Individual Presentation
My presentation will begin by highlighting the various crime rates statistics as presented on various different countries. The crime rates comparison will first start by a comparison between the general crime rates between the countries in question and the United States. This will then be followed by a more detailed analysis in terms of the differences in rates for the various crimes (property and violent), followed by one on crime rates in the various cities, then crime rates amongst the various age groups, more so juvenile delinquency rates, followed by comparisons on gender disparities when it comes to crime. Finally, comparisons will also be made on the prison populations, sentencing, as well as an analysis of the composition of the prisons also being done.
This will then be followed by highlighting the various demographic differences between these countries and the United States, more so in terms of gender, race, age, economic capabilities and population density. The findings of the comparisons will then be related to the findings on the disparities in crime rates, in order to be able to effectively compare the gender rates for crime, and establish the existence of the correlation suggested by Vaske, Wright, Boisvert and Beaver (2011). Further the demographics in terms of economic equality or inequality will further assist in the establishment of a positive correlation between poverty and crime, this going hand in hand with overpopulation or lack thereof. Comparisons between the different rates of crimes will then be tied to their degree of diversity, when it comes to ethnicity, allowing for the confirmation of the relationship between ethnic heterogeneity and crime as suggested by Kelly (2000). These comparisons will therefore assist in ascertaining whether certain demographic characteristics have a positive association with crime, more so poverty and ethnic heterogeneity.
Power Point Presentation
Due to the fact that I would like to show the various disparities between the crime rates in the United States and other industrialized countries, the power point presentation will start with a clear depiction of the disparity, in terms of the different rates in the various categories
Initial Slides: Information on the crime rates in the United States compared to those in the other industrialized countries. Catch phrases such as “…you are 3 times more likely to get mugged in Brooklyn than in city X.. .” will be used.
Subsequent Slides: These will contain information on the differing demographics, such as the male population, the female population, the Hispanic population, the black population, the elderly, youth and so on. It will also contain information on the population sizes of the different countries compared to the United States
Subsequent Slides: Correlations between the differences in demographics and the differences in crime rates, with specific emphasis being on poverty rates and ethnic heterogeneity of the areas under focus. This will then be accompanied by highlighting of research findings on the correlations between poverty and crime, as well as on ethnic heterogeneity and crime
Concluding Slides: These will attempt to provide hypotheses on the reasons for these differences, and why poverty and ethnic heterogeneity are factors in these differences. Theories to be used in this exposition will include the social control theory, the strain theory, the neutralization theory, the differential association theory as well as the social disorganization theory. Conclusions will then be made based on similarities between the various findings and studies on the theories themselves, such as studies on the differential association theory and gang membership, related to the findings on gang crime and locations.
Important Facts
• The total recorded crime statistics for the United States in the year 2002, almost doubled those of the United Kingdom, standing at 11,877,218, while those of the United Kingdom stood at 6,523,706 and those of Germany at 6,507,394 (Chaplin, Flatley & Smith, 2011).
• The incarceration rate in the United States is the highest at 726 per 100,000 people, compared to Germany at 96 and England at 142 (UNODC, 2011).
• Violent crime rates were at 403.6 per 100,000 in the United States in 2010, homicide rates were at 4.6 per 100,000 (FBI, 2010), while property crime rates were at 2,941 per 100,000. Homicide rates for Germany stood at 0.8 per 100,000 for 2010 (UNODC, 2011).
• The murder rate in the United States in 4 times higher than Germany, and more than twice as high as that of the United Kingdom.
• The prison population difference might partially be explained by the differences in sentencing policies
• The total United States population stands at 314,296,000, of which 82% reside in Cities. Females make up 155.6 million, while males stand at 151.4 million. The white population makes up 72.4% of the population, Blacks make up 12.6%, Asian 4.8%, Native Hawaiian 0.2%, Native American 0.9% and Other Races 6.2% (Census Briefs, 2010).
• New Jersey has the highest population, with Jersey City recording crime rates well above the normal average (Kneebone & Raphael, 2011)
All these points will be included in the presentation, together with a description of the demographic makeup of either the United Kingdome or Germany, with an aim of highlighting the effect of heterogeneity on crime. Also of importance will be the percentage of these countries’ populations that live in urban areas. Finally the per capita income of these populations will also be compared to establish the effect of poverty on crime rates.
References
Chaplin, R., Flatley, J., & Smith, K. (2011). Crime in England and Wales 2010/11. Home Office Statistical Bulletin.
FBI (2010). Uniform Crime Report 2010. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime/violent-crime
Kelly, M. (2000). Inequality and Crime. Review of Economics and Statistics 82(4), 530-539
Kneebone, E., & Raphael, S. (2011). City and Suburban Crime Trends in Metropolitan America. Metropolitan Opportunity Series, 16.
“Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010”. Census Briefs. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf
UNODC (2011). 2011 Global Study on Homicide. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and analysis/statistics/Homicide/Globa_study_on_homicide_2011_web.pdf
Vaske, J., Boisvert, D., Wright, J., & Beaver, K. (2011). Gender, genetic risk, and criminal behavior. Psychiatry Research185(3), 376-381.
