Importance of Using Official Crime Data - Essay Example

 Discussion Board Forum Statistics are paramount in analyzing the rates of the crimes across the globe. Researchers often ask questions to gauge the perceptions of the public regarding the safety provided by the police (Miller, 2003). On the other hand, police use the crime statistics to lobby for more cash from the federal government to tackle crimes in the city's neighborhoods. The paper will review the importance of using the official crime data when conducting research on the social issues. Importance of Using Official Crime Data One advantage of using official data when doing research about crimes is that it is collected in a standardized method. Such that, the method used to gather data in New York is the same in Los Angeles. Normalized data is also reproducible, and this is important when validating the results (Miller, 2003). Secondly, official data is reliable and credible an important observation when presenting data. Issues Associated With Using Official Crime Data In some instances, for example, regarding the perception of the police by the public, data may be distorted to fit into the agenda of the interviewer. Furthermore, some inconsistency exists about how crimes are defined across the United States. For example, there is no standardized way of defining what an excess force applied by the police is. In addition, data about victims of extrajudicial crimes may be fearful of expressing their views about the police because of possible retribution (Baumer & Adams, 2006). Therefore, the data may not reflect the reality on the ground. Changes to the Public Policies The changes that could be effected from the standpoint of this articles include, standardizing crime reporting methods. The idea is to cut on discrepancies and inconsistencies observed in data collection. Furthermore, questionnaires should be prepared in the open-ended format that gives freedom of the interviewee to express their opinions. Self-Reporting The advantages of the self-reporting as compared with official crime data are as follows. First, the researcher can analyze data qualitatively and quantitatively, thereby measuring not just the number of crimes but also their nature. Another advantage offered by this method is the validity of the data that is collected (Miller, 2003). Mostly, the researcher is directly gathering opinions from the interviewees instead of relying on secondary data sources. The weakness of this method is that it is often biased which is undesirable. In addition, the method has set response for the interviewee. Furthermore, the question may be misunderstood which reduces the reliability of the collected data. Official crime data as compared to the self-report has many advantages. For example, the data is often contemporary. In addition, the researcher does not have to incur the cost of field work meant to gather the views of the public. Instead, the researcher simply analysis the available data. Notably, official data has few ethical issues as the researcher does not make direct contact with the criminal. Another significant strength of the official crime data is that the data is verifiable. The weaknesses of this method are mentioned is that it does not present the accurate picture of the situation on the ground (Miller, 2003). In addition, the data cannot be relied upon to infer the human stories underpinning the crimes. In other words, the data is superficial. An important observation is that rules used by the police to count crimes changes over time. The application of the administrative practices by the police results in statistics that only give a partial picture of the crimes. Research and Policy Development Morris (2010) article, argues that the stop the snitching mentality that was often associated with African American has clawed into the white teenagers and from his point of view society as a whole. The trigger point of the anti-snitching mentality stems from the distrust of the authority. Therefore, from this Morris article, public policy should emphasize on community policing to help restore trust between the police and the members of a community. At this point, people will be more willing to open up to the police about crimes in the communities. Lu (2012) article address the threat posed by the internet by to the Chinese traditions. Notably, the youth in China have turned to the internet to air their views on public issues. The public policy should, therefore, be more accommodative so as to give young people space to contribute to the public debates (Liang & Lu, 2010). In Morris (2010) article, the high number of cases collected by NCVS should be a concern to community leaders. Furthermore, the data further reinforces Morris observation about the rise of anti-snitching mentality. The police are not doing enough to build trust with communities and to help fight crimes (Morris, 2010). The advantage of the NIBRS method of collecting data compared to the UCR is that NIBRS is more detailed. Therefore, police have the leeway to present the incidence of the crime in the way that they deem as best. In addition, data collected through NIBRS is ordered allowing the researchers to look at the categories of the crimes and make comparisons where necessary (Miller, 2003). The Morris (2010) article should cause the authority to act, specifically to guarantee the safety of the witness. Importantly, it calls for greater efforts to curb instances of victimization of the high school children by their teachers when they speak out on any misdoings by the administrators or the teachers. Observations and Implications of Recidivism Recidivism measurements are aimed at determining the rate at which criminals commit crimes after leaving the prison. Mainly, low recidivism rates would suggest that the corrections policies are sound (Miller, 2003). On the other hand, higher rates of recidivism suggest the correction centers do little to change the mentality or character of the offender, as such the policy should be modified. Another important consideration to make about the rates of recidivism is about the policy development. Mainly, the data on recidivism should be the basis of developing policy framework of having correction centers work better. The important acknowledgment here is that the reduction in the rate of recidivism is crucial for the safety of the public (Padfield & Maruna, 2006). Therefore, the rates of the recidivism should be used by the decision makers in drafting guiding principles of the correction centers. The areas that appear biased in the study are, the focus on the crimes in Wales where the researchers seem to have some stereotypes and prejudices against the correction services. On the other hand, there is a tendency to paint some of the correction centers in England as yielding better having lower rates of recidivism (Padfield & Maruna, 2006). The reliance on the secondary data in the research makes the findings look weak and requiring further substantiation. Furthermore, the researchers acknowledge the problem of underreporting of recidivism due to the moral issues and dangers one is exposed to when embedded with criminal gangs to gather information on rates of re-offending. Understandability I understand the results of the research which shows that stress in the police is not a result of subculture attitude but as a consequence of the work that they carry out. Furthermore, masculinization of the law enforcement agencies denies police officers the advantage offered by gender diversity. Importantly, what the results say is that the policing could become better when it embraces the diversity of gender. The old mentality that policing is about brawn should change for adopting technology in law enforcement. Kutz other suggestions from the research are essential in building a resilient police unit. He observes that women police officers can help their male counterparts to handle stress at work due to their natural compassion. Considerably, men find it hard to share their stressful situations with other males. Therefore, integrating women into the police force could help in addressing the problem as men open up more to the female friends. Another advocacy from Kutz article is on the need for the families of the police officers to be supportive of their work, such close collaboration between the law enforcement agencies and the families build the spirit of friendship and unity. The recommendations from the findings of the research are that the policing agency should be made more diverse. Counseling officers should be integrated into policing to enable the law enforcement officers better deal with the stress at work. In addition, police should be allowed time to bond with the family members to get over stressful situations that may lead to violent behaviors. Closing the Academic Practitioners Gap The evaluation of the research methods and outcome leads to the careful application of the resources in fighting crimes. In other words, policymakers get to know areas that need a policy shift and those requiring strengthening. In addition, research outcomes lead to the development of the policies that better addresses the needs of the public (Kurtz, 2008). The gap in understanding findings of the research is the terminologies and presentation of data in a complex way that require an expert to analyze. Researchers can close the gap by presenting research findings in simple ways that are understandable to a layman. Another improvement that needs to be implemented in research about crimes is the framing of the question. Questions should be open ended to give the respondent all the space to give their views exhaustively. Essentially, such an approach would cut on discrepancies observed in the official data records. Furthermore, ambiguity provided by open-ended questions allows the respondents to explore the question from a different dimension which is an important consideration when analyzing public opinions. Another gap is the translation of the research results in the practice or the development of the policy frameworks (Kurtz, 2008). Mainly, the research is meant to help improve the working of the justice system. However, many of good studies especially their recommendations are rarely implemented by the decision makers. Therefore, there is a need for the academic society and the law enforcement agencies to collaborate in designing studies whose outcomes improves the policing of the society. In conclusion, research is crucial in any areas of life. Primarily, research drives decision making. Importantly, the findings of any research present what is happening on the ground. However, bias and reliance on secondary data can compromise the credibility of the study outcome. References Miller, J. (2003). An arresting experiment: Domestic violence victim experiences and perceptions. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(7), 695-716. Baumer, T. L., & Adams, K. (2006). Controlling a Jail Population by Partially Closing the Front Door: An Evaluation of a “Summons in Lieu of Arrest” Policy. The Prison Journal, 86(3), 386-402. Liang, B., & Lu, H. (2010). Internet development, censorship, and cyber crimes in China. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 26(1), 103-120. Morris, E. W. (2010). “Snitches end up in ditches” and other cautionary tales. Journal of contemporary criminal justice, 26(3), 254-272. Padfield, N., & Maruna, S. (2006). The revolving door at the prison gate Exploring the dramatic increase in recalls to prison. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 6(3), 329-352. Kurtz, D. L. (2008). Controlled burn: The gendering of stress and burnout in modern policing. Feminist Criminology, 3(3), 216-238. Read More