Cross-National Research

Cross-national researchers in criminology and criminal justice are primarily concerned with identifying and explaining similarities and differences across countries with respect to the volume of crime that occurs, the most prevalent types of crimes, characteristics of offenders and victims, public opinion about crime and criminal justice systems, roles of police and judges, and punishment philosophies and practices. Similar to the broader fields of criminology and criminal justice, cross-national research can be quantitative, qualitative, or a mixture of both. The willingness of victims to do so depends on many factors that vary across place, time, and crime type. Quantitative, cross-national research employs many of the same analytic techniques used in the broader field of criminology. Newer analytic methods are also making their way into cross-national crime and justice research. Historical analyses are probably the most common methods used in contemporary, qualitative cross-national crime and justice research.