Multivariate Taxonomic Classification for Criminal Justice Research

• NCJ Number: 79121
• Author(s): T Brennan
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 646 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-NI-AX-0065
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Behavioral Research Instit
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Consists of three numbered volumes.

Annotation

These three volumes evaluate the uses of classification within criminology and criminal justice systems, analyze statistical classification methods, and apply numerical classification methods to the study of crime patterns.

Abstract

The report lays out a number of the major criteria which may be used in evaluating classification systems, with attention to structural and pragmatic criteria. Current uses of classification for treatment, in the field of research criminology, and in the criminal justice system are described, and the report notes that few classification systems have been used extensively due to, among other factors, the methodological inadequacy of most extant classifications. The results of some inadequate classifications are reviewed, with attention to the relation between inadequate classification research and the failure of classification. A brief examination of decisionmaking and classification in the criminal justice system is provided, along with bibliographic materials on the use of classification in criminological research and within the criminal justice system. Also included is a review of criminological studies which use quantitative classificatory techniques in order to determine their treatment of concepts of similarity. Some theoretical observations on distance coefficients versus correlation coefficients for classification study are made, and empirical comparisons of several similarity coefficients are presented. The report also evaluates several cluster analysis methods using artificial data sets. Using numerical classification methods, the report presents a behavioral classification of juvenile violence, juvenile theft, and juvenile drug consumption patterns; a classification of probation youth; and a classification by personality of a prison sample. The report also discusses making predictions from empirical classifications using class membership as a dummy variable. Tables, figures, illustrations, and chapter references are supplied.