Discuss the ways statistics are used in estimating the amount of crime in the United States
What will be an ideal response?
Though we will never have the ‘big picture' of crime, we can get close to understanding how much crime exists in the United States through the use of empirical research and statistics. Statistics provide an estimate of victimization rates, allowing us to understand which crimes are more harmful to which individuals or groups. Statistics can provide a numerical probability of being a victim of a particular crime in one's lifetime. We can get a sense of patterns or trends of crimes through time and place. Profiles can be developed from crime statistics, providing law enforcement with an understanding of which characteristics are more relevant in terms of victimization and offending. Statistics offer an accurate portrayal of how the financial harm to society in addition to losses of other resources. From here, we can develop plans on how to address crime in the future. In addition, we can evaluate how current means to address crime are doing—whether they are effective and efficient in their goals to address crime.
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