Measurement and Analysis of Crime and Justice: An Introductory Essay

• NCJ Number: 185537
• Author(s): David Duffee, David McDowall, Lorraine Green Mazerolle, Stephen D. Mastrofski, Criminal Justice 2000, Volume 4: Measurement And Analysis Of Crime And Justice
• Date Published: January 2000
• Length: 31 pages
• Agencies: NIJ

Annotation

This introductory chapter identifies and interprets the common themes running through the 10 papers included in this volume and indicates other themes not included; this volume explores the current knowledge, trends, and future directions in the measurement and analysis of crime and the criminal justice system, the consequences of such measurement and analyses for justice processes and the research enterprise, and the context in which both crime and justice operate.

Abstract

The first two chapters highlight dilemmas and difficulties with self-report surveys, with one covering the measurement of delinquency and crime and the other discussing the measurement of crime and victimization. The third chapter continues the discussion of the measurement of crime on a larger scale by examining the problems and progress in cross-national comparisons. Chapter 4 maintains the focus on crime but shifts attention from measurement to the problems in analyzing crime data that are spatially and temporally clustered. A chapter on cost-benefit analysis applied to criminal justice completes the set of chapters by asking more generally about how to assess policy impacts against the impacts of the social problem. The next three chapters revisit many of the issues covered in earlier chapters but elaborate on measurement and analytical problems and solutions in specific areas. The final two chapters cover measurement and analytic issues that dominate key areas in the criminal justice system. One chapter focuses on police organizations, and the other chapter examines standards and measures of court performance. 1 exhibit and 59 references