CRM/LAW C149 Lecture 4: C149 Midterm Review
8 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Violence as an obstinate problem across centuries and societies. Discuss the difference between official data and known offenses (gurr) Homicide rates are similar - other offenses are harder to estimate (ie violent crime and sexual assault) Concern about offenses -> how often it is reported/ recorded. Important to keep in mind when interpreting historical trends in crime statistics. Violence has low base rate so any change will seem larger than it actually is. Low base rate - high fluctuations over time/ place. On the one hand, any small number of violent people presents a social problem. On the other hand, many resources are wasted and freedom constrained on many people who will not be violent. Containment: demographically and geographically contained phenomenon -> few people worry about violence as a personal reality. Breeds complacency: believe in false sense of security. One factor in the explanation of decreasing violence/ crime rates. Gradually over time, cruelty and violence in society became socially unacceptable.
