Variance of Crime Rates - National, State, and Local Contributions

• NCJ Number: 100623
• Date Published: November 1986
• Author(s): K W Allen
• Length: 69 pages
• Grant Number(s): 84-IJ-CX-0005
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Variance components analysis was used to investigate the relative contribution of local, State, and national forces on variance in Part I crime rates between 1967 and 1980.

Abstract

The initial sample consisted of 581 jurisdictions for which Uniform Crime Report Data were available for the period under study. A sample of up to 20 jurisdictions with a population of 10,000 or more in 1967 was randomly selected from each State. Results indicate that national-level forces accounted for over 50 percent of the combined cross-sectional and temporal variation in total Part I crime rates, while the influence of State-level forces was not very large. In addition, different crimes showed different patterns of influence. Methodological and policy implications of these findings are discussed. Tabular data and 13 references. (Author abstract modified)