Chapter 2 Chapter Summary

This chapter explains the complexities of identifying, processing, and counting crime in Canada. The five major types of crime are described and reporting rates for each are identified. Although crime impacts all of us both directly and indirectly, most of the public’s attention is focused on street crimes such as violent offences and property offences. This is problematic, as less consideration has been paid to the crimes of the powerful.

The chapter identifies three different ways to determine how much crime exists in Canada: the rate of crime per 100,000 population, the crime severity index, and victimization surveys. Although all three methods allow us to make nationwide crime comparisons, they all have limitations. When these three methods are used in conjunction with each other, a more accurate picture of the crime problem is painted (although we must keep in mind that our knowledge of crime is incomplete at best). The chapter focuses on the importance of working towards a better understanding of crime as the more that we know about the seriousness of the crime problem, the more effective we can be at developing crime reduction strategies.