Crime Surveys and Victims of Crime

(Paperback)

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Description

This full length study provides a basic account of the rationale and content of victimization surveys; it examines the value of crime/victim surveys and deals with the shortcomings of official statistics gathered by the police. Unlike police figures, victimization surveys are able to study the effects of crime and the social variables which are associated with a high risk of victimization. Crime patterns, repoorting trends, the use and abuse of statistics, attitudes towards the police, fear of crime, and lessons for crime prevention are all examined within this text. Both nationwide and regional surveys are analysed.

Reviews

"A useful little primer on the use and misuse of official statistics on crime and victimisation. Indeed everything you wanted to know about crime surveys, their content and methodology, strengths and weaknesses." -Labour Campaign for Criminal Justice Newsletter

-- "Labour Campaign for Criminal Justice Newsletter"

" . . . an excellent example of its type and, in particular, provides a concentration upon those specifically rural dimensions which are most often missing within an urban-dominated literature . . . These, and a wealth of other findings, make this modestly-priced book a rewarding as well as informative investment for any probation library." -Probation Journal

-- "Probation Journal"

" . . . an extremely thorough review of crime statistics, crime surveys and an example of the sorts of issues addressed in a local crime survey. I would put it in the undergraduate/general reader market where I am sure it will be highly thought of." -British Journal of Criminology

-- "British Journal of Criminology"

Author Bio

Lawrence Koffman is a reader in Law at the Centre for Legal Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton.