Web Exercises

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Exercise 1

Chapter 2 addresses official and unofficial statistics in juvenile court. The chapter discusses the differences between these two types of statistics and the inherent problems of using official and unofficial statistics to explain the amount of crime present in society. In order to better understand the differences between, and the problems apparent in, official and unofficial statistics, you may need to read articles discussing these statistics. You may access articles discussing official and unofficial statistics by visiting the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) at http://www.ncjrs.org/.

  1. From the home page, search for Statistics. Review the titles of the articles provided. Focus on two or three articles and decide whether you believe the articles will provide official or unofficial statistics based upon the title of the article. What is apparent in the title of the article that is influencing your decision?
     
  2. Next, open and read the articles. Based upon what you’ve read in the chapter and in the articles, do the articles provide official or unofficial statistics? Was your original assessment correct? Are there any apparent problems with the statistics used in the articles? What is or is not inherently lacking in the statistics?
     
  3. After reading two or three articles discussing official statistics and two or three articles discussing unofficial statistics, explain the differences in crime rates based upon the type of statistics used. Do unofficial or official statistics provide the highest crime rates? Why? Which type of statistics are you more inclined to believe? Why? How can the statistics discussed in each of the articles you read influence the juvenile justice system’s response to juvenile crime and to the rehabilitation of children?

 

Exercise 2

Go to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the following link https://www.ojjdp.gov/.

  1. Click on statistics link
     
  2. Explore special topics
     
  3. Explore state juvenile justice profile by state
     
  4. Explore and compare data of your state with another specific state close to your state
     
  5. Document your findings and explore why each state is experiencing different outcomes