Clearance rate in criminal justice is computed by dividing the total number of cleared crimes by the total number of crimes in the records. It is normally used to discern the total number of crimes that have been solved by the police. Clearance rate is not a good criterion in comparing the various police services and gauging the performance of the police services. A crime rate gives the frequency and the pace at which crimes takes place overtime in the society. Given that crimes normally occur secretly, accurate measurements of its occurrence is almost impossible. Many ways of measuring crime exists, these includes hospital insurance records, households surveys and agency compilations. Despite the existence of these methods of measuring crimes, some crimes normally go unreported, making it difficult to establish the actual crime rate. Arrest rates on the other hand is the total number times arrests are made either by police or any other agency that has the power to make arrest, it is normally lessened to the type of crime that has been committed.
As indicated by the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), arrests rates relate to crime rates, even though the results established under this agency are dubious. Notably, there is no accurate method that can be used to foresee a crime, despite this it is clear that the higher the crime rate the higher the arrest rate (Sutherland, Cressey, & Luckenbill, 1992, p. 167). Densely populated areas normally experience higher crime rates, clearance rates on the other hand are normally uniform across the society depending on the type of the crime. In criminology, a certain glitch indicates that increase in arrest rates reduces the occurrence of crime in the society; this is more of a measurement error because sometimes there is an outcome where increase in the crime activity has been necessitated by increase in arrest rates.
Many ways can be employed to provide solutions to improve the correlation between attest rates, crime rates, and clearance rates. In order to establish the unreported crimes, public surveys should be enhanced in areas where crimes are perceived to be high, since such surveys are usually more reliable in gauging trends. Law enforcement agencies should work in collaboration with the surveyors so that measurement errors are avoided in establishing the actual correlation between arrest rates, crime rates, and clearance rates.
There is a need to improve the method used in auditing, compiling, and publishing the reports found. Using advanced method of data collection and analysis will help establish more accurate data hence signifying accurately the relationship that exists between crime rates, clearance rates, and arrest rates. By using technical programs, law agencies will be in a position to collect crime data hence demonstrating the true nature of crime patterns across the nations. In order to find a credible solution, police are advised not to focus much on clearance rate since it normally leads to high clearance rate scores rather than solve the crime rates.
Arguably, there is a way of combating criminal activity by improving the correlation between, arrest rates, crime rates, and clearance rates. Law agencies and police should adopt a more accurate way of compiling, auditing, and analyzing the reports collected. Surveys are important in collecting accurate reports that relate to crime rates. Adopting these measures will help combat criminal activity since accurate reports will be used to draw deliberate plans to reduce crime.
References
Sutherland, E. H., Cressey, D. R., & Luckenbill, D. F. (1992). Principles of criminology. New
York [u.a.: General Hall.
