CJ 161 topics

Criminal Justice 161
Criminal Justice Statistics
Sequence of Topics and Readings and Assignments
UPDATED: 4/19/01 - READINGS FOR LAST WEEK, LAB 8 ADDED

WEEK OF

TOPICS

READINGS

1/15

NO CLASS 1/15: MLK DAY
Why this is the most important class of your college career; what this class is about; what this class is NOT about; classroom guidelines; your innate statistical reasoning capabilities; your blocks; overcoming those blocks; survival guide; describing data; summarizing data; testing and developing ideas; evidentiary basis

Math proves Stones best
click here
Gunface lyrics
Stats in your legal career?
PDF: lawyer
Your inner mathematician:
HTM: innermath.htm
B&P: 623-632

1/22

MONDAY: BE HERE - mass questionnaire
What does it mean to reason statistically?
What is a variable? What flavors (only four)? Independent or dependent? The MATRIX approach. Counts, rates, ratios, percents; A PROBLEM: Background checks for firearms transfers. Describing data: Frequency distributions
QUIZ ONE
LAB01
161_lab01.wk1

LEO_killed
LEO_killed_weapon
LEO_KILLED_SPSS

HANDOUT:You are wrong because
PDF:backgroundchecks
B&P:1-9;22-39
K&F:1-23; 106-108 READ TWICE
G&S:1-13

1/29

Describing data: Frequency distributions;
Beginning to describe the CENTER of a variable: mean, median, mode. Spread: Max. and Min.

FINISH UP LAB01
PRACTICE with LEOK.SAV

G&S:14-18
B&P:44-65; 70-73 (skip smoothing) 81-90(skip median with grouped data); 91-96 (skip grouped data); 98; 100(last 2 lines)-107

2/5

2/5 LAB PAPER01 DUE
Describing data: stem and leaf display; quartiles
Describing the SPREAD of data: range, IQR, mean deviation, standard deviation

B&P: 143-150; 117-130; 134-136
G&S:19-26

2/12

More on describing the spread of data; thinking about what we are missing if we look only at measures of central tendency and spread; putting it all together; what is a random variable; what makes a random variable; what makes a random distribution; some distributions from the GUNS IN AMERICA data file (background); some distributions from CLASSINFO

LAB AND PAPER STUFF STARTS HERE
LAB02 AND PAPER 2: Box and whisker plots

giamindd.sav : SPSS Data file to retrieve and put on your A floppy

PDF: LUDWIG article

B&P:150-163
The background on the Guns in America study
DOWNLOAD AND READ THIS OVERVIEW BY ROTH: click here

PDF: GIA CODEBOOK
DO **not** print out!! - just for online review!!

2/19

LAB02 DUE FRIDAY 2/23
M&Ms; Sampling and the distribution of sample means; two variables; sampling error

K&F:109-112

2/26

We can build you: the normal distribution even from binary variables.
QUIZ ON WED. will cover what we have done in class the last week and on Monday 2/26, with some questions also about the normal distribution from the readings
LAB 03 ON FRIDAY - You are going to be computing your z scores for all work to date, and recording that, and turning it in - ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT YOU READ K&F OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE LOST!

GET THE DATA TEMPLATE: LAB3.SAV

GET THE INSTRUCTIONS: LAB3.HTM

B&P: 211-223
G&S: 79-86; 88;89-106;
REREAD: K&F:109-112

3/5

MTV SPRING BREAK

3/12

Probability basics; Areas under the curve and central limit theorem; confidence intervals
Applications in statistics I: Murder and Insurance Fraud

G&S: 27-52
RECOMMENDED: B&P:169-184;: JUST THE BOXES

3/19

Probability basics; Areas under the curve and central limit theorem; confidence intervals - continued
FRIDAY:
MURDER AND INSURANCE FRAUD LAB 4 PAPER DUE

B&P:211-232
G&S: 111-136

3/26

Applications in statistics II: Election Fraud in the Second District in Philadelphia in 1993: background
Statistical TESTS: DIFFERENCES OF SAMPLE V. POP, DIFFERENCES OF TWO PROPORTIONS; The z-test of differences in proportions; the steps in the logic of hypothesis testing; understanding type I and type II error; in class example - is this class representative of national views on registering handguns?

Steps in hypothesis testing

Link to class data file

FRIDAY: ELECTION FRAUD LAB PAPER 5 DUE
FRIDAY - may devote to proficiency testing

Stinson1
Stinson2
Stinson3
Stinson 3A
Stinson4
Stinson5
Stinson6
Stinson7
Stinson8
Stinson9
Stinson10
Stinson Calculations

B&P: 259-286
G&S: 137-148

4/2

Type I and Type II error and drug testing

Decision theory and Statistical power and error

Association of nominal variables: contingency tables
How to construct a table; column percentages; expected frequencies; chi square and phi

LAB 6 IN-LAB PROFICIENCY TEST MUST BE COMPLETED NO LATER THAN END OF CLASS 4/6/
LAB 7: : getting ready to do a chi squared

B&P: 292-307(middle);
G&S:140-141; 151-152
K&F: 100-105

4/9

Chi squared

4/16

Chi squared

4/23

t test of mean differences on independent samples

LAB 8

B&P:342-364

4/30

LAST DAY OF CLASS 4/30

FRIDAY 5/4/00 8:30 - 10:30 AM = FINAL EXAM PERIOD

NOTE: LABS will always be on FRIDAY and will take place in Anderson labs
NOTE: QUIZZES will always be on Wednesday
NOTE: Lab papers will always be due on Monday, by 4:30 pm. Please deliver all Lab papers to Caroline Ruck for logging in

WEEK OF	TOPICS	READINGS
1/15	NO CLASS 1/15: MLK DAY Why this is the most important class of your college career; what this class is about; what this class is NOT about; classroom guidelines; your innate statistical reasoning capabilities; your blocks; overcoming those blocks; survival guide; describing data; summarizing data; testing and developing ideas; evidentiary basis	Math proves Stones best click here Gunface lyrics Stats in your legal career? PDF: lawyer Your inner mathematician: HTM: innermath.htm B&P: 623-632
1/22	MONDAY: BE HERE - mass questionnaire What does it mean to reason statistically? What is a variable? What flavors (only four)? Independent or dependent? The MATRIX approach. Counts, rates, ratios, percents; A PROBLEM: Background checks for firearms transfers. Describing data: Frequency distributions QUIZ ONE LAB01 161_lab01.wk1	LEO_killed LEO_killed_weapon LEO_KILLED_SPSS HANDOUT:You are wrong because PDF:backgroundchecks B&P:1-9;22-39 K&F:1-23; 106-108 READ TWICE G&S:1-13
1/29	Describing data: Frequency distributions; Beginning to describe the CENTER of a variable: mean, median, mode. Spread: Max. and Min. FINISH UP LAB01 PRACTICE with LEOK.SAV	G&S:14-18 B&P:44-65; 70-73 (skip smoothing) 81-90(skip median with grouped data); 91-96 (skip grouped data); 98; 100(last 2 lines)-107
2/5	2/5 LAB PAPER01 DUE Describing data: stem and leaf display; quartiles Describing the SPREAD of data: range, IQR, mean deviation, standard deviation	B&P: 143-150; 117-130; 134-136 G&S:19-26
2/12	More on describing the spread of data; thinking about what we are missing if we look only at measures of central tendency and spread; putting it all together; what is a random variable; what makes a random variable; what makes a random distribution; some distributions from the GUNS IN AMERICA data file (background); some distributions from CLASSINFO LAB AND PAPER STUFF STARTS HERE LAB02 AND PAPER 2: Box and whisker plots giamindd.sav : SPSS Data file to retrieve and put on your A floppy PDF: LUDWIG article	B&P:150-163 The background on the Guns in America study DOWNLOAD AND READ THIS OVERVIEW BY ROTH: click here PDF: GIA CODEBOOK DO not print out!! - just for online review!!
2/19	LAB02 DUE FRIDAY 2/23 M&Ms; Sampling and the distribution of sample means; two variables; sampling error	K&F:109-112
2/26	We can build you: the normal distribution even from binary variables. QUIZ ON WED. will cover what we have done in class the last week and on Monday 2/26, with some questions also about the normal distribution from the readings LAB 03 ON FRIDAY - You are going to be computing your z scores for all work to date, and recording that, and turning it in - ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT YOU READ K&F OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE LOST! GET THE DATA TEMPLATE: LAB3.SAV GET THE INSTRUCTIONS: LAB3.HTM	B&P: 211-223 G&S: 79-86; 88;89-106; REREAD: K&F:109-112
3/5	MTV SPRING BREAK
3/12	Probability basics; Areas under the curve and central limit theorem; confidence intervals Applications in statistics I: Murder and Insurance Fraud	G&S: 27-52 RECOMMENDED: B&P:169-184;: JUST THE BOXES
3/19	Probability basics; Areas under the curve and central limit theorem; confidence intervals - continued FRIDAY: MURDER AND INSURANCE FRAUD LAB 4 PAPER DUE	B&P:211-232 G&S: 111-136
3/26	Applications in statistics II: Election Fraud in the Second District in Philadelphia in 1993: background Statistical TESTS: DIFFERENCES OF SAMPLE V. POP, DIFFERENCES OF TWO PROPORTIONS; The z-test of differences in proportions; the steps in the logic of hypothesis testing; understanding type I and type II error; in class example - is this class representative of national views on registering handguns? Steps in hypothesis testing Link to class data file FRIDAY: ELECTION FRAUD LAB PAPER 5 DUE FRIDAY - may devote to proficiency testing	Stinson1 Stinson2 Stinson3 Stinson 3A Stinson4 Stinson5 Stinson6 Stinson7 Stinson8 Stinson9 Stinson10 Stinson Calculations B&P: 259-286 G&S: 137-148
4/2	Type I and Type II error and drug testing Decision theory and Statistical power and error Association of nominal variables: contingency tables How to construct a table; column percentages; expected frequencies; chi square and phi LAB 6 IN-LAB PROFICIENCY TEST MUST BE COMPLETED NO LATER THAN END OF CLASS 4/6/ LAB 7: : getting ready to do a chi squared	B&P: 292-307(middle); G&S:140-141; 151-152 K&F: 100-105
4/9	Chi squared
4/16	Chi squared
4/23	t test of mean differences on independent samples LAB 8	B&P:342-364
4/30	LAST DAY OF CLASS 4/30 FRIDAY 5/4/00 8:30 - 10:30 AM = FINAL EXAM PERIOD