Crime—an Overview - The "take" From Each Crime

In 2002 the value of the goods taken in the average crime varied. Generally, the value of goods taken is very low compared to the risk and consequences of the crime. The majority of those arrested in 2002 netted less than $200. In 37.8 percent of cases the value of the goods taken was under $50 and in 22.6 percent of cases it was between $50 and $200. It was over $200 in 39.6 percent of property crimes. Motor vehicle thefts, which are calculated separately, had the highest average loss of all property crimes in 2002—$6,701—up by 2.2 percent from 2001. The average bank robbery in 2002 netted $4,763, down by 6.5

TABLE 1.6
Ten year arrest trends, by sex, 1993–2002

	Male						Female
	Total			Under 18			Total			Under 18
Offense charged	1993	2002	Percent change	1993	2002	Percent change	1993	2002	Percent change	1993	2002	Percent change
Total1	6,891,398	6,486,470	+5.9	1,186,822	992,153	−16.4	1,689,892	1,927,513	+14.1	377,504	401,599	+6.4
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter	13,656	7,986	−41.5	2,326	795	−65.8	1,469	947	−35.5	159	91	−42.8
Forcible rape	23,201	17,141	−26.1	3,856	2,782	−27.9	308	253	−17.9	72	105	+45.8
Robbery	88,326	62,330	−29.4	24,263	14,908	−38.6	8,551	7,075	−17.3	2,242	1,430	−36.2
Aggravated assault	272,381	238,780	−12.3	41,055	29,127	−29.1	48,433	60,506	+24.9	8,372	8,955	+7.0
Burglary	227,422	154,642	−32.0	80,681	48,136	−40.3	26,329	23,835	−9.5	8,830	6,257	−29.1
Larceny-theft	645,065	459,358	−28.8	212,145	130,798	−38.3	314,387	270,467	−14.0	95,781	85,636	−10.6
Motor vehicle theft	112,582	78,955	−29.9	49,534	23,777	−52.0	15,970	15,653	−2.0	8,206	4,887	−40.4
Arson	10,847	8,507	−21.6	5,685	4,393	−22.7	1,799	1,548	−14.0	766	564	−26.4
Violent crime2	397,564	326,237	−17.9	71,500	47,612	−33.4	58,761	68,781	+17.1	10,845	10,581	−2.4
Property crime3	995,916	701,462	−29.6	348,045	207,104	−40.5	358,485	311,503	−13.1	113,583	97,344	−14.3
Crime Index4	1,393,480	1,027,699	−26.2	419,545	254,716	−39.3	417,246	380,284	−8.9	124,428	107,925	−13.3
Other assaults	600,914	596,196	−0.8	93,725	97,759	+4.3	132,123	186,098	+40.9	32,764	46,174	+40.9
Forgery and counterfeiting	42,342	43,190	+2.0	3,482	1,949	−44.0	24,022	28,652	+19.3	1,859	1,121	−39.7
Fraud	120,506	105,140	−12.8	4,270	3,472	−18.7	98,189	90,785	−7.5	2,179	1,786	−18.0
Embezzlement	4,631	5,898	+27.4	296	506	+70.9	3,279	5,917	+80.5	214	377	+76.2
Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing	88,634	63,261	28.6	25,671	13,551	−47.2	12,979	12,876	−0.8	3,137	2,215	−29.4
Vandalism	183,817	141,782	−22.9	88,566	56,527	−36.2	25,278	28,060	+11.0	9,402	8,833	−6.1
Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc.	162,611	96,141	−40.9	39,160	20,123	−48.6	13,387	8,277	−38.2	3,370	2,492	−26.1
Prostitution and commercialized vice	22,728	18,078	−20.5	320	331	+3.4	39,083	33,197	−15.1	435	627	+44.1
Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution)	63,068	54,249	−14.0	12,148	11,084	−8.8	6,004	4,944	−17.7	1,239	1,114	−10.1
Drug abuse violations	594,006	798,695	+34.5	65,051	98,383	+51.2	116,916	175,387	+50.0	8,362	18,398	+120.0
Gambling	9,314	5,954	−36.1	1,670	1,022	−38.8	1,034	546	−47.2	45	31	−31.1
Offenses against the family and children	55,344	59,802	+8.1	2,242	3,229	+44.0	12,586	19,257	+53.0	1,278	1,979	+54.9
Driving under the influence	846,497	727,089	−14.1	7,584	10,416	+37.3	137,644	152,121	+10.5	1,294	2,505	+93.6
Liquor laws	252,565	289,770	+14.7	54,032	58,648	+8.5	64,354	95,841	+48.9	21,804	29,926	+37.3
Drunkenness	452,805	313,451	−30.8	9,842	9,047	−8.1	56,738	49,528	−12.7	1,863	2,405	+29.1
Disorderly conduct	384,867	301,613	−21.6	80,673	79,064	−2.0	98,809	97,115	−1.7	23,074	33,780	+46.4
Vagrancy	11,470	12,696	+10.7	1,893	1,023	−46.0	2,111	3,006	+42.4	361	323	−10.5
All other offenses (except traffic)	1,498,770	1,730,296	+15.4	173,623	175,833	+1.3	335,741	479,372	+42.8	48,027	63,338	+31.9
Suspicion	5,200	1,748	−66.4	1,024	512	−50.0	1,031	504	−51.1	215	196	−8.8
Curfew and loitering law violations	49,007	63,454	+29.5	49,007	63,454	+29.5	19,035	28,530	+49.9	19,035	28,530	+49.9
Runaways	54,022	32,016	−40.7	54,022	32,016	−40.7	73,334	47,720	−34.9	73,334	47,720	−34.9
1Does not include suspicion.
2Violent crimes are offenses of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
3Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
4Includes arson.
SOURCE: "Table 33: Ten-Year Arrest Trends by Sex, 1993–2002," in Crime in the United States 2002, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, DC, 2003

percent from 2001. Robberies of convenience stores resulted in an average of $665 taken in 2002. The average burglary in 2002 resulted in a loss of $1,549, while pocket-picking and purse-snatching accounted for losses averaging $328 and $332, respectively. (See Table 1.8.)

When a criminal steals money, as in the case of a bank robber or purse-snatcher, he or she can usually spend the stolen cash. However, in the case of burglary or motor vehicle theft the criminal almost never collects the total value of the stolen property. While the value of the stolen goods in a typical burglary might be $1,549, the thief has no way to sell it for its real value. He or she usually takes it to a fence (a person who buys and sells stolen goods). The fence may pay as little as 10 percent of the value of the item or items, depending on how easily he or she feels it will be to find a buyer for the stolen property. Thus, a $400 VCR could be worth as little as $40 to the thief.

Recovery Rate for Stolen Property

In 2002 only 36.1 percent of the value of stolen property was recovered. The recovered value of motor vehicles in 2002 was highest, at 63.1 percent, followed by livestock (19.0 percent), clothing and furs (12.5 percent), consumable goods (10.6 percent), and firearms (8.9 percent). Recovery rates for jewelry, precious metals, and office equipment averaged around 5.5 percent in 2002, while theft victims recovered televisions, stereos, and other electronics only 4.2 percent of the time. (See Table 1.9.)