Summary
Contents
Subject index
Until now, books on secondary data have described sources of secondary data with an emphasis on description that had little to do with crime and deviance. Research Strategies for Secondary Data changes all that because it is designed specifically for secondary data users in criminology and criminal justice. In addition to describing data sources available through archives and the Internet, it provides a perspective on secondary data. This perspective consists of discussing the role of secondary data in criminology and criminal justice, its strengths, limitations, and the different ways that secondary data can be disaggregated and interpreted. The book also discusses the nature of hypotheses and design as they relate to the constraints of secondary data. There are chapters devoted to evaluation guidelines for official statistics and official records, how official records, such as police department files, can be accessed, and the legal implications of using secondary data in light of legislation like the Freedom of Information Acts.
The Future of Secondary Data
The Future of Secondary Data
As noted in the first chapter, the use of secondary data is standard fare in history and economics. The use of secondary data for crime research seems to have developed from criminology's historically close relationships to sociology and, specifically, with a concern for secondary analysis of social surveys. Hyman's (1972) book, Secondary Analysis of Sample Surveys, has beenamong the most frequently cited books on the topic.
Writing at about the same time, Finifter (1975, p. 119) leaves the impression that secondary analysis was not a popular approach among sociologists. Commenting on the fact that the supply of archived data is exceeding the demand from researchers, he says,
Several explanations for this paradox have been suggested including the stigma ...
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