Exploring Crime Data In Relation To Sexual Assault In Canada

Students will be required to write a different types of crime data in relation to a specific offence. You will be required to select a UCR crime of your choice that win allow you to practice your research skills as you explore how crime data is used by criminologists to prevent crime. If you are unsure whether or not a particular crime type is suitable, please contact your instructor for help. 

Once a specific criminal offence has been selected. students will begin to explore data currently available to the general public from Statistics Canada. To get an idea of what constitutes your crime. you should find the criminal code definition of the offence and the punishment associated with it. This criminal code definition should be included In your paper and properly cited. 

Next. you will need to read and extract data pertaining to your offence from the Uniform Crime Report from Statistics Canada. You will need to provide the statistics of your crime at both the provincial (BC) and national (Canada) level for the most recent year available. How many actual offences were reported? What was the crime rate (per 100,000)7 What is the percentage of change In rate? (What is the trend of your crime? Is it increasing or decreasing?) What is the crime severity Index ,k (CSI) value for your offence? (You will need to determine what category your offence falls, within , such as voilent vs. property).

You will need to determine what category your offence falls You will also need to find data that describes the level of victimization for your selected offence type. You will need to look at the General Social Survey to determine prevalence andlor characteristics or other notable aspects of your criminal offence type. 

Next. you will need to select a criminological theory that explains why your selected crime occurs. You will want to explain what your them is. who created it. and how it relates to your selected crime. 

Lastly. you will examine different ways the criminal justice system has responded to this offence type. You will select one initiative that Is currently being used (provincial or national level) and briefly describe how it addresses this crime and what progress has been made to reduce and prevent future crime. 

Legal Definition of Crime

For the purpose of this criminological paper, we shall look at various categories of crime data that relates to sexual assault offense. In this case, the selected UCR crime is sexual assault. Sexual assault is defined as an action where by an individual touches another person sexually in an intentional manner without his or her coerces or consent. It also involves forced sexual intercourse without the other person's approval. Sexual assault is one of the kinds of sexual violence that involves among others rape, torture, child sexual abuse and groping. Hence forth sexual assault involves child abuse, Domestic violence, elderly sexual assault, sexual harassment and finally mass sexual assault. The criminal code of Canada section 265 clearly explains the crimes of sexual assault and assault. As per section 271, it is criminal to engage in sexual assault in the area of Canada. Also section 272 and section 273 make it criminal to engage in any form of sexual assault that results into body harm, threatens the other part or using a weapon and sexual assault that is aggravated in nature respectively.

Therefore; this paper will illustrate more about crime, its statistics and various criminological theories used in Canada to decrease the crime. Sexual assault constitutes of various actions ranging from assault or sexual abuse. To note, sex assaulters are mostly supervisors of the victims, co-workers, customers or client. Harassers are always of different genders either male or female. Most legal settings consider sexual harassment as being illegal.

However, most of the laws against sexual assault do not condemn simple teasing, minor isolated cases and offhand comments because they do not consist of the "general civility code". To note, most of the workplaces sexual assault is considered illegal if it is severe or frequent thereby creating an offensive or hostile work environment.  According to Canada's code of crime, if an individual accused person is charged with committing an offense under "section 151 or 152, subsection 173(2) or section 271" in favor of the client being harassed is a defense that person harassed is the subject matter. if the person is guilty of sexual harassment, he or she is imprisoned for at least 14 years in prison. According to Canadian Code of crime, if the person is guilty of sexual harassment, he is punished basing of brief conviction and he or she is also imprisoned for at least 2 years (Federal Bureau of the investigation, 2017). Therefore, sexual assault is a very serious offence depending on the nature of assault committed if its sexual harassment the above actions may apply, it is rape it may and other offences which are capital by their very nature may result into life imprisonment depending.

A crime refers to the act omitted or committed that violets the public rules or law, either commanding or forbidding it. In other words, a crime is a violation or breach of a given public duty or right of the entire community. The term crime includes all categories of offenses but mostly limited to "confined felony." In this case, an offense can be assumed to have the same meaning with a crime but it’s any crime that is not described but punishable. In addition, felony refers to any serious crime that is punishable by one or more years in prison. Felony includes custodial interference and kidnapping.  In this case, crimes are always assessed and punished by the state and also common law. Further, most of the offenses are commonly described as statutes. To note, crimes are "mala in se", also bad that is to say; offenses the violate the moral act or law; or crimes are also "mala prohibita", meaning that they are badly prohibited of being unlawful to the state policies (Cotter & Beaupre, 2012).

In Canada, sexual assault has always been recognized as an act of discrimination an individual's gender, violation of the rights of the vulnerable like the young and others. For very many years, sexual assault was considered by both provincial and federal human rights body. According to recent statistics of Canada, sexual assault has declined. However, there are recent cases in workplaces and schools that indicate continued sexual assaults mostly in systematic ways that are to say; "throughout a workplace, home, schools as a whole, rather than single incidents of sexual assault." In case an individual faces sexual assaultswhile at school or workplace, home on way there are various remedies. Some of the working places have various sexual harassment laws that require internal remedies and investigation.

 However, many people who are sexually assaulted are always lazy to report the cases due to the fear to lose their jobs, privacy concerns among others.  For instance According to recent sexual harassment statistics of Canada, they indicate that 635,000 incidences happened in 2014. The rate of sexual harassment has reduced by 87% as compared to the previous years. According to Boyce (2016), "The reporting rate just keeps dropping and it can’t drop much lower, and the prevalence stays the same. So we’re not making any progress here". However, Black et al (2011) describe that the rate of sexual harassment has never decreased as women always feel powerless whenever issues concerned about sexual harassment re-discussed making the issues dismissed.

Numhauser & Laulom (2012) explains that sexual assault has continued being a major problem in Canada for all women, children and other vulnerable populations. In this case, women that are working in jobs that are not sure or less paying are considered to be vulnerable. Additionally, women of different color races are always at high risks of facing sexual assault cases.  According to the survey by McLaughlin et al (2012), ninety-four percent of women have ever experienced sexual assault at their workplaces, home and other sorroundings while the disabled people faced assault compared to the rest of the people. Further, at least sixty percent of the people in Canada have ever experienced sexual harassment both men and women (Breiding et al, 2014). Further, most workers in Canada experience sexual harassment at least twice a year. In 2016, the police of Canada reported at least six thousand nine hundred seventeen cases of sexual harassment against both old people and children. Most the sexual harassment was against children in form of sexual interference. Further, the report of Canadian police also indicates an increase in sexual harassment by thirty percent between 2016 and 2017 ( National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, 2012).

According to too the General social survey, sexual assault victims are at higher chances of having depression and anxiety. In this case, women who are ever experienced sexual assaults are in most cases likely to acquire signs of depression, anxiety, poor sleep and 'high blood pressure'. In addition, GSS indicates that the victims are always most like to suffer from such problems in the future. To note, "Experiencing sexual assault  does not only create an implication on some one's life but also his or her job performance and social functioning”.  In addition, sexual assault also creates an implication on some one's physical and mental health. According to the survey done by Lisak et al (2010), forty women who have experienced sexually assaults were measured and the results indicated that at least nineteen percent of the women interviewed experienced sexual assaults. Therefore, people who had experience in sexual assaults reported poor sleep as compared to those people who have never experienced sexual assaults. In addition, the victims also had depression and anxiety symptoms. Therefore, the survey indicates the impact of sexual assaults on the lives of the victims (Stevens et al, 2013).

For the purpose of explaining more about sexual assaults crimes in Canada, a critical theory of criminology is selected. In this case, a critical theory was created by Jurgen Habermas. The theory illustrates that few of the elite people in the society make their definitions and laws of crime and those who committed various crimes always disagree with various laws that were formed to regulate crimes. In this case, the theory is made up of different perspectives that create a challenge why various offenses are committed. In addition, the theory, considers crime to be an oppression product of various workers that are disadvantaged within the society such as the poor people (Walters et al, 2013). The theory related to sexual assault as it explains why women are offended by men. Further, critical theory focuses on analyzing why bosses sexually assault their workers, why teachers harass students and how the justice system handles sex assaults (Commonwealth of Australia, 2017).

The criminal justice has responded to sexual harassment in Canada by advising employers to handle internal issues relating to sexual assault. In addition, the criminal systems have advised employers to implement flexible ways of solving the matter before it is brought to the third party. Therefore, it is the role of employers to use various recommendations so as to reduce the level of the crime at workplaces. Further, the criminal justice of Canada has implemented various sexual assault policies that can help in reducing the rate of crimes (National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, 2012).

Conclusion

In summary, sexual assault in Canada is a continuous problem that does not favor, and not accepted by the receiver. Sexual assault is in form of physical or visual, verbal and non-verbal. In Canada, recent reports indicate that sexual assaults have at least decreased as compared to the past years. In simple terms, sexual assaults may endanger the job of the victim, health, family, life, his or her job performance and also undermining one's dignity (Federal Bureau of investigation, 2017). 

References

Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S .G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., … Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 summary report. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: https://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

Breeding, M. J., Chen J., & Black, M. C. (2014). Intimate Partner Violence in the United States — 2010. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: https://www.cdc. gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf  

Boyce, J. 2016. “Victimization of Aboriginal People in Canada, (2014).” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Commonwealth of Australia. ( 2017). "Recorded crime – Offenders, 2015-16." Australian Bureau of Statistics. Catalog no. 4519.0.

Cotter, A. and P. Beaupré. (2012). "Police-reported sexual offenses against children and youth in Canada, 2012." Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2017). Crime in the United States: Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June, 2016. Criminal Justice Information Services Division. The United States of America.

Lisak, D., Gardinier, L., Nicksa, S. C., & Cote, A. M. (2010). False allegations of sexual assault: An analysis of ten years of reported cases. Violence Against Women, 16, 1318-1334. doi:10.1177/1077801210387747

McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C., & Blackstone, A. (2012).Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and t Connell, R.W. (1987).Gender and Power: Society, the Person, and Sexual Politics. Stanford: Stanford University Press

Numhauser-Henning, A. &Laulom, S. (2012). Harassment related to Sex and Sexual Harassment Law in 33 European Countries. European Network of Legal Experts in the Field of Gender Equality: Discrimination versus Dignity. European Union   

National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. (2012). National Plan to Prevent the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. Retrieved from https://www.preventtogether.org/Resources/Documents/ NationalPlan2012FINAL.pdf  ()

Stevens, G., T. Hartnagel, D. Odynak, and J. Brazil. (2013). “Demographic trends and crime in the province of Alberta.” International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies. Vol. 4, no. 1. p. 24-41

Walters, M.L., Chen J., & Breiding, M.J. (2013). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control:   https://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_SOfindings.pdf