You are here

Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice
Share

Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice

Second Edition


February 2015 | 432 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

A Beginner’s Guide to Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice Careers

 

Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice, Second Edition is an introductory statistics text for undergraduate criminology and criminal justice majors. The topics and engaging presentation style are targeted to students who have a basic background in algebra but who have had little or no exposure to the study of statistics. The overarching goals of the book are to demonstrate to students that statistics used in criminal justice can be enlightening and eye-opening and, that pre-conceived notions of their academic inadequacies coming into the course are false.

 

The fully updated Second Edition includes new learning objectives and learning checks to help guide students through the material and ensure content understanding and retention. Coverage of the fundamental areas in statistics begins with descriptive statistics, moves into probability, and ends with regression to make the content easier for students to follow. By use of real data and research, emphasis is placed on balancing thoroughness with ease of understanding in order to show students the importance and relevance of statistics in their future criminal justice careers.

 
Preface to the Second Edition
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Part 1-Descriptive Statistics
 
Chapter 1-Introduction to the Use of Statistics in Criminal Justice and Criminology
Science: Basic Terms and Concepts

 
Types of Scientific Research in Criminal Justice and Criminology

 
Software Packages for Statistical Analysis

 
Organization of the Book

 
Chapter 1 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 2-Types of Variables and Levels of Measurement
Units of Analysis

 
Independent and Dependent Variables

 
Relationships Between Variables: A Cautionary Note

 
Levels of Measurement

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 2 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 3-Organizing, Displaying, and Presenting Data
Data Distributions

 
Graphs and Charts

 
Grouped Data

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 3 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 4-Measures of Central Tendency
The Mode

 
The Median

 
The Mean

 
Using the Mean and Median to Determine Distribution Shape

 
Deviation Scores and the Mean as the Midpoint of the Magnitudes

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 4 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 5-Measures of Dispersion
The Variation Ratio

 
The Range

 
The Variance

 
The Standard Deviation

 
The Standard Deviation and the Normal Curve

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 5 Review Problems

 
 
Part 2-Probability and Distributions
 
Chapter 6-Probability
Discrete Probability: The Binomial Probability Distribution

 
Continuous Probability: The Standard Normal Curve

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 6 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 7-Population, Sample, and Sampling Distributions
Empirical Distributions: Population and Sample Distributions

 
Theoretical Distributions: Sampling Distributions

 
Sample Size and the Sampling Distribution: The z and t Distributions

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 7 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 8-Point Estimates and Confidence Intervals
The Level of Confidence: The Probability of Being Correct

 
Confidence Intervals for Means with Large Samples

 
Confidence Intervals for Means with Small Samples

 
Confidence Intervals With Proportions and Percentages

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 8 Review Problems

 
 
Part 3-Hypothesis Testing
 
Chapter 9-Hypothesis Testing: A Conceptual Introduction
Sample Statistics and Population Parameters: Sampling Error or True Difference?

 
Null and Alternative Hypotheses

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 9 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 10-Hypothesis Testing With Two Categorical Variables: Chi-Square
Conceptual Basis of the Chi-Square Test: Statistical Dependence and Independence

 
The Chi-Square Test of Independence

 
Measures of Association

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 10 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 11-Hypothesis Testing With Two Population Means or Proportions
Two-Population Tests for Differences Between Means: t Tests

 
Two-Population Tests for Differences Between Proportions

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 11 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 12-Hypothesis Testing With Three or More Population Means: Analysis of Variance
ANOVA: Different Types of Variances

 
When the Null Is Rejected: A Measure of Association and Post Hoc Tests

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 12 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 13-Hypothesis Testing With Two Continuous Variables: Correlation
Beyond Statistical Significance: Sign, Magnitude, and Coefficient of Determination

 
SPSS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 13 Review Problems

 
 
Chapter 14-Introduction to Regression Analysis
One Independent Variable and One Dependent Variable: Bivariate Regression

 
Adding More Independent Variables: Multiple Regression

 
Ordinary Least Squares Regression in SPSS

 
When the Dependent Variable Is Not Continuous and Normally Distributed: Alternatives to OLS

 
Chapter Summary

 
Chapter 14 Review Problems

 
 
Appendix A—Review of Basic Mathematical Techniques
 
Appendix B—The Standard Normal (z) Distribution
 
Appendix C—t Distribution
 
Appendix D—Chi-Square (?²) Distribution
 
Appendix E—F Distribution
 
Glossary
 
Answers to Learning Checks
 
Answers to Review Problems
 
References
 
Index

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
The password-protected Instructor Resource Site includes the following:

·  A Microsoft® Word® test bank is available containing multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions for each chapter. The test bank provides you with a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity for editing any question and/or inserting your own personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.

·  Editable, chapter-specific Microsoft® PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course. Highlight essential content, features, and artwork from the book.

·  Sample course syllabi for semester and quarter courses provide suggested models for use when creating the syllabi for your courses.

·  EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide student interpretation. Combine cutting-edge academic journal scholarship with the topics in your course for a robust classroom experience.

·  Web resources are included for further research and insights.

Chapter activities for individual or group projects provide lively and stimulating ideas for use in and out of class reinforce active learning




Student Study Site

The open-access Student Study Site includes the following:

  • Mobile-friendly eFlashcards reinforce understanding of key terms and concepts that have been outlined in the chapters.
  • Mobile-friendly web quizzes allow for independent assessment of progress made in learning course material.
  • EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide student interpretation. Combine cutting-edge academic journal scholarship with the topics in your course for a robust classroom experience.
  • Web resources are included for further research and insights.
  • Data-sets reinforce concepts from the book and provide real-world application

“Dr. Gau’s Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice text is excellent…the book is logically organized, well written, easily understandable, contains relevant examples and end-of-chapter exercises, and uses SPSS.”

Ayana Conway, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Virginia State University

“A nice textbook for criminal justice students who are new to statistics.  It is thorough yet concise.  The price is certainly likely to win over students.  Well done!”

Dr. Matthew D. Fetzer
Shippensburg University

“Authoritative yet, clear, succinct, and engaging. It covers all the relevant concepts, and it covers them well.”

Anthony W. Hoskin, PhD.
University of Texas of the Permian Basin

“The specific CJ examples help students to connect the material to something that is real.  It becomes more than just a math problem and instead they see it as a way to answer a specific research question in the field. This book does that better than any others I’ve seen.”

Nicole L. Smolter
California State University, Los Angeles

“I have already adopted this book, and I plan to continue using it.  I have used at least four other statistics books over the years, and this one is superior.” 

Brian Stults
Florida State University

“The SPSS tutorials are excellent”

Carlos E. Posadas, Ph.D.
New Mexico State University

New Course material still undecided.

Dr Sherill Veen Morris
Criminal Justice Dept, Mississippi Valley State Univ
January 8, 2016

Book is too complicated for my undergrad students while too fundamental for my grad students. Its just isn't a good fit for my students. That being said, this is an excellent book for a grad student that has never been introduced to real statistical models.

Dr Mark Rubin
Criminal Justice Dept, Sul Ross State University
September 22, 2015

Better than the text I used last semester and focuses specifically on crime and criminal justice. I am hoping that this will get students to see the utility of the examples more.

Dr Jon Maskaly
Criminal Justice Dept, University Of Illinois-Chicago
April 5, 2015

Its a great source of information and very well explained. I love the review exercises and checks. It is easily understood for beginners.

Professor Anita Black
Criminal Justice, King College
April 4, 2015

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 6

Chapter 10


Jacinta Michele Gau

Jacinta M. Gau, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. She received her doctorate from Washington State University in 2008. Her primary areas of research are policing and criminal justice policy, and she has a strong quantitative background. Dr. Gau’s work has appeared in journals such as Justice Quarterly, British Journal of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Crime & Delinquency, Criminology & Public Policy, Police Quarterly, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. In... More About Author

Also available as a South Asia Edition.

Purchasing options

Please select a format:

ISBN: 9781483378459
$108.00