Criminology in the age of data explosion: New directions

Abstract

This review discusses practical benefits and limitations of novel data-driven research for social scientists in general and criminologists in particular by providing a comprehensive examination of the matter. Specifically, this study is an attempt to critically evaluate ‘big data’, data-driven perspectives, and their epistemological value for both scholars and practitioners, particularly those working on crime. It serves as guidance for those who are interested in data-driven research by pointing out new research avenues. In addition to the benefits, the drawbacks associated with data-driven approaches are also discussed. Finally, critical problems that are emerging in this era, such as privacy and ethical concerns are highlighted.

Keywords:

• Social science
• Big data
• Crime
• Social media
• Data-driven social science

Notes

1 http://https://www.nsf.gov/cise/bigdata/.

2 http://https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/http://https://about.twitter.com/company.

3 A list of various commercial/noncommercial tools can be found at http://https://www.keshif.me/demo/VisTools.

4 As of this writing, Distill even rewards the most useful research that delivers complex materials in an easy-to-understand manner through interactive and informing visual materials. You can get more information on http://https://distill.pub/journal/.

5 http://www.predpol.com/.

6 http://www.shotspotter.com/.

7 http://https://www.neurala.com/. It is important to note that these are not the only companies in this line of business. These are shared due to their media coverage. It is not intended in this manuscript to promote or approve their performances.

8 Thanks for the anonymous reviewer for pointing this out.

Additional information

Turgut Ozkan is a lecturer at the Santa Clara University. He has published scholarly work on a wide range of topics ranging from recidivism, delinquency and in policing.