Crime Statistics Trends and the Elasticity of Evil

• In Event: Innovative Uses of the NCVS to Study and Measure Violence

Abstract

This paper examines the issue of whether cultural changes in the definition of violence have affected our major statistical indicators of violent crime. Many scholars contend that Western industrialized or post-industrial societies expanded the definition of violence so that behavior that previously would not have been considered violence is now criminalized and counted as such in our social indicators. To address this issue, we identify subclasses of interpersonal violence where this shift appears to have occurred – specifically the cases of domestic violence, bullying and sexual assault. We then estimate trends in these subclasses over time and compare them to more traditional subclasses of violence (such as robbery and aggravated assault). To the extent that rates in violent incidents prone to culturally changing definitions either increase at a faster or decrease at a slower rate than traditional violence, we view these patterns as evidence to support the premise that cultural changes in the definition of violence may be affecting violent crime statistics. We also use the cuing structure of the NCVS screening interview to explore whether these culturally volatile forms of violence are becoming more salient to respondents over time.

Authors

• James Patrick Lynch, University of Maryland

• Lynn Addington, American University