These trends are what lead to new theories in criminology. In addition, Uniform Crime Reports can provide information about people that have been charged or arrested. Just as many other aspects of our criminal justice system, Uniform Crime Reports have received criticism. .
The primary issue is that many victims of certain offenses do not contact the police to make an official report. Many people prefer to not contact the authorities, because they do not believe they can, nor will give any desired assistance. Such is the truth for many victims of White Collar Crime, and Rape. The White Collar Crimes include but are not limited to Embezzlement, Cyber Crimes, Identity Theft, Insider Trading, etc. The data from these Uniform Crime Reports only give you statistics for reported crimes. Although Uniform Crime Reports are very important in giving us a stronger understanding of crime, it is not totally reliable, as it does not report on crimes that the police never get a chance to hear about. Even with these limitations, Uniform Crime Reports are still an essential tool, used as a part of the decision making process for policing crimes, and developing theories in criminology in the United States.
The National Crime Victimization Survey, or NCVS, is the other major crime statistical database. National Crime Victimization Surveys are a large series of interviewing programs. These Surveys report on the, "Dark Element of Crime," which are unreported crimes. These surveys are our nation's primary source of information, that give us a perspective on crime from the victims within society. The National Crime Victimization Survey helps to prove theories about the nature of a crime, and its effect on society. The National Crime Victimization Survey is an annual data collection, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. National Crime Surveys are used to determine the extent and nature of crimes, and the effect it has on its victims.
