Estimating Crime in Place: Moving Beyond Residence Location

We assess if asking victims about the places where crimes happen leads to estimates of “crime in place” with better measurement properties. We analyze data from the Barcelona Victimization Survey (2015–2020) aggregated in 73 neighborhoods using longitudinal quasi-simplex models and criterion validity to estimate the quality of four types of survey-based measures of crime. The distribution of survey-based offense location estimates, as opposed to victim residence estimates, is highly similar to police-recorded crime statistics, and there is little trade off in terms of the reliability and validity of offense location and victim residence measures. Estimates of crimes reported to the police show a better validity, but their reliability is lower and capture fewer crimes.

Combining accountability forms: transparency and “intelligent” accountability in a public service organization

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to consider the challenges, a public sector organization faces combining both transparency and “intelligent” forms of accountability (cf. Roberts, 2009).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a case study of StatePol, a police service in an Australian state.FindingsThe data analysis revealed three themes. First, prior to 2013, transparency forms of accountability dominated, emphasizing crime statistics with the effect of reinforcing internal partitions and inhibiting collective action. Second, post-2013, a greater emphasis was placed on “intelligent” accountability with conversations around process and collective accountability at the operational level. Crime statistics were used less for operational-level accountability and more for attention-directing. Third, changing the emphasis from transparency to its combined use with “intelligent” accountability required strong leadership, clearly communicated strategy and middle-level managers with appropriate skills.Originality/valueThe authors identify a number of important factors in combining transparency and “intelligent” forms of accountability. The authors note the difficulties that fragmentation between forms of accountability and the somewhat amorphous nature of the accountability concept itself can cause. In doing so, the authors provide empirical evidence of the challenges changing from an emphasis on transparency, to combined use with an “intelligent” form of accountability.

Radical decrease in the number of homicides in Hungary

In Hungary, the number of crimes recorded by crime statistics is surprisingly decreasing. Since its peak in 1998, the overall crime rate has fallen to less than a third. Within this, the decline in the number of homicides, which fell to one-fifth, is even more pronounced. Many people critically look at statistical indicators, and the authority’s accounting methods know the superior numbers. In my research, I examined this.

Algorithms and the Individual in Criminal Law

Law-enforcement agencies are increasingly able to leverage crime statistics to make risk predictions for particular individuals, employing a form of inference that some condemn as violating the right to be “treated as an individual.” I suggest that the right encodes agents’ entitlement to a fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of the rule of law. Rather than precluding statistical prediction, it requires that citizens be able to anticipate which variables will be used as predictors and act intentionally to avoid them. Furthermore, it condemns reliance on various indexes of distributive injustice, or unchosen properties, as evidence of law-breaking.

Pemalsuan Surat dalam Arti Formil dan Materil Beserta Akibat Hukumnya

Delik pemalsuan surat merupakan kejahatan yang klasik namun masih menghiasi statistik kejahatan di Indonesia. Realistasnya sebagai tindak pidana yang eksis, masih terdapat perbedaan penafsiran terhadap makna unsur dalam delik pemalsuan surat. Hal tersebut menimbulkan ketidakpastian bagi penegak hukum dalam menerapkan delik pemalsuan surat terhadap peristiwa hukum konkrit. Sehingga diperlukan pemahaman yang jelas terhadap makna dan bentuk-bentuk delik pemalsuan surat yang diatur dalam Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk memberikan penjelasan terhadap bentuk pemalsuan surat dalam arti formil dan materil beserta akibat hukumnya, sehingga dapat membantu penegak hukum dalam menerapkan delik pemalsuan surat terhadap peristiwa hukum konkrit. Abstract:Letter forgery is a classic crime but still adorns crime statistics in Indonesia. As a criminal offense that still exists, there are still different interpretations in the meaning of the elements in the letter forgery crime. This creates uncertainty for law enforcers in applying the article of letter forgery crime against concrete legal events. Thus, a clear understanding and form of the letter forgery crimes regulated in the Criminal Code are required. This paper aims to provide an explanation of the form of letter forgery in a formal and material sense and its legal consequences so that it can assist law enforcers in implementing the right letter forgery article against concrete legal events.

Are Asian Victims Less Likely to Report Hate Crime Victimization to the Police? Implications for Research and Policy in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anti-Asian hate crimes have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, no research has considered whether crime reporting patterns are different among Asian hate crime victims, relative to other victims. Following this, this research presents an examination of differences in reporting victimization to the police between Asian and non-Asian victims using information from 997 respondents who experienced a hate crime in the first 1 to 2 months of the pandemic. Results indicate that Asian victims are significantly and substantially less likely to report victimization to the police than other victims. Taken together, these results suggest that current estimates of increases in anti-Asian hate crime based on official crime statistics—although high—may actually be an under-estimation of the true extent of the problem.

Estimating crime in place: Moving beyond residence location

We assess if asking victims about the places where crimes happen leads to estimates of ‘crime in place’ with better measurement properties. We analyse data from the Barcelona Victimization Survey (2015 to 2020) aggregated in 73 neighbourhoods using longitudinal quasi-simplex models and criterion validity to estimate the quality of four types of survey-based measures of crime. The distribution of survey-based offence location estimates, as opposed to victim residence estimates, is highly similar to police-recorded crime statistics, and there is little trade off in terms of the reliability and validity of offence location and victim residence measures. Estimates of crimes reported to the police show a better validity, but their reliability is lower and capture fewer crimes.