Crime Statistics: A Historical Perspective

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Abstract
Crime statistics, in the form of Uniform Crime Reports, have been collected by the FBI since 1930. A dominant motivation for their collection was to combat the publicity about "crime waves" generated by the press. This paper analyzes the historical development of crime statistics from the standpoint of three questions that first arose over forty years ago: What kinds of statistics should be collected? Who should collect them? How accurate are they? Current developments in crime statistics, notably the initiation of the National Crime Panel Survey, have affected these three issues markedly.

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