Editing Crime (section)

==Crime statistics==
Information and statistics about crime in a given jurisdiction are collected as crime estimates, typically produced by national or international agencies. Methods to collect [[crime statistics]] may vary, even between jurisdictions within the same nation.<ref name=":3" /> [[Under-reporting]] of crime is common, particularly in developing nations, resulting in the [[dark figure of crime]].<ref name=":2" /> [[Victim study|Victim studies]] may be used to determine the frequency of crime in a given population.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=MacDonald |first=Ziggy |date=2002-02-01 |title=Official Crime Statistics: Their use and Interpretation |url=https://academic.oup.com/ej/article/112/477/F85/5085310 |journal=The Economic Journal |language=en |volume=112 |issue=477 |pages=F85–F106 |doi=10.1111/1468-0297.00685 |s2cid=153397453 |issn=0013-0133}}</ref> The gap to official statistics is generally smaller with higher [[Crime harm index|severity of the crime]].<ref name="walsh">{{cite book | title=Introduction to Criminology: A Text/Reader | publisher=SAGE Publications, Inc. | last1=Walsh | first1=Anthony | last2=Hemmens | first2=Craig | year=2014 | location=Thousand Oaks, CA | isbn=978-1-4522-5820-1 | edition=3rd}}</ref> [[Clearance rate]] measures the fraction of crimes where a [[criminal charge]] has been laid or the responsible person [[Conviction|convicted]].<ref name="d087">{{cite journal | last1=Liem | first1=Marieke | last2=Suonpää | first2=Karoliina | last3=Lehti | first3=Martti | last4=Kivivuori | first4=Janne | last5=Granath | first5=Sven | last6=Walser | first6=Simone | last7=Killias | first7=Martin | title=Homicide clearance in Western Europe | journal=European Journal of Criminology | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=16 | issue=1 | date=30 March 2018 | issn=1477-3708 | doi=10.1177/1477370818764840 | doi-access=free | pages=81–101| pmid=30675132 | pmc=6328993 | hdl=1887/64091 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> [[Fear of crime]] can be distinct from crime [[probability]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=Murray |date=November 2001 |title=The Genesis of 'Fear of Crime' |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362480601005004004 |journal=Theoretical Criminology |language=en |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=467–485 |doi=10.1177/1362480601005004004 |issn=1362-4806}}</ref>

=== Public perception ===
Crime is often a high priority political issue in developed countries, regardless of the country's crime rates. People that are not regularly exposed to crime most often experience it through media, including news reporting and [[crime fiction]].{{Sfn|Fattah|1997|p=4}} Exposure of crime through news stories is associated with [[alarmism]] and inaccurate perceptions of crime trends. [[Selection bias]] in new stories about criminals significantly over-represent the prevalence of violent crime, and news reporting will often overemphasize a specific type of crime for a period of time, creating a "crime wave" effect.{{Sfn|Fattah|1997|pp=14–16}} 

As public opinion of morality changes over time, actions that were once condemned as crimes may be considered justifiable.{{Sfn|Fattah|1997|pp=63–64}}