Statistics for Criminal Justice and Criminology in Practice and Research

Book excerpt: Statistics for Criminal Justice and Criminology in Practice and Research—by Jack Fitzgerald and Jerry Fitzgerald—is an engaging and comprehensive introduction to the study of basic statistics for students pursuing careers as practitioners or researchers in both Criminal Justice and Criminology programs. This student-friendly text shows how to calculate a variety of descriptive and inferential statistics, recognize which statistics are appropriate for particular data analysis situations, and perform hypothesis tests using inferential statistics. But it is much more than a "cook book." It encourages readers to think critically about the strengths and limitations of the statistics they are calculating, as well as how they may be misapplied and misleading. Examples of statistics and statistical analyses are drawn from the worlds of the practitioner as well as the policymaker and researcher. Students will also gain a clear understanding of major ethical issues in conducting statistical analyses and reporting results, as well as insight into the realities of the life of researchers and practitioners as they use statistics and statistical analyses in their day-to-day activities.