Maxfield, M. G., & Babbie, E. R. (2018). Chapter 5: Concepts, operationalization, and management. In Research Methods for criminal justice and criminology, 8th Ed. Cengage. Web.
The chapter is devoted to measuring the characteristics of a neighborhood, which is the primary step to identifying its possible relation to the crime episodes that occur in the location. The authors seek to describe the process of measurement as directly and specifically as possible to compensate for the lack of precision; the procedure, according to them, is quite difficult, hence approximate results. The opening part, therefore, contains the interpretation of the terms that are used for characterizing a neighborhood, including recidivism, which is essential for improving specificity. Then, the authors comment on the indicators and dimensions that serve as a reference point for classifying a crime by its seriousness, in which section an essential point is the types of harm to the victim. At this stage, the vagueness of the terms, which results in the measurement result, is highlighted.
Regarding the actual procedure of characterization, the authors describe several approaches to it theoretically and give practical examples for additional demonstrativeness. These are, in particular, scoring, exhaustive and exclusive measurement, which techniques apply a set of variables that also are specified in the chapter. The next point on which the authors focus is the criteria for assessing the quality of measurement; an important nuance is that section is the difference between precision and accuracy. The parameter of reliability, to which it is also possible to refer as consistency or stability, and validity are under review as well, notably in terms of their role in characterization. Finally, the chapter provides instructions for building typologies based on the outcomes of the measurement and identifying the type of disorder as well as the degree of its seriousness.