MODIFIED CRIME INDICES FOR EIGHT COUNTRIES

• NCJ Number: 26025
• Journal: JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL AND CRIMINOLOGY Volume: 66 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1975) Pages: 209-214
• Author(s): K PEASE; J IRESON; J THORPE
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Williams and Wilkins Co
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

NORMANDEAU'S METHOD OF PRESENTING INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF JUDGEMENTS OF OFFENSE SERIOUSNESS IS ANALYZED AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE 1964 SELLIN AND WOLFGANG INDEX AND CONSIDERED TO BE MISLEADING.

Abstract

THE AUTHORS' CRITICISM IS DIRECTED AT NORMANDEAU'S USE OF THE DATA HE GATHERED AND FOCUSES ON TWO MAJOR POINTS. FIRST, NORMANDEAU COMPARES SCALE SCORES OF OFFENSE SERIOUSNESS DIRECTLY BETWEEN NATIONAL GROUPS ALTHOUGH THE RANGES OF THEIR SERIOUSNESS JUDGMENTS DIFFER. SECOND, HIS METHOD OF CALCULATING SCALE SCORES MEANS THAT THE SERIOUSNESS SCORES FOR LARCENY OF ONE DOLLAR ARE BY DEFINITION EQUAL IN ALL COUNTRIES. THE AUTHORS' FEEL THAT EXPRESSING SERIOUSNESS JUDGMENTS MADE BY DIFFERENT NATIONAL GROUPS AS STANDARDIZED SCORES ALLOWS COMPARISON BETWEEN COUNTRIES TO BE MADE, AND THAT THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES INHERENT IN THE SELLING AND WOLFGANG APPROACH WHICH SHOULD BE RESOLVED BEFORE CONFIDENCE CAN BE PLACED IN RESULTS DERIVED FROM IT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)