ABSTRACT
While it is possible to conduct crime analyses by describing the complete data on characteristics, this is often not possible. Many times, crime analysts either do not have all of the data on a particular topic (we do not truly know how many burglaries happen in a city) or they must use a subset of data (surveying a smaller number of citizens rather than everyone in the city). When this occurs, using inferential analyses is more appropriate than the descriptive techniques discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. This chapter introduces the concept of inferential techniques related to crime analysis. It discusses the terminology and assumptions of inferential techniques, and introduces three types of techniques that can be used. It also discusses methods of sampling that are at the center of the ability to conduct inferential analyses.
