Crime data comparison

According to researchers, crime is committed every day around the world. Although societies view crime as an undesirable and unnecessary stressor, many persons of lower-class communities recognize it as a normal occurrence in their everyday life. There are specific offenses in the United States that are associated with gender and ethnicity. For example, according to statistical data, men often conduct violent offenses such as assault and murder compared to women. The Federal Bureau of Investigations established a nationwide database referred to as the Uniform Crime Report that compiles a record of criminal offenses from various agencies that report offenses to the F.B.I. The database is an essential component used to analyze rates and causation of crimes in cities such as Los Angeles, California, and New York. Therefore, the Uniform Crime Reports makes it possible to compare offenses of different metropolitan areas to understand the rate and causation of misconduct of these regions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations emphasizes on violent crimes because of the immediate and negative impact on society. Rape is an example of a violent crime that occurs within the two cities. Los Angeles has an approximate population of 3.976 million while New York contains 8.538 individuals. Consequently, the occurrence of rape in these two metropolitan cities differs significantly with the offense at a higher rate in New York with an estimated one thousand and seventy-one reported rape incidences (F.B.I, 2016). Los Angeles has a lesser number of cases with one thousand and fifty-nine incidences reported. However, New York City’s crime statistics report revealed an overall decrease in violent and property crime over the last fourteen years compared to Los Angeles.

Consistent with recent statistics, the rates of rape offenses per one hundred thousand people were lower in New York. Los Angeles had a rate of 27.3 compared to New York’s 13.12 per one hundred thousand individuals (F.B.I, 2016). Although, N.Y has a lower rate of rape, over the past few years the city experienced an increase in the number of rape reported cases. National crime data revealed that the number of reported rapes rose by 7.4% since 2015. Moreover, between 2009 and 2015, the percentage of arrests as a result of rape incidences decreased by 16% while the number of cases rose by 19.3%.

Crime statistics in the U.S illustrate that the rate of sexual offenses such as rape changed over time in both cities. Since 2001 rape incidences in Los Angeles California decreased for thirteen years but in 2013 was an increase in the rate of rape and sexual misconducts (MSMU, 2017)). According to crime data, there was a 21% increase in the number of reported rape cases. For example, acquaintance rapes rose from 115 in 2013 to 170 in 2014. Consequently, the figures demonstrate the higher rate of sexual offenses in Los Angeles compared to New York.

The increase in the number of rape cases in L.A is mostly attributed to people reporting their incidences to the police. Previously, many women and men were embarrassed and unwilling to report cases of sexual crimes to the authorities. Currently, stigmatization of rape victims has decreased because of education and enlightenment of American citizens. Moreover, the Department of Justice made revisions to the definition of rape to include rape with an object, and instances in which the victim is mentally or physically incapacitated.  The changes were significant since the previous legal definition of rape resulted in an inaccurate understanding of the crime and smaller number of cases were recognized as misconduct. Therefore, because of these changes, victims are actively reporting occurrences to ensure the safety of others and themselves.

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The decline of this offense in New York is mainly attributed to change in policies, harsher penalties, and fear of deportation by immigrants. Statics indicate that an increase in misdemeanor arrests in the 1990s had a significant impact in reducing such crimes. As such, the city’s approach in tackling misdemeanors resulted in a decrease in rape offenses. Additionally, the city restructured the police reporting process to protect rape victims (Francis, 2017). In the past, a rape victim would first be attended to by a patrol officer who would determine if there was justifiable cause to pursue the case. Today victims are assisted by personnel in the Special Victims Unit that are trained to deal with such occurrences. Additionally, undocumented rape victims are often unwilling to report their assailants. Such victims often fear that the U.S government will detain or deport them if they were to press charges against their perpetrators.

In conclusion, the rate of reported rape cases is both growing and declining because of increased awareness among American citizens. In areas such as New York, policies established by administrative authorities and executed by the police resulted in a decrease in rape occurrences due to fear of prosecution. Nevertheless, Los Angeles represents some of the metropolitan areas that experienced an increase in the rate of reported rape cases because of factors victim enlightenment and change of policy.