“This book is an excellent primer on handling the mass of data and information researchers are faced with. While it is geared toward followers of criminal justice information, much of the book is a very good introduction to survey techniques discussing their strong and weak points. Most importantly, there are very good guidelines and questions that one should employ before citing any data or using data for policy decisions or for reporting on data such as journalists do. The book is written in a non-technical manner and does a very good job of explaining the nuances in reviewing data. Any researcher who utilizes data would find this valuable. While it has specific examples in the criminal justice field, it really is quite useful for any user of data.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
Crime statistics are everywhere, but how do you know when they’re valid? If a newspaper report says "the rate of overall violent crime decreased by 0.9 percent," how can you tell where that statistic came from, what it measures, and how accurate it is? Is it worth repeating or sharing? Measuring Crime: Behind the Statistics gives you the tools to interpret and evaluate crime statistics’ quality and usefulness.
The book focuses on ways of thinking about crime statistics (no formulas!) and features
Eight questions you should ask before quoting a statistic
The two sources of information about homicide
FBI statistics: what do they measure?
How victimization surveys can reflect your experiences even though you were not asked to participate
Special considerations when interpreting statistics about sexual assault and fraud
Examples of experiments and studies on how to improve crime statistics
Two online supplements containing additional details and links to data sources (see RESOURCES + DOWNLOADS)
Whether you are a law enforcement professional, journalist, student, or interested citizen, Measuring Crime: Behind the Statistics will tell you how to read statistics as a statistician would.
resources + downloads
Download "Endnotes and References"
See Q&As with the author and download a free chapter
Table of Contents
Thinking Statistically About Crime
Homicide
Police Statistics
National Crime Victimization Survey
Sampling Principles and the NCVS
NCVS Measurement and Missing Data
Judging the Quality of a Statistic
Sexual Assault
Fraud and Identity Theft
Big Data and Crime Statistics
Crime Statistics, 1915 and Beyond