Problem
A. A common occurrence of criminal behavior that takes place on college campuses everywhere is the problem of theft. Do the typologies outlined in this chapter help you reach a better understanding of this behavior? Why or why not?
B. Suppose that you are going to conduct a research project about the problem of theft on campus. You have decided to mirror the approaches taken by Wolfgang (Patterns in Criminal Homicide) and Amir (Patterns in Forcible Rape) and have titled your forthcoming report "Patterns of Campus Theft." What types of things would you look at and why? What types of things would you avoid?
C. The Uniform Crime Reports publication contains data for offenses known to the police on a number of college campuses throughout the country. Compare the crime rates for your campus to other nearby colleges and to the area in which your school is located. Can you think of any problems that undercut the reliability of these data? Access CSU's stats on the CSU Police Department webpage (Annual Security and Fire Safety Report).
D. The discussion questions in Chapter 1 dealt with some conceptual issues pertaining to the problem of theft on college campuses. Suppose that the student government at your college or university is interested in sponsoring such a victimization survey. What advice would you give regarding the design of this project?
E. Suppose that your victimology class has volunteered to construct the survey questionnaire. Develop a series of screen questions to be used in this survey.
F. What kinds of information do you think would be helpful to gather about each theft incident?
G. Suppose that the prosecutor in your area has decided to hire a victim advocate. Compose a job advertisement/job description that specifies the activities this person would undertake and the qualifications one would need for this position. Be thorough with your response.
H. The prosecutor has decided to produce an information guide that can be attached to a subpoena. Whenever a victim or witness is served, the deputy will also deliver this guide. What kind of information should this leaflet contain? Be thorough with your response.