NCJ Number
147902
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: (July 1993) Pages: 116-126
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Crime rates are influenced by the way various agencies screen cases at different recording stages; therefore, police statistics do not necessarily represent good measures of actual crime.
Abstract
The degree to which police screen cases can be estimated, and a recording index (RI) can be applied to "correct" statistics from various police departments. Assuming that different crime types are more susceptible to police detection, a ratio of screenable versus nonscreenable crimes can be computed. This ratio or RI is assumed to be an indicator of police activity, namely the tendency to record criminal events. It can be used to adjust official crime rates and may be a better measure of actual crime than original statistics. The RI is applied to violent crime, robbery, and property crime rates in Australia. Limitations of using the RI are noted, and the RI's reliance on the actual screenability of different offenses is stressed. 9 references, 1 note, and 8 tables