Statistics for Criminal Justice Using Excel: An Introduction

This text is designed to provide a straight-forward and common-sense approach to statistical analysis as it applies to the criminal justice field. Each chapter is written in easy-to-understand language that permits the student to quickly grasp each statistical process to include the terminology and rational. It is especially useful to students who are enrolled in online undergraduate or graduate programs requiring a course in statistical analysis. The student is led through each statistical process with a detailed explanation of what is to be done, how it is to be done, and what the results mean in the final analysis of the results of each statistical test. Guidance is also provided in the use of Excel as a supplement to the manual calculation of the individual statistical tests.The authors spoke with many students and colleagues over the years and repeatedly heard similar stories. Students passed statistical classes by parroting the techniques, but did not really understand what was going on. Students do have a responsibility to prepare themselves and spend an appropriate amount of time studying and practicing. However, fear of the subject matter, and a certain lack of understanding, may combine to cause the student to approach a course in statistical analysis with a certain amount of dread.Controlling the fear of statistics depends upon two things: First, the student must realize that if he or she can add, subtract, multiply, and divide they already possess the basic skills necessary to perform statistical calculations. Second, he or she must take the time to learn the terminology and how to read the statistical formulas. Once this has been accomplished the student will find that the mystery of statistical analysis has been made clear, and the sense of dread and fear has been replaced with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.Statistics for Criminal Justice Using Excel has been specifically written with criminal justice professionals and the practical application of statistical processes to criminal justice needs in mind. All examples and exercises have been designed with a criminal justice flavor. The statistical processes reviewed in this text are those that the authors feel are most likely to be applied by the those working in the criminal justice field. Higher, more complicated techniques are not as likely to be undertaken by most criminal justice professionals in their normal course of duty and have been reserved for later texts.