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Crime and criminals have been in existence for as long as man has been. However, there is no distinct line dividing men as either being criminals or virtuous (Darrow & Baatz, 2009). Siegel (2010) defines crime as any act that is forbidden by the law of the land, and should be sufficiently serious to call for penalties for its commission. Surprisingly, punishment for a crime is not so much because the act is good or bad but due to the fact that a law has been violated. Virtually all countries of the world have varying rates and types of crimes within and sometimes across the boarders. There are numerous crimes committed in the United States of America and may vary from state to state (Jebb, 2011). This report will focus on crime in Virginia in terms of the nature and trends of crime in the state. These will then be compared with national trends. A historical analysis of the crime trends, peaks, valleys, and plateaus of crime trends by year will also be provided. The differences and similarities between crime trends in Virginia and national figures will be explained using relevant theories. The report will also describe and explain regional differences within Virginia. The possible real solutions to some of the crime problems in Virginia will then be suggested.
Nature of Crime in Virginia
In terms of population, Virginia is the 12th largest state in America with a total number estimated as about 8 million people (Shahidullah, 2008). It is bordered to the east by Washington, D.C. and to the north by Maryland State; by the Atlantic Ocean to the east. North Carolina and Tennessee is to the south of Virginia while Kentucky is found on the western border of the state. West Virginia is to the north and west. The state of Virginia has five major geographical regions. From the west, there is Cumberland Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont, and Tidewater to the east (Paynich & Hill, 2009). According to the 2010 census, non-Hispanic White constitutes the largest proportion, about 64.8%, of the population in Virginia. Black or African American, on the other hand, constitutes about 19.4%.
Crime Trends in Virginia versus National Trends
A number of reports and media services have pointed out the rise in violent crime across American states as well as the apparent change in the trends of crime since 2005 (Paynich & Hill, 2009). The number of violent crimes reported in the US increased for the second consecutive year in 2006. This was experienced for the first time since the early 1990’s. According to a report released by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), violent crime increased by about 2.3% in America in 2005 (2006). The same report indicated an increase of 3.4% in murders, a 3.9% increase in robberies, as well as a 1.8% increase in the number of aggravated assaults. It was only the rate of forcible rapes that went down by 1.2% (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2006).
According to recent reports, the statistics for 2006 show a continued increase. Violent crime has risen by 1.9% relative to the number in 2005 (FBI, 2007). Robbery offenses have remained to be the one with the largest percentage increase at 7.2%. Similar reports show that murder went up by 1.8% in 2006. However, aggravated assaults and forcible rapes reduced by 0.2% and 2.0% respectively.
When the reports indicated the increase in crime in 2005, the monitoring of crime trends was prioritized by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Following a violent crime summit held in august 2006 by the leaders, it was agreed that there was a clear surge in violence in the US (PERF, 2006). Preliminary statistics on crime were collected in 2006 from 56 law enforcement agencies in America.
Virginia Crime Trends: 1995-2004
Crime trends in Virginia have been documented and analyzed against those of the neighboring states as well as those of the nation at large. Since 1995, the trends of violent and property crimes in Virginia have been found to be significantly lower than the national rates and the rates of all except two of the bordering states (Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), 2005). Reports indicates that the rates of violent and property crimes have decreased by about 25% in Virginia since 1995 (2005).
Crime reporting is crucial in determining its trends over a given period of time. Virginia reports 100% of its crime data to the federal Uniform Crime Report (UCR) system (Roberts, 2005). This is achieved by using incident-based reporting (IBR) format which the state adopted in 1999. According to a report by FBI, the rate of violent crime in Virginia and the U.S from 1999 to 2008 decreased by about 19% and 13% respectively (Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), 2009). Violent crime rate is defined as the number of crimes reported per 100,000 population. Virginia recorded a decrease of 5% in violent crime rate between 2007 and 2008 while the national rate decreased by about 3%. It was in 2008 that Virginia experienced the lowest violent crime rate of all neighboring states and the U.S as shown in Table 1 below. Virginia was ranked 41 out of 50 (Jebb, 2011).
Violent Index Crime Rate
Percentage Change by State and Year
Table 1
Virginia Violent Index Crime Rate by Offense Type, 1999-2008
According to a report by the Department of Criminal Justice System(DCJS), the total index crime rates in Virginia decreased significantly from 1999 to 2008 (13.3) and between 2007 and 2008 (5.1) (2009). Furthermore, murder as well as forcible rape offense rates went down in the same period. It was observed that robbery was the only violent offense rate that rose over the decade period 1999-2008 especially in 2004 (2009). Robbery crime rate, however, declined between 2007 and 2008. The aggravated assault rate decreased over the 10-year period 1999 to 2008 as well as from 2007 to 2008. This recorded the largest rate decline of all the violent offenses. The findings are summarized in Table 2 below.
Percentage Change
Table 2
Virginia Violent Index Crime Rate by Region, 1999-2008
According to the Department of Criminal Justice System, the statewide violent index crime rate was 295.9 in 1999 and 256.4 ten years later (2009). This represented a 13% decline from that of 1999. The same report indicates that the violent index crime rate decreased across all regions of Virginia apart from Valley and West Central regions. The report also shows that in 1999 and 2008, the highest violent index crime rate was in Hampton Roads. The Northern region, on the other hand, recorded the lowest violent index crime rate in the same period. The table below shows the distribution of violent index crime rate by region, 1999-2008.
Violent Index Crime Rate by Region, 1999-2008
Table 3
Virginia Property Index Crime Rate, 1999-2008
According to the report released by the FBI, property index crime rates have been decreasing in Virginia as well as the U.S. since 1999. Property index crimes have been defined in the U.S. to include burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny while property crime rate refers to the number of property crimes that are reported per 100,000 population (DCJS, 2009). Statistics indicate that the property index crime rate in Virginia declined by almost 18% and by about 14% nationally between 1999 and 2008(). There was an increase of about 2% in the property index crime rate in Virginia from 2007 to 2008. Similar trends were experienced in three other states in the same time frame. In 2008, Virginia was ranked 39 out of 50 as far as property index crime rate is concerned. Table 4 below depicts the distribution of property index crime rate percentage change by state and year.
Property Index Crime Rate Percentage Change by State and Year
Table 4
From the table above, it is evident that the lowest property index crime rate (-17.7) was reported in Virginia in 2008.
Virginia Property Index Crime Rate by Offense Type, 1999-2008
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice System reported that the total property index crime rate declined by about 15% between 1999 and 2008 and increased by nearly 2% from 2007 to 2008 (2009). This was largely due to the increase in larcenies. Over the ten-year period, all property crime index rates went down across Virginia with motor vehicle theft rate having the largest reduction. There was significant change in the burglary rate in Virginia between 2007 and 2008. On the other hand, motor vehicle theft rate decreased by nearly 7% and larceny rate went up by almost 3% over the one-year period.
Virginia Property Index Crime Rate by Offense Type and Year
Percentage Change
Table 5
Virginia Property Index Crime Rate by Region, 1999-2008
According to the Department of Criminal Justice System, the statewide property index crime rate was 2,948.5 in 1999 and 2,500.2 in 2008 (2009). This represented a decrease of 15% over the ten-year period. All except the Southwest, West Central and Southside regions in Virginia recorded a decrease in the property index crime rate over the decade. Southwest region reported the lowest property index crime rate in while the highest was in Hampton Roads in 1999. Ten years later, Eastern region recorded the lowest property index crime rate as Hampton Roads still registering the highest. The results are tabulated below.
Virginia Property Index Crime Rate by Region, 1999-2008
Table 6
The major causes for the notable increases in the levels of crime over the recent years in most states of the nation are not obvious as one may think. A number of reasons to explain this rise may be suggested. There has also been a shift in what should take priority where attention has moved to counterterrorism issues to more criminal gangs, weapons, and junior violent offenders on city streets (Jebb, 2011).
When determining and interpreting the correlates of violent crime, it is important to know what matters (Chilton & Regoeczi, 2007). Researchers have used National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) counts as well as census data to compare the economic and social predictors of victim and offender rates. These two options will help in understanding the causes of various crimes and its victims.
The report has elaborately discussed crime in Virginia in terms of the nature and trends of crime in the state. An attempt to compare the findings with national trends has been made. A historical analysis of the crime trends, peaks, valleys, and plateaus of crime trends by year has also been provided. The differences and similarities between crime trends in Virginia and national figures have been presented and explained.
References
Chilton, R., & Regoeczi, W. C. (2007). Impact of Employment, Family Structure, and Income on NIBRS Offense, Victim, Offender, And Arrest Rates. Justice Research and Policy, 9(2), 9-29.
Darrow, C., & Baatz, S. (2009). Crime: its causes and treatment. Kaplan Publishing
Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) (2005). Virginia Crime Trends: 1995-2004. Criminal Justice Research Center.
Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). (2009). Virginia Crime Trends: 1999-2008. Criminal Justice Research Center.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2006). Crime in America. Criminal Justice Research Center.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (2007). Crime Trends in America. Criminal Justice Research Center
Jebb, J. F. (2011). True Crime: Virginia: The state’s most notorious criminal cases. Stackpole Books.
Paynich, R., & Hill, B. (2009). Fundamental of crime mapping. Jones & Barlett Learning
Roberts, D. (2005). Virginia Incident-Based Crime Reporting. Criminal Justice Research Center.
Shahidullah, S. M. (2008). Crime policy in America: laws, institutions, and programs. University Press of America.
Siegel, L. J. (2010). Essentials of criminal justice (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
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