Crime Statistics
Forms of Crime Data
There are three main forms of crime data. The first relates to official crime reports, which have been sourced by the government. Such data is found through government agencies such as courts, the police and correctional institutions. The second form relates to crime victimization surveys. Such data is collected through surveys conducted on samples of the general population. The final form relates to self-reports of criminal offences. This data is also collected through surveys.
Benefits and Limitations
Each of these data sources has its strong points and limitations. The sources are therefore suitable for use in different contexts, albeit for different purposes. At the international level, official data is very beneficial. This is attributable to its good geographical coverage. However, comparisons of national legal definitions are difficult in the global environment. International Victimization Surveys are characterized by many advantages. Firstly, they are inclusive of both reported and unreported offenses. Secondly, special surveys can be designed to detect specific criminal activities. However, they also have their disadvantages. For instance, some victims may not reveal the truth, either intentionally or unintentionally. Secondly, the surveys offer spotty geographical coverage. Similarly, some crimes are undetectable. For instance, participants cannot report incidents such as homicide. Self-report data enables international agents to avoid the problems of varied legal definitions. However, such data is also characterized by validity issues, and spotty geographical coverage (Natarajan, 2011).
Evaluation of crime
Comparison of crime rates in nations assists in evaluation of the probability that an offence may be carried out in another country. Official records are more useful in this context, when compared to the other survey methods. This is attributable to various reasons. Firstly, they have already been validated before their publishing. This eliminates the inaccuracies that plague the survey methods. Similarly, they are more detailed than the surveys. The data contained inside them is usually devoid of assumed information, unlike the surveys. Official records are therefore more useful in evaluation of international crime risks.
Reference
Natarajan, M. (2011). International crime and justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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