Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arson, 2013

Since 1930, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has compiled the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) to serve as periodic nationwide assessments of reported crimes not available elsewhere in the criminal justice system. Seven main classifications of crime were chosen to gauge fluctuations in the overall volume and rate of crime. These seven classifications that eventually became known as the Crime Index included the violent crimes of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, and the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. By congressional mandate, arson was added as the eighth Index offense in 1979. Arson is defined as any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc. The arson data files include monthly data on the number of arson offenses reported and the number of offenses cleared by arrest or other means. The counts include all reports of arson received from victims, officers who discovered infractions, or other sources.

自1930年起，联邦调查局（Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI）便编制统一犯罪报告（Uniform Crime Reports, UCR），用以出具刑事司法体系内其他渠道无法提供的全国已报案犯罪情况定期评估报告。该报告选定七类主要犯罪类型，用于衡量犯罪总规模与犯罪率的波动情况。这七类最终被确立为犯罪指数（Crime Index）的犯罪分类，涵盖暴力犯罪与财产犯罪两大范畴：其中暴力犯罪包括谋杀与非过失杀人罪、强制性强奸罪（forcible rape）、抢劫罪与严重攻击罪（aggravated assault）；财产犯罪则包括入室盗窃罪（burglary）、盗窃罪（larceny-theft）与机动车盗窃罪（motor vehicle theft）。1979年，根据国会法定要求，纵火（arson）被新增为第八项指数犯罪。纵火的定义为：任何蓄意或恶意焚烧或企图焚烧住宅、公共建筑、机动车、航空器或他人私人财产等行为，无论是否具有诈骗目的。纵火数据文件包含两类月度统计数据：一是报案纵火案件数，二是经逮捕或其他方式告破的纵火案件数。该统计涵盖所有来自受害者、发现违规行为的执法人员及其他渠道的纵火报案。