NCJ Number
167978
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1997) Pages: 97-119
Date Published
1997
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article illustrates the utility of isoquant map analysis from the field of production theory in microeconomics for the analysis of criminal justice data.
Abstract
Cross-national comparisons of aggregate crime and justice data from the United States, England, and Sweden were used to demonstrate the ability of the isoquant map analysis technique to reveal important patterns that may be obscured by simple rate comparisons and multivariate treatments such as pooled time series analysis. For each jurisdiction, aggregate trends in criminal justice processing rates were systematically analyzed as a sequence of the following production processes: (1) gross imprisonment rates (prison population divided by resident population) were partitioned in terms of the crime rate and punitiveness (prison population divided by number of offenses); (2) punitiveness was partitioned in terms of severity and certainty of punishment; and (3) certainty of punishment was partitioned in terms of incarceration rate, conviction rate, arrest or clearance rate, and rate at which citizens reported crimes. The role of cross-jurisdictional comparisons of crime and justice data in assessments of criminal justice policies in the United States and elsewhere is examined. 19 references, 1 table, and 6 figures