Explain why criminal justice statistics do not predict future crime or public attitudes toward public safety. Crime data cannot accurately reflect the public’s fear of victimization. Although rising...

Explain why criminal justice statistics do not predict future crime or public attitudes toward public safety.

Crime data cannot accurately reflect the public’s fear of victimization. Although rising crime rates might cause the public to be more fearful of crime, a decrease in crime rates does not necessarily result in less fear of victimization. The rise and fall of crime rates does not necessarily correlate with the public’s fear of crime. As crime statistics are gathered from many different defined time segments, caution should be used in comparisons of such data. Crime trends may require some time before establishing any certainty regarding an increase or decrease. Crime statistics show what crimes have occurred, not what crimes will occur in the future.

1. What group of people is most likely to fear crime? Why so?

2. Why do past crime statistics not offer a prediction of future such offenses?

3. Why is crime data considered only a “snapshot” of past criminal offenses?