Self-Reported Versus Official Offending

Abstract

Other than official data, self-report data is the second-most utilized source for information on offending. Recognizing the inherent limitations of official and self-report data in terms of sources for crime measurement, this chapter provides an in-depth exploration into the prevalence and frequency of offending among the CSDD males with a specific focus on the similarities, differences, and overlap across offending estimates from the two crime data sources (official versus self-report). The ratio of self-reported to official offenses is also reviewed and disaggregated by offense type.