NCJ Number
53946
Date Published
1977
Length
219 pages
Annotation
THE TRANSURBAN MODEL OF COLLECTING CRIME STATISTICS IS OUTLINED AND RECOMMENDED. A HISTORY OF CRIME STATISTICS IS PRESENTED.
Abstract
THIS STUDY AIMED TO FILL A VOID IN THE LITERATURE ON WORLD CRIME STATISTICS AND TO PROPOSE A MODEL SYSTEM WHEREBY DATA COULD BE ACQUIRED, ANALYZED, AND APPLIED. THE MODEL HAS THE FOLLOWING APPLICATIONS: (1) THE DETERMINATION OF CRIME TRENDS, (2) THE PLANNING OF PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAMS, (3) THE PRODUCTION OF EMPIRICAL DATA TO TEST CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES, (4) THE CORRELATION OF CRIME RATES WITH OTHER SOCIAL DATA IN AN ATTEMPT TO MEASURE A SOCIETY'S QUALITY OF LIFE, AND (5) THE FACILITATION OF WORLD SOCIAL PLANNING. HISTORY OF THE GATHERING OF CRIME STATISTICS INDICATES THAT ALL PAST EFFORTS AT COLLECTING CRIME HAVE BEEN DONE AT THE LEVEL OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT NATIONS SHARING GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY SHOULD COMBINE THEIR STATISTICAL REPORTS. ANOTHER METHOD MIGHT BE A GROUPING OF NATIONS THAT SHARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CULTURAL TRAITS (E.G., LANGUAGE, ETHNICITY, AND RELIGION) AND TO EXAMINE THEM AS A WHOLE. ABOVE ALL, THIS STUDY ADVOCATES USE OF THE TRANSURBAN MODEL. THE TRANSBURBAN MODEL IS BASED ON THE PROPOSITION THAT THE BEST METHOD OF ACQUIRING WORLD CRIME STATISTICS IS TO COLLECT THEM FROM MAJOR URBAN CENTERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, WITHOUT REFERENCE TO NATIONAL BOUNDARIES OR NATIONAL STATISTICS. THE MODEL ASSUMES THAT STATISTICS OBTAINED AT THE URBAN LEVEL WILL BE THE MOST VALID AND RELIABLE PRODUCED WITHIN A GIVEN SOCIETY. IT IS POSTULATED THAT THE ULTIMATE TEST OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION IS UTILITY, AND THAT OPPONENTS OF THE TRANSURBAN MODEL WILL SUPPORT THE MODEL IF AND WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT IT WILL ASSIST THEM IN THEIR WORK. THIS STUDY RECOMMENDS THAT THE UNITED NATIONS UNDERTAKE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRANSURBAN MODEL. FIGURES, TABLES, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MLC)