Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-27
CRIME STATISTICS
METHODS ASSA|LED
Wickersham Board Charges
Some U. S. Bureaus Use
Them for Good Showing.

MAKE the most favorable showing pos
sibie" when asking Congress for money
was among the charges made by the
Wickersham Law Enforcement Com
mission in Its report assailing the pres
ent system Of compiling statistics on
crime
The report was the third submitted
| to President Hoover by the commission
since 1t began its work nearly two years
! ago. The methods now used in COM
piling statistics on criminality were
condemned IS inadequate, often nom
| existent and sometimes involving
| serious abuse"
All IL commission members signed
the 200-page document, prepared under
tEe direction Of Dean Roscoe Pound OF
the Harvard Law School. 1t included
lengthy studies by two commission ex-
pertS. Sam B. Warner and Morris
p1oScowe.
Government Report Criticized.
One Government report which drew
strong criticism was that published
monthly by the Justice Departments
Investigation Bureau.
"It requires no great study of these
reports" the commission said. Ito per
ceive q number Of weaknesses which
should impose q more cautious promul-
eating Of them. The basic reports are
made by persons and under conditions
which involve varying degrees OF guar
antee Of their accuracy and reliability
Because Of the widespread use of these
statements to advertise freedom OF citfeS
| from. crime. the commission asserted
| ct Is not only important to provide
| criminal statistics; It is quite as impor-
| tant to see to 1t that misleading infor.
nation is not sent out under official
auspices,"
| criminal statistics as we have" the re-
pcrt added, "in order to convince that q
serious abuse exists In compiling them
as . basis for requesting appropriations
urging expanded powers and equipment
| for the agency in question rather than
| for the purposes which criminal statiS-
tics are designed to further.
Uniform State Law Urged.
1.-THE source Of difficulty. when the
matter Is looked into, almost always
proves to be the desire Of the bureau in
| QUE stion to make for itself the most ia
| vorable showing possible. and hence the
choice Of q basis Of compilation which
| fCrthers that desire instead OF one In
dicated for general purposes"
The commission recommended enact
nient Of q uniform State law providing
for statistics collections, with eventual
| administration by the Census Bureau.
Until these steps could be taken, it sug-
gested compilation by q single Justice
Department bureau instead Of several,
| with the present system to be developed.
It warned against publishing Of
| fictally conclusions and interpretations
based on partial data" and insisted no
| further activities as to general GRIM
inai statistics should be undertaken
until the ultimate plan Is settled"
Warner, one Of the experts who
prepared the report, apparently diff
fered with the commission as to the
value Of statistics on crime, asserting
adequate criminal statistics are no
open sesame to the reduction of crime
| or to the Improvement Of criminal JUS
tiee." He conceded such figures should
be compiled, however, and submitted
recommendations.
| Ploscowe, the other expert, said
| crime Is "predominantly State prob
lem and it is of paramount importance
that each State know the magnitude
and nature Of the criminality within
| its borders"
"It must: be said Of Federal criminal
Statistics" Ploscowe added, that in
their present status they cannot supply
1 data for many significant inquiries re-
| lating to the problems of Federal GRIM
inality, and unless the statistics can
do 80. there seems to be little point
In collecting them"
| The commission itself believes, first
of all, that the compilation and pub
| lication of crime statistics should be
| centralized. It contends there should
/ be o correlation Of State statistics and
State and Federal statistics IN one
| Federal bureau.
Local oficials should not be expected,
1 the committee reported, to do more
| than turn into the appropriate central
L @Ra rnrlaaf fhafF raPnF6G dis
close. The commissioners stated fur
| Their that for the purpose OF a cheek
/ uDon the different agencies OF criminal
| Justice 10 Is important that the COM
piling and publication of statistics
| should not be confined to any bureau
or agency engaged in administering the
| criminal law They recommended also
| q coEnprehensive plan for an ultimate
complete body OF statistics covering
crime.
More Specific Recommendations.
The commissions more specihc rec
concentrations to the President follow:
| "As soon as proper state leglslatlo1
| has gone far enough to make q souho
| foundation, the gathering. computing
/ ana publishing Of Nationwide crlmlnal
| Statistics should be committed as
whole to the Census Bureau. Unth tnaC
time. we should 90 on with the present
system whereby prison statistics are IN
the Census Bureau, police statlstcS are
| in the Bureau of Investigation OF the
Department Of Justice and statistics OF
juvenile delinquency in the Cnlldrens
Eureau of the Department of Labor.
Zach Of these agencies should be de-
veloped in the meantime to make 1t as
effective as possible. But no further
activities as to general criminal stats.
tics should be undertaken by the Feoeral
Government until the ultimate plan Is
settled, and whatever further Is at-
tempted should be done with reference
to that plan.
ga uniform State law with respect TO
gathering and transmitting OF State
| statistics Of criminal justice, so far as
| required for general national purposes,
should be drafted and enacted. Whne
/ the present partial national systems are
proceeded with, the greatest care should
Be taken to avoid publishing oficially
i conclusions and interpretations based on
partial data but appearing to be official
| determinations on the basis Of adequate
information, and to see to 1t that zeal to
show results does not lead to giving out
with official approval and without state
mentS Of its limitations and defects ma
telial likely to mislead."
The publics eagernesS for statistics
on crime was pointed to by commission
members as an additional argument
that steps should be taken to make more
accurate data available. This, accord
Ing to the report, is notably true Of
writer's and public speakers, who have
found 1t impossible TO get facts and fig
ures concerning crime due to inade-
/ quate statistics.
| The report on crime statistics will 30
followed by eight more reports on va
fious topics. These will be made at
| intervals Of two or three weeks until the
commission goes out Of existence on
June 30.