SOCIAL-INDICATORS FOR CRIMINOLOGY

Social indicators are measures of social change. Not only does social change often impinge on crime but it may undermine crime theories. By paying more attention to social indicators, criminology can keep in better touch with today's realities and adjust itself to an emerging future. A social indicators program for criminology can focus crime indicators and sharpen other social indicators to make them more relevant to crime. In sum, social indicators can help drive criminology, while criminology can help drive the collection and organization of social indicators.