NCJ Number
145287
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 309-322
Date Published
1993
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper proposes an alternative to scenario methods as a means of assessing public valuations of crime seriousness.
Abstract
Surveys of the general population that ask citizens to evaluate "crime scenarios" have become the most popular method for assessing crime seriousness. Problems with this approach include the difficulty of obtaining a representative sample of crime events and the a priori decisions of researchers that limit the dimensions of seriousness used to construct scenarios. The alternative method proposed to complement the scenario approach focuses on actual crime events rather than scenarios. Crime victims would be asked to assess the seriousness of the crime incident. This seriousness rating would be regressed on attributes of the crime event, such as the degree of relationship between the principals, to obtain their effect on the evaluation. The resulting beta weights would indicate the contribution of any particular attribute to the seriousness valuation of the crime. This procedure is similar to the Hedonic Price Index approach that economists use to understand the factors that affect the price of housing. The arguments and data analysis presented in this paper are more suggestive than conclusive regarding the usefulness of the Hedonic Price Index approach. The findings indicate the need to explore further the potential of the Hedonic Price Index approach as a complement to the scenario method. 1 table and 37 references