NCJ Number
103182
Date Published
1985
Length
141 pages
Annotation
During the second half of 1984, a group of experts from European countries met to consider data from the Second United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and their implications for crime prevention and control in Europe.
Abstract
This report provides a cross-national analysis of criminal justice statistics. The first part examines the operation of European criminal justice systems, analyzing the flow of cases through an idealized system. Case flow is traced from the commission of an offense through reporting, recording, investigation, prosecution, adjudication, and corrections. The second part consists of individual, concise profiles of the operations of criminal justice systems in 21 European nations. Based on this analysis, the report concludes that reported crime has increased, despite heavy investments in manpower and resources. Further, there is no clear relationship between criminal justice resources and the crime problem. The risk of criminal victimization appears to have little to do with crime control policies, but rather is explained by a combination of demographic factors; opportunities available to commit crime; and general social, political, and economic conditions. Consequently, the potential of various crime control options need to be reappraised particularly the extent of the use of imprisonment. 4 references.