Chapter 10

Although already out of date in some respects, Understanding Crime Data, by Clive Coleman and Jenny Moynihan (Open University Press, 1996) is still one of the best recent British textbooks on the subject, and covers in more depth several of the main issues discussed in this chapter. It has the added advantage of accessibility and a light and humorous touch. Despite their much greater age, both Understanding Crime Rates, by Keith Bottomley and Clive Coleman (Saxon House, 1981) and Crime and Punishment: Interpreting the Data, by Bottomley and Ken Pease (Open University Press, 1986) are both theoretically informed and illuminating books of high quality. Interpreting Crime Statistics, edited by Monica Walker (Oxford University Press, 1995) contains some useful chapters on specialized topics such as prison statistics and homicide data.

The traditional Command Paper which presented the 'official crime statistics' annually since 1857 (Criminal Statistics, England and Wales) has recently been replaced by a series of more specialized statistical bulletins published by the Home Office. The most important of these is Crime in England and Wales (Walker et al. 2006), which provides an annual overview of crime totals and trends based on both police records and the results of the British Crime Survey; others cover offenders convicted or cautioned, and sentencing decisions and trends. The thinking behind these new ways of presenting data is outlined in a key paper by Jon Simmons (2000), the Review of Criminal Statistics: A Discussion Document.

The above documents can be downloaded from the Home Office website, which should be the first port of call for anyone wishing to explore the subject. It contains other detailed statistics relating to policing, the courts, prisons, and probation, as well as numerous studies and reports based on both internal and external research. Many of these are based on results from major surveys, including the British Crime Survey, the Offending Crime and Justice Survey (Budd et al. 2005), the Youth Lifestyles Survey (Flood-Page et al. 2000), and the Commercial Victimisation Survey (Shury et al. 2005). Interesting recent examples include findings on selfreported drug-taking (Becker and Roe 2005), the victimization of young people (Wood 2005), and domestic violence and stalking (Walby and Allen 2004).

There are also several compilations of data and statistics providing international comparisons of crime patterns and criminal justice responses. Among the most comprehensive are Cross-National Studies in Crime and Justice (Farrington et al., Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2004) and the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Statistics, 3rd edn (Killias, The Hague: WODC 2006). Specific international surveys include the International Crime Victim Survey (Van Kesteren et al. 2000), the International Crime Business Survey (Alvazzi Del Frate 2005), and the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (Junger-Tas et al. 1994).

Finally, two important reviews of the current state of criminal statistics in England and Wales, with recommendations for significant changes, were published in 2006: the Statistics Commission's report on User Perspectives, and Adrian Smith's Crime Statistics: An Independent Review.

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Oxford University Press, Online Resource Centre, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10