Abstract
This chapter shows how reasonably valid comparative data for violent crime in the United States and England and Wales can be derived. Comparative analysis of violent crime is hampered by a lack of reliable statistics, even between relatively similar countries, with doubts about existing studies suggesting that further comparative data are needed. Violent crime presents particular problems of variation in offense definition and recording practices. However, the data for the United States and England and Wales can be derived for the narrower category of serious violent crime. The chapter shows broadly that the incidence of serious violent crime per capita is between three and seven times as high in the United States as in England and Wales. This parallels the comparative data on homicide; existing comparisons with Canada and New Zealand lend further weight to the claim that levels of serious violence in the United States are distinctively high.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | American Exceptionalism in Crime and Punishment |
| Editors | Kevin R. Reitz |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Chapter | 8 |
| Pages | 332-364 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780190203559 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780190203542 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Dec 2017 |
Keywords
- Canada
- Comparative analysis
- Comparative data
- England and Wales
- Homicide
- New Zealand
- Serious violent crime
- United States
- Violent crime
