On May 2, 2012, at 9:59 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote:
> Doug writes:
>
>> It's the best we've got.
>
> No doubt. But: it's neccessarily an undercount.
>
> In the exact same way that the total prison population is necessarily an overcount of those who belong there.
>
> Why is this controversial?
Surveyors call up people. They ask, "Were you the victim of a crime. If yes, what kind?" The technique isn't perfect, but how do you know it yields an undercount? People could also overreport to make their lives seem more dramatic than they are.
Doug