WORLD CRIME - TO MEASURE OR NOT TO MEASURE? (FROM CRIME AND DEVIANCE, P 17-41, 1980, BY GRAEME R NEWMAN - SEE NCJ-71075)

• NCJ Number: 69333
• Author(s): L T WILKINS
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 25 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

CURRENT DEMANDS FOR STATISTICAL DATA ON CRIME ARE EXAMINED WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF SUCH DATA.

Abstract

THE HISTORY OF CRIME STATISTICS INDICATES THAT THE UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL CRIME DATA REFLECTS PROBLEMS WHICH INHIBIT OR PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONALLY COMPARABLE DATA. FOR INSTANCE THE DEFINITION OR MURDER DEPENDS UPON THE LEGAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF A PARTICULAR COUNTRY. TO MEASURE INTERNATIONAL CRIME, THE IDEA THAT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL STATISTICS ARE SOME KIND OF SUMMATION OF NATIONAL CRIMINAL STATISTICS MUST BE ABANDONED. INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL STATISTICS MUST BE THOUGHT OF NOT MERELY AS QUANTITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM NATIONAL STATISTICS, BUT AS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT. A DIFFERENT FORM OF DATA BASE IS THEREFORE REQUIRED. COMPARATIVE DATA ON DEVIANCE AND CRIME SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT OF THE LEGAL STRUCTURES OF THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED. COMPARISONS SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO DATA COLLECTED FROM A SAMPLE OF CITIES AND SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO INCLUDE RURAL AREAS. A NEW DATA BASE CAN BE CONSTRUCTED BY BASKETS (PACKAGES OF CONCEPTS). CONTENTS OF THESE BASKETS CAN THEN BE RATIONALLY CLASSIFIED AND PROVIDED WITH LABELS. SOCIAL INDICATORS CAN BE SOUGHT WHICH WOULD PROVIDE SOME MEASURE OF THE 'GRIEVANCE BASKETS' OR SERVE ADEQUATELY AS PROXY VARIABLES FOR THESE ENTITIES. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT SOCIAL ILLS WOULD REVEAL A REASONABLE DEGREE OF COMPARABILITY. WHILE MEASURES TAKEN TO RELIEVE THE ILLS WOULD SHOW CONSIDERABLE VARIATION. SELECTED METHODS COULD THEN BE DISCOVERED TO RELIEVE SIMILAR ILLS IN COUNTRIES WHICH AT PRESENT USE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF SOCIAL CONTROL. THE MAJOR STRENGTH OF THE DATA BASE COULD BE USED FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF THOSE FEATURES WHICH FORMERLY MADE CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS IMPOSSIBLE--THE EXTREMES OF VARIED RESPONSES AMONG COUNTRIES. THESE DATA MIGHT ASSIST THE MAKING OF POLICY DECISIONS REGARDING THE PROBLEM OF CRIME AND HARMFUL DEVIANT BEHAVIORS. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.