Contents >>
Chapter 9: Crime and Justice
Chapter 9: Crime and Justice
The 'Crime and Justice' chapter discusses definitions of both crime and justice, showing how these relate to one another and are affected by changing social values. The scope of current ABS statistical activity in these areas is outlined, and key crime and justice issues discussed. Some population groups of interest are also discussed. A measurement framework based on the structures within the Criminal Justice System, and encompassing contextual factors, is described. The key measures associated with this framework are discussed (eg, factors influencing crime and justice processes, measures relating to the criminal incident, and to the investigative, adjudicative, and correctional stages of the criminal justice process). Crime and justice classifications are summarised as are some important measurement issues, such as those associated with unreported crime, identifying offenders, and with coordinating statistical information across jurisdictions and tracking cases through different institutions. Key data sources are listed and described in summary.