Statistics provide information about the nature of crime and exactly which factors should be addressed in the
attempt to minimize its occurrence. Statistical analysis has far-reaching effects at all levels of the criminal
justice system--from patrol officers to precinct captains to criminal courts to the Department of Justice. With
the skills needed to detect and interpret statistical data criminal justice professionals can assess whether current
practices are working and change the ones that are not. Written for undergraduates with little or no background
in statistics, this text clearly explains how to use statistical tools to organize and interpret data and then
to reach conclusions based on statistical analysis. The authors draw from their longtime classroom experiences
to present difficult concepts in an understandable way. They avoid a comprehensive approach common to many statistics
texts and instead focus on statistical tools typically used in the social sciences. Students use the data sets
to answer the questions in end-of-chapter exercises and data analysis sections. These hands-on, real-world activities
provide a variety of opportunities to use statistical tools and understand their applicability.