Assignment 3: Data Sources

For this assignment, you will explore the official sources of crime data. Crime data is the foundation for theory building. Crime data makes it important for criminologists to identify patterns. Patterns help researchers and policy makers determine the best paths and solutions. Patterns also indicate if something is a onetime occurrence or a recurrent phenomenon.

Tasks:

Read your textbook as well as any external source to prepare an 8 to 10 slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. In your presentation:

• Identify four sources of crime data.
• Identify the data collection methods as well as the agencies in charge of the data.
• Describe the types of data collected (for example, crimes committed, offender data, and victim data).
• Describe the pros and cons of each data set.
• Describe three crime trends from the identified sources of crime data.

Note: Include a reference page formatted in APA style that links back to your in-text citations and supports your recommendations. Remember, you must have both in-text citations and references because they are linked to each other.