Criminal Statistics - National and International (From Critique and Explanation, P 27-54, 1986, Timothy F Hartnagel and Robert A Silverman, eds. - See NCJ-102349)

• NCJ Number: 102350
• Author(s): L T Wilkins
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Transaction Publishers
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Statistics that measure legally defined crimes and the crim1nal justice system's response to them are noncomparable across intranational and international jurisdictions, but statistics that measure harms to citizens and the effectiveness of various policies in addressing and preventing these harms are comparable across jurisdictions.

Abstract

Typical victimization and criminal justice statistics measure incidents and decisionmaking within the parameters of particular jurisdictions' legal definitions and interpretations. These statistics, therefore, are not comparable across jurisdictions. Criminal justice statistics, as distinguished from victimization statistics, focus on defendant and offender characteristics and criminal justice actions in case processing. These statistics do not measure the social, physical, and economic harms to victims or the effect of public policy on the prevention and remediation of these harms. People in different countries and jurisdictions suffer similar harms apart from varying legal definitions of those harms. A database which measures these harms would be comparable across jurisdictions. Data might measure personal liberty; individual suffering other than by natural causes; human dignity in the judicial system and related self-esteem; and the fear of crime, of the authorities, and of being cheated. Measures of criminal justice system policies and actions would be analyzed in relation to data on harms in given jurisdictions to determine policy effectiveness in increasing citizens' safety and quality of life. 3 notes.