Crime Categories

The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program classifies crimes into two main categories: violent crime and property crime. Violent crime includes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Violent Crime

Violent crime is any crime that involves force or threat of force against another person. The most serious violent crime is murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, which is the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. Rape is any sexual act committed against another person without their consent. Robbery is the taking of property from another person by force or threat of force. Aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person on another with a weapon or with the intent to cause serious bodily harm.

Property Crime

Property crime is any crime that involves the unlawful taking or destruction of property. The most common property crime is larceny-theft, which is the unlawful taking of property from another person without force or threat of force. Motor vehicle theft is the theft of a motor vehicle. Burglary is the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a crime. Arson is the willful and malicious burning of property.

Specific Crime Category

The crime category that interests me is violent crime. I am interested in violent crime because it is the most serious type of crime and it has a significant impact on victims and society as a whole.

According to the FBI UCR Program, there were 1,215,839 violent crimes reported in the United States in 2020. This represents a decrease of 7.8% from 2019. Of these violent crimes, 16,425 were murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, 139,815 were rapes, 701,940 were robberies, and 307,669 were aggravated assaults.

The rate of violent crime in the United States has been declining since the early 1990s. However, there are still significant disparities in the rates of violent crime across different demographic groups. For example, the rate of violent crime is much higher for males than females, and it is much higher for African Americans than whites.

There are a number of factors that contribute to violent crime, including poverty, inequality, unemployment, and lack of education. Violent crime is also often associated with substance abuse and mental illness.

There are a number of things that can be done to reduce violent crime, including investing in education and job training, addressing poverty and inequality, and providing treatment for substance abuse and mental illness. It is also important to enforce the law and to hold criminals accountable for their actions.

Conclusion

Violent crime is a serious problem in the United States. It has a significant impact on victims and society as a whole. There are a number of factors that contribute to violent crime, and there are a number of things that can be done to reduce it. It is important to continue to address the root causes of violent crime in order to make our communities