NCJ Number
43906
Date Published
1974
Length
19 pages
Annotation
THE AUTHOR REVIEWS RESEARCH PROJECTS ON VICTIMIZATION AND CRIME DAMAGE STATISTICS, DISCUSSING PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH INTERPRETING RESEARCH SURVEYS.
Abstract
VICTIMIZATION WAS STUDIED BY MEANS OF A NUMBER OF NATIONAL FINNISH SURVEYS OF REPRESENTATIVE POPULATION SAMPLES ADAPTED FROM AMERICAN GALLUP POLLS. THE FIELD WORK WAS DONE BY LOCAL MARKET RESEARCH INSTITUTES. THE RESPONDENTS IN THE FINNISH SURVEY IN 1973 WERE ASKED WHETHER THEY HAD BEEN VICTIMIZED DURING THE PRECEDING 2 YEARS; IF THEY HAD, SOME DETAILS OF THE MOST RECENT CASE WERE RECORDED. IN ADDITION, INFORMATION ON STANDARD BACKGROUND VARIABLES, SUCH AS SEX, AGE, OCCUPATION, AND TYPE OF LOCALITY OF RESIDENCE, WAS OBTAINED. SOME FLAWS WITH USING A SINGLE CROSS-SECTION SURVEY ARE NOTED, SUCH AS WHETHER QUESTIONS ON THE TIME SPAN SHOULD INCLUDE THE PAST WEEK, MONTH, OR YEAR, AND HOW ONE ACCOUNTS FOR THE RESPONDENT'S POSSIBLE MEMORY ERRORS OR THE BIASED REPRESENTATIVENESS OF MARKET RESEARCH SAMPLES. THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT WHAT HAS BEEN MEASURED IS USUALLY NO DIRECT INDICATOR OF RISKS, BUT ONLY OF VICTIM PERCENTAGES, AND THAT IT IS NOT ALWAYS VERY CLEAR WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING MEASURED. OTHER PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH INTERPRETATION CONCERN THE BASIS FOR MAKING INFERENCES ABOUT CHANGES IN RISKS, I.E., IT IS OFTEN NOT KNOWN WHETHER THE CHANCES FOR VICTIMIZATION HAVE CHANGED OR WHETHER THE RISKS HAVE CHANGED, OR BOTH, WHEN A CERTAIN CHANGE IN SELF-REPORTED VICTIMIZATION IS RECORDED. LITTLE IS ALSO KNOWN ABOUT THE SCALE OF CHANGES. EXISTING INFORMATION ON DAMAGES CAUSED BY CRIME IN FINLAND IS BASED ON INDIVIDUAL STUDIES OF LIMITED SCOPE. THE STATISTICS CONVEY MAINLY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PERPETRATOR OF THE OFFENSE. FOR VALID EVALUATION OF CRIMINAL POLICY, HOWEVER, INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THE DAMAGE LEVEL OF CRIMES. THE EXPERIMENT ON CRIME DAMAGE STATISTICS WAS LAUNCHED IN THE BEGINNING OF 1973 AND CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIMENT WAS TO PERFORM A PILOT STUDY IN PREPARATION FOR A MORE EXTENSIVE CRIME DAMAGE STATISTICS SYSTEM. THE PILOT STUDY WAS LIMITED TO TWO TYPES OF CRIME, CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AND CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY. THE POLICE IN SIX DISTRICTS FILLED OUT CRIME DAMAGE FORMS ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE VICTIM. AS A RESULT OF EXPERIENCES FROM THE EXPERIMENT, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE FOLLOWING TABLES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN STATISTICAL TIME SERIES ABOUT CRIME DAMAGES: VALUE OF LOSS, VALUE OF RECOVERED PROPERTY, INJURIES CAUSED BY CRIMES OF VIOLENCE, LOST WORKING DAYS AND CRIME-ORIGINATED INVALIDITY CASES, THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS OF SOME CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AND SOME PROPERTY CRIMES, AND INFORMATION ABOUT HOW LARGE A PROPORTION OF VICTIMS OF CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AND VICTIMS OF PROPERTY CRIMES HAVE SUFFERED SOME KIND OF DAMAGE. RESEARCH REPORTS CONNECTED WITH THE PROJECTS ARE LISTED IN AN APPENDIX. -- IN ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN.