Interpreting Crime Statistics (Royal Statistical Society Series)

As well as publishing original work, the RSS Lecture Note Series will introduce recent developments in statistical methodology or new application areas to a wider audience, and promote sound statistical methods. The purpose of this book is to explore the statistics that are published relating to all aspects of crime, emphasising the need for clarity in interpreting statistical tables and the processes that give rise to them. The book casts a critical eye over the way crime statistics can be used and abused by the media and by those with political axes to grind. With clarity and style, the contributors demonstrate the importance of understanding the processes behind statistical tabulations, showing that it need not be a case of "lies, damned lies, and statistics".