What are offender characteristics, and how are they used in crime analysis? Focus your attention on the three categories of temporal, spatial, and sociodemographic characteristics.
Below, you will find a link to NYPD’s CompStat 2.0. This is a great tool for the police and the public. The police use the tool to identify crime trends to assist them strategically and tactically.
As with all crime statistics, there will be a discrepancy in the actual number of crimes due to many crimes not being reported. Unreported crimes or crimes not known to the police is called the dark figure of crime.
Do you see any trends?
Supporting research must be scholarly and have been published within the past 5-10 years. The more recent, the better.
Please let me know if you need anything from me, I have sources I can attach to this assignment.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Title: Offender Characteristics in Crime Analysis: Temporal, Spatial, and Sociodemographic Factors
Offender characteristics play a crucial role in crime analysis, providing valuable insights into the patterns, motives, and potential prevention strategies for criminal activities. This essay aims to explore the significance of offender characteristics, specifically focusing on the categories of temporal, spatial, and sociodemographic factors, and their utilization in crime analysis.
Temporal Characteristics:
Temporal characteristics refer to the time-related aspects of criminal activities. This includes analyzing the timing, frequency, and duration of criminal incidents. Research by R. L. Akers and C. S. Sellers (2013) highlights the importance of understanding temporal patterns in criminal behavior. By examining the times of day, days of the week, and seasonal variations in crime occurrences, law enforcement agencies can strategically allocate resources and enhance patrol strategies during high-risk periods.
Spatial Characteristics:
Spatial characteristics involve the geographic locations and distribution of criminal activities. According to a study by J. R. Hinkle and M. A. Weisburd (2016), spatial analysis is essential for identifying crime hotspots, understanding the diffusion of criminal behavior, and implementing targeted interventions in high-crime areas. By utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial mapping techniques, law enforcement agencies can effectively deploy resources to prevent and respond to crimes based on their spatial patterns.
Sociodemographic Characteristics:
Sociodemographic characteristics encompass the social and demographic attributes of offenders, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other relevant factors. Research by L. Mazerolle et al. (2013) emphasizes the role of sociodemographic characteristics in understanding offender typologies and modus operandi. By examining the demographic profiles of offenders, law enforcement can tailor crime prevention programs and interventions to address specific risk factors associated with different demographic groups.
The NYPD’s CompStat 2.0 is an exemplary tool that leverages offender characteristics to identify crime trends and inform strategic policing initiatives. By analyzing temporal patterns, such as peak crime hours or seasonal variations, the NYPD can optimize patrol schedules to address high-risk periods effectively. Moreover, through spatial analysis, the NYPD can identify crime hotspots and allocate resources for targeted policing efforts in areas with a high concentration of criminal activities.
As for sociodemographic characteristics, the NYPD can utilize offender profiles to understand the demographics of individuals involved in criminal activities within specific neighborhoods or communities. This information can aid in developing community-based interventions and outreach programs tailored to address the unique sociodemographic risk factors associated with different offender groups.
Regarding trends and the dark figure of crime, the CompStat 2.0 tool may reveal patterns in reported crimes; however, it is essential to acknowledge the existence of unreported or unknown crimes—the dark figure of crime—which may not be fully captured by official statistics. Analyzing trends in reported crimes can provide valuable insights, but it is imperative to consider the limitations imposed by underreporting when interpreting crime data.
In conclusion, offender characteristics, encompassing temporal, spatial, and sociodemographic factors, serve as critical components in crime analysis and strategic policing efforts. By leveraging these characteristics, law enforcement agencies can identify crime trends, allocate resources effectively, and tailor interventions to address specific risk factors associated with different offender profiles.
References:
Akers, R. L., & Sellers, C. S. (2013). Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application. Oxford University Press.
Hinkle, J. R., & Weisburd, M. A. (2016). The irony of broken windows policing: A micro-place study of the relationship between disorder, focused police crackdowns and fear of crime. Journal of Criminal Justice, 45, 1-10.
Mazerolle, L., Rombouts, S., McBroom, J., & Hibdon, J. (2013). Street-level drug law enforcement: A meta-analytical review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 9(4), 459-487.
If you have specific sources you’d like me to include or reference in this assignment, please feel free to attach them for further integration into the essay.
