ABSTRACT
Mental Model # 20—Harm Indexes introduces the idea of a harm index, an index that creates an equal base rate across crimes for focusing police resources rather than using traditional crime counts. A harm index accounts for low volume/high harm crimes like homicide and high volume/low harm crimes like shoplifting by using sentencing days to determine the level of harm to a community. Advocates argue that harm indexes are a better way to measure crime than crime counts. I also review Dr. Jerry Ratcliffe's harm index as an alternative harm model. He includes police activity as a measure in the index to balance the positive and negative outcomes that police activity can create in the communities.
