Surveying Crime in the 21st Century

Papers in this volume were originally presented at a conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the British Crime Survey (BCS). Since its first sweep in 1982, the BCS has become an invaluable source of data for research and policy development. An introductory essay traces the survey's development, then summarizes its important substantive and methodological contributions. These are best known in Britain and the US, but findings from the BCS continue to influence criminological theory and practice in many countries.Chapters by a distinguished international group of scholars describe key findings of crime surveys more generally in a variety of research and policy areas: international comparisons of victimization; covariation of victimization and offending; using surveys to measure police performance; the impact of crime in different types of communities; attitudes to crime and justice; fear of crime; and the unequal distribution of risk.This important volume is of special interest as reviews of national crime statistics and responsible agencies are underway in the United States, and have recently been completed in the United Kingdom.