FROM A COMPILATION OF FBI STATISTICS ON CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN THE U.S. DURING THE 1970'S, IT IS APPARENT THAT THE LEVEL OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST 8 YEARS, WITH THE RATE FOR INDEX CRIMES UP BY ALMOST 27 PERCENT, ADULT PROSECUTIONS UP ABOUT 9 PERCENT, AND JUVENILE REFERRALS UP BY 36 PERCENT. BETWEEN 1971 AND 1977, THERE HAS BEEN A 40.7 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ADULT FELONS IN STATE AND FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS, WHILE BETWEEN 1971 AND 1975 THERE WAS A DECREASE OF 14.2 PERCENT IN THE NUMBER OF JUVENILES IN PUBLIC DETENTION AND CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. THE NUMBER OF INMATES RELEASED TO PAROLE HAS INCREASED EVERY YEAR. THE FEAR OF BECOMING A CRIME VICTIM IS PERVASIVE, ACCORDING TO VICTIMIZATION SURVEYS, ALTHOUGH DIFFERENCES EMERGE ACCORDING TO TYPE OF OFFENSE AND RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS. THE RANK ORDER OF VICTIMIZATION RATES AMONG ALL CRIMES HAS REMAINED THE SAME OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS, AND THE RATE FOR EACH OFFENSE HAS REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE. VICTIMIZATION RATES ARE HIGHER FOR MALES THAN FEMALES, HIGHER FOR BLACKS THAN WHITES, HIGHER FOR THE POOR THAN THE AFFLUENT EXCEPT FOR LARCENY WITHOUT CONTACT, AND HIGHER FOR THE YOUNG. OVERALL, THE DATA SHOW THAT CRIME IS A PREDOMINANTLY MALE ENTERPRISE, AMONG BOTH ADULTS AND JUVENILES: THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES IN ARREST RATES BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES FOR THE SERIOUS OFFENSES (MURDER, ROBBERY, BURGLARY, ASSAULT, CAR THEFT) AND SMALL DIFFERENCES FOR THE LESS SERIOUS OFFENSES (LARCENY, FORGERY, FRAUD, EMBEZZLEMENT). REGARDLESS OF THE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF DEATH SENTENCES BY YEARS, THE MURDER AND RAPE ARREST RATES HAVE REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE COMPARED TO OTHER OFFENSES OVER THE YEARS. IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT THE DETERRENT POTENTIAL OF THE DEATH SENTENCE. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)