NCJ Number
220695
Editor(s)
Mike Hough,
Mike Maxfield
Date Published
2007
Length
331 pages
Annotation
The chapters in this book describe the important contributions to criminological theory and justice policy produced by the British Crime Survey (BCS) and other crime surveys.
Abstract
This book marks the 25th anniversary of the British Crime Survey (BCS), which was first incorporated into the field in 1982. The BCS has been subject to small changes over the last 25 years, but the genre remains largely unchanged. All of the authors contributed to the BCS in various ways over the years, and have expertise in crime surveys in Britain and elsewhere. A recurring theme throughout the book is the poor representation of many crimes and types of victims in traditional crime surveys. The 14 (out of 16) chapters in this book all addressed the issue of whether the crime survey should continue into the 21st century, and discuss the ability of the crime survey to guarantee reliable findings in the future. Chapter 1 discusses the history and policy implications of the BCS and crime surveys in general. Chapter 2 traces the development of the BCS, noting its origins in policy and research. Chapter 3 describes the history of repeat victimization and the measurement of crime. Chapter 4 traces the victim-offender gap. Chapter 5 describes the development of a survey that focuses on self-reported offending. Chapter 6 examines dimensions of victimizations. Chapter 7 provides an overview of the International Crime Victims Survey. Chapter 8 traces the evolution of the NCVS. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss the use of crime surveys to measure police performance. Chapter 11 gauges public attitudes on crime and punishment. Chapter 12 summarizes the research on fear of crime. Chapter 13 argues that crime surveys yield little valuable information. Chapter 14 describes accumulated knowledge about fraud. Chapter 15 describes how changes in the social environment of surveys have reduced response rates, presenting new challenges in surveys. The final chapter summarizes the themes and issues raised in the previous chapters. Notes, references, appendix