulation coverage includes the population covered by the reports submitted by a particular agency and may vary from the agency's parent government's population. Some agencies report for other agencies as well as for themselves. Incorporations, contract policing arrangements, and other factors may also effect the population covered in any single year.

Population figures for individual jurisdictions are estimated by the UCR Program in noncensus years. The method of estimation varies from year to year based on the availability of information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Appendix III of each edition of Crime in the United States outlines the procedure used.

Source: Criminal Justice by Inciardi, 7th Edition, Oxford University Press.

Project DescriptionIn this project, you will calculate the crime rates and percent change of violent crimes between the years 1996 and 2006 using the data for the United States and New York.

1.  Using the United States reported crimes table for 2006, find the total number of violent crimes and the population total for 2006.

Total Number of Violent Crimes for 2006 = ______

Total Population for 2006 = ______

Crime RatesRates are the number of reported offenses per 100,000 population.Rate per 100,000 inhabitants: The crime rate, or the number of offenses that occurred in a given area for every 100,000 people living in that area, calculated:

Now, calculate the 2006 United States Violent Crime Rate using the formula above.

2.  Using the same method as in question #1, calculate the 2006 New York Violent Crime Rate.

3.  How does New York’s Violent Crime Rate in 2006 compare to the United State’s Violent Crime Rate in 2006?

4.  In this question, you will calculate the percent change of Violent Crimes in the United States for the years 1996 – 2006.
Percent Change: The percentage of increase or decrease (+ or –) in the Crime Index or crime rate over some prior year, calculated as follows:

Now, calculate the percent change of Violent Crimes in the United States for the years 1996– 2006 using the formula above.

5.  Using the same method as in question #4, calculate the percent change of Violent Crimes in New York for the years 1996– 2006.

6.  What is the difference in the percent changes for the United States and New York for 1996 – 2006? What factors would you attribute to this difference?

Erie Community College

Title III Grant