Testing Theories of Crime Reporting

• In Event: New Directions in Labeling, Reintegrative Shaming, Social Support/Social Network, and General Theories of Crime

Abstract

Since the 1970s, less than half of all crimes committed in the United States have been reported to the police (Bastian and DeBerry 1991; Greenberg and Beach 2004; Langton and Berzofsky 2012). Some of these crimes may have not been witnessed, were not reportable by the victim (i.e. homicide), or may have been reported but not recorded by the police. But, the primary source of this lack of reporting is the refusal of individuals to disclose crime to police. This failure to report has remained is as recurrent as the occurrence of crime itself. Employing hypotheses derived from strain, routine activities, and race-specific theories of crime, this paper examines how crime reporting varies by gender, race, marital status, and age. Relying on data from the 2014 National Crime Victimization Survey, it asks whether general theories of crime explain crime reporting better than race-specific ones. Findings show that both theories are problematic. A synthesized approach—which combines general crime and race-specific theories—may better explain crime reporting.

Author

• Ellen T. Meiser, University of Hawaii at Manoa