If Fyodor Dostoyevsky had been a mathematician, he might have written a book called Crime and Statistics. However, since “statistics” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “punishment,” it wouldn’t have sold as well.

But such a book would make a better guide for formulating crime-fighting policy. Analyzing criminal behavior scientifically, using proper statistical methods, could enhance the ability of criminologists to better understand crime and what to do about it.

“The field needs broader and deeper scientific examination,” writes statistician-criminologist Greg Ridgeway in an upcoming Annual Review of Statistics and Its Application.

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