Preface Preface
I wrote this eTextbook for individuals interested in pursuing careers as crime analysts, especially those in undergraduate programs. Many undergraduate students I’ve taught understand the significance of data and analysis in effectively operating the criminal justice system. They also recognize that criminal justice agencies value individuals who can proficiently use software programs. However, they often feel discouraged by the challenges they encounter while studying statistics or learning software programs.
Traditional statistics textbooks tend to emphasize the mathematical foundations of statistical techniques, which can be overwhelming and distracting for students. Additionally, students often struggle to see how software programs can be practically applied to analyze crime-related data. Limited access to subscription-based statistical software poses another obstacle. Although students may learn programs like SPSS or Stata while at the university, they often find themselves unable to continue using these programs after graduation, making their acquired skills obsolete.
As an open-source software program, R offers a solution to these challenges. It is freely accessible to anyone, including students, after they graduate. Therefore, I decided to write a freely available book for those interested in becoming crime analysts, focusing on learning statistics without delving too deeply into mathematics. Moreover, this book emphasizes practical applications by utilizing R for data analysis, ensuring students can develop relevant skills beyond the university. I hope that students can easily follow the instructions in this book and replicate the same outcomes using the provided data. This practical experience will demonstrate the value of statistics and R, ideally inspiring students to further their learning in these areas.
