caa a22 4500 47576515X CHVBK 20180406123603.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170329e20000301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1023/A:1008713631586 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1023/A:1008713631586 Von Hofer Hanns Department of Criminology, Stockholm University, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden aut Crime Statistics as Constructs: The Case of Swedish Rape Statistics [Elektronische Daten] [Hanns Von Hofer] Using Swedish rape statistics as a focus, this article aims to empirically describe the way in which different factors affect official crime statistics produced at the national level. It is argued that cross-national comparisons of crime levels are extremely hazardous when based on official crime statistics, since the construction rules vary widely. International comparisons of crime levels should as a rule be confined to findings of international victim surveys. The example of rape statistics in Sweden - about three times higher when compared to other countries in the European Sourcebook - is used to explain what factors can influence statistics. Statistical, legal and substansive factors are to be taken into account. The author shows that changes in statistical routines, the legal definition of rape and changes over time all influence the statistics in a substansive way. This article indicates the great extent to which crime statistics are a construct, whose appearance is very sensitive to the rules applied in the process of construction. In order to employ statistics appropriately, a thorough knowledge of the principles guiding this process is therefore essential. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000 crime statistics nationallicence rape nationallicence European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Kluwer Academic Publishers 8/1(2000-03-01), 77-89 0928-1371 8:1<77 2000 8 10610 https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008713631586 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008713631586 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Von Hofer Hanns Department of Criminology, Stockholm University, S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Kluwer Academic Publishers 8/1(2000-03-01), 77-89 0928-1371 8:1<77 2000 8 10610 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer