The book Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice focuses on the usage of statistics, which can be considered one of the most important means of studying crime in its quantitative and qualitative terms. It contains data on the number of offenses committed, their structure and dynamics, as well as information about the offender’s personality. Chapter 1 illustrates several benefits of preventing, assessing, and improving the work of police departments and the system by applying statistical methods.

The subject of crime statistics is the quantitative aspects of crime, studied to understand its qualitative characteristics. According to Gau (2018), gathering data provides conditions for a more detailed analysis of the causes of crime. First, the statistical method can be useful in determining whether the policy approach is effective (Gau, 2018). For instance, the evaluation research type and multiple data collection and analysis methods, narratives, and observational data were used to access the pulling lever strategy implemented by Rockford Illinois Police Department (Gau, 2018). Second, the conducted surveys on the link between low self-control and criminal offending could change the common assumption that these factors are directly correlated (Gau, 2018). The sampling method was used to study the prison environment’s importance concerning the offender’s subsequent criminalization. This is useful for practice in terms of properly accessing quantitative and qualitative data obtained in surveys.

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Third, statistics in criminology can also improve police departments’ work. Statistical indicators of the level of crime detection, and consideration of cases enable to take the necessary managerial decisions (Gau, 2018). Fourth, according to Gau (2018), statistical theory and practice prove that, with a sufficiently large number of observations, the studied population’s patterns can be identified and analyzed. Fifth, an accurate idea of the processes under study can be obtained using statistical characteristics such as observation units, aggregates, and measurements (Gau, 2018). The methods can be examined as the stages of statistical research, being closely related.

To sum up, statistics in criminal justice and criminology is an organized collection of information about social processes and aspects, which is related to the ongoing criminological research. The chapter’s advantage is reasonably conveying the scientific results; however, it lacks a logical and consistent presentation of the information. The main text is not structured; it is necessary to highlight sections based on the narrative’s logic. The chapter reveals several statistical knowledge methods, such as statistical analysis, sampling, and replication. Concerning research types, criminal justice and criminology surveys require theory examination.

Reference

Gau, J. M. (2018). Statistics for criminology and criminal justice. Sage Publications.