In the United States, both the rate of crimes committed and the rate of individuals incarcerated are high; and only increasing. In the media we see reports that the population is becoming more and more violent; The idea that girls are becoming more violent is also a prevalent issue. Many of these reports are created with information from the three major sources of crime data. These include the Uniformed Crime Data (UCR), the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). All these sources provide different types of information about crime. It is important to understand how and who collects data; therefore we are able to interpret the data accurately. To put these sources into practice, we looked at an episode of Law and Order. In doing so, it became apparent that no source accurately described the episode. Therefore, a decrease in crime in the United States is unlikely to occur without an accurate source of crime data. The main source of crime data in the United States is contained in the Uniformed Crime Data Report (UCR). This report is collected in the field when any type of arrest is made. The data is then sent to the FBI for publication. The UCR focuses only on specific crimes, called Part One and Part Two crimes. Part 1 crimes include aggravated assault, murder, rape, robbery, arson, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Because of this focus, when the uniformed officer creates a report, only the most serious crime is reported, leaving out any other forms of crime that may have occurred. Another problem in collecting data for the UCR is that only crimes actually known to the police are included. Stacy Mallicoat... middle of the paper... all the crimes that happened would be documented. The best source for an accurate picture of the episode would be an NCVS survey. Within the survey, the victimization Amanda suffered at the hands of her sister would be evident. These crimes would include forgery and burglary. Furthermore, a survey asking Kim the same questions would reveal the victimization she experienced at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. The murder that occurred in the episode would be the only unreported crime. In conclusion, although the NCVS survey more accurately describes the victimization Amanda faced, it does not give us a clear picture of everything. The UCR and NIBRS are an excellent source for reported crimes. As Mallicoat (2012) states “Every data source has both strengths and weaknesses. Together they can provide a wealth of invaluable information for understanding gender and crime” (p. 4)