Part 1:  Trends in Crimes and Crime Rates (50%)

There are a number of "lessons" associated with this project.  An important lesson is learning the difference between rates and numbers.

Part 1 requires that the student create two line graphs and write a one-paragraph summary of their findings.

People often confuse crime numbers with crime rates.   There is a tendency to look at a city like Houston and note that the number of crimes has increased steadily over the past two decades.  There is a tendency to conclude that the danger of an individual experiencing a crime is also increasing.   Such a conclusion, however, might be erroneous.  Houston has a rapidly expanding population so one might logically expect the number to increase, but the crime rate might remain constant or it might even fall.  Part 1 of this project explores differences between crime numbers and crime rates.

1a.   Number of Offenses in the United States (20%)

Table # 1a provides a history of criminal offenses recorded in the United States from 1976 to 2006 for several types of crimes.

Click here for Table 1a:
Historic Crime Number 1976-2006

The student will choose a specific crime (murder, assault, etc.) and create a line graph that describes trends in that crime from 1976 to 2006.  This graph explores the number of crimes in the U.S.  (The next graph explores crime rates).

Below is a link to an example the student can follow.   The example shows trends in all crime in the United States.

Click here for the Example Graph:
Total Crime Numbers in
America -- 1976 to 2006

The student's graph will look just similar to the example.  The primary difference is going to be that the student graphs a specific crime.

Basic Graphing Guidelines There are a number of considerations when creating graphs.   Please follow the basic guidelines for creating graphs at the following link. Grades, in part, are determined on how well the student follows the guidelines for creating graphs. Click here for the Guidelines for Creating a Graph

 

Excel Charts and Graphs Internet students can prepare electronically generated projects which they can attach to an e-mail message. Click here for the Guidelines for Creating Graphs in Excel

1b.   Crime Rates in the United States (20%)

Table # 1b provides a history of crime rates recorded in the United States from 1976 to 2006 for several categories of crimes.

Click here for Table 1b:
Historic Crime Rates 1976-2006

Draw another line graph using the same crime you chose to investigate in Part 1a.  This time, however, the project explores crime rates -- not numbers.

Below the student can find a link to an example of a graph that describes overall crime rates in the United States.

Click here for the Example Graph:
Total Crime Rates in
America -- 1976 to 2006.

1c.   Summary of findings (10%)

Write a one-paragraph summary of your findings.  Compare the changes in crime rates and crime numbers for the crime category you chose from 1976 to 2003.

Part 2:  Crime Rates at the State-Level (20%)

Part 2 is easy and is worth 20% of the grade for Project 1.   Follow the link below and look at Table # 2 - "States Ranked by Overall Crime Rate"  which describes crime rates at the state-level for the year 2006.   Answer the following questions.

Click here for State-Level
Crime Data: Year = 2006

Which three states experience the highest crime rates?

Which three states experience the lowest crime rates?

which three states experience the highest violent crime rates?

Which three states experience the lowest violent crime rates?

Which three states experience the highest property crime rates?

Which three states experience the lowest property crime rates?

Part 3:  Cities with the Highest Crime Rates (5%)

This section allows the student to debunk some crime myths associated with urban crime (e.g.,  "Big cities have high crime rates”).  This part is also straightforward.  It is worth 5% of the grade on Project 1. Follow the link below and look at Use Table # 2 "Cities Ranked by Overall Crime Rates"  to answer the following question. 

What are the five cities with the highest overall crime rates in the year 2006?

Click here for City-Level
Crime Data:  Year = 2006

Part 4:  Crime by Region of the Country (25%)

Part # 4  represents 25% of the grade for Project # 1.  Part 4a (a table) is worth 20% of the grade.  Part 4b (a summary) is worth 5% .

Part 4a:

What region of the country has the greatest concentration of cities with high crime rates? (South, Northeast, Midwest, and West).  Use the example table below and fill in required data.

Crime Rates by Region of the Country:  2006 Column 1 Column 2 column 3 Region Cities Relative Frequency Northeast ? ? South ? ? Midwest ? ? West ? ?       Total 150 100 (more or less)

Column 1

The first column lists the region. 

Below is a link to a map of the U.S. divided into four regions. 

See map of the U.S.
divided into four regions

Column 2

In order to determine the region with the most crimes, assign the top 150 cities listed in Table # 2 (Cities Ranked by Overall Crime Rates) to one of the four regions in the United States. The student should pay particular attention to the state where the city is found.

Click here for City-Level:
Crime Data:  Year = 2006

For example:  The first city (St. Louis) is located in Missouri   which is located in the Mid West Region.  The second city (Atlantic City) is in New Jersey which is in the North East Region

The number of cities per region goes in column 2.  Do not give me the names of the cities, just the count.

Column 3

The third column is for a relative frequency distribution.

Frequency Distributions Relative frequency distributions show the frequency of each class (region) as a part or fraction of the total frequency for the entire distribution (Witte, 1993:22). The frequency is computed using the following formula:  ((# of cities in a category / total number of cities)* 100) If the number of cities in the northeast is 23, the relative frequency of cities is ((23/150)*100) = 15.3% The sum of relative frequencies should be near 100.

Part 4b   Summary of Findings

Write a two-paragraph summary of the findings from Part 4a. 

• Use the first paragraph to summarize the findings from the chart created above in Part 4a. 

• The second paragraph gives the student an opportunity to speculate on why crimes are concentrated where they are.