ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the different ways criminologists know things about crime. We shall consider the various sources of information available to criminologists and their strengths and weaknesses as sources of information. We shall also consider some of the other main ways that criminologists attempt to know things about crime as they conduct their research. The central purpose of this chapter is to encourage and develop the critical thinking that we ended with in Chapter One and at different points in this chapter you will be asked to engage in exercises that are intended to facilitate this.
