Crime statistics are everywhere, but how do you know when they're valid? If a newspaper report says "the rate of overall violent crime decreased by 0.9 percent," how can you tell where that statistic came from, what it measures, and how accurate it is? Is it worth repeating or sharing? Measuring Crime: Behind the Statistics gives you the tools to interpret and evaluate crime statistics' quality and usefulness.


The book focuses on ways of thinking about crime statistics (no formulas!) and features








Eight questions you should ask before quoting a statistic







The two sources of information about homicide







FBI statistics: what do they measure?







How victimization surveys can reflect your experiences even though you were not asked to participate







Special considerations when interpreting statistics about sexual assault and fraud







Examples of experiments and studies on how to improve crime statistics







Two online supplements containing additional details and links to data sources