Diversity issues and challenges
Comparing the rates of crime and punishment in the United States as a whole to various individual regions and states, and to other countries in the world can provide very useful information regarding criminal justice policies in the nation. Through such measurement and comparisons, programs that work—and those that do not—can be identified, expanded, adjusted, or eliminated as warranted by the evidence. On a deeper level, understanding such information can tell a society a lot about its attitudes towards crime and various "types" or demographics of criminals, potentially exposing not only more fundamental societal issues but also cultural values, perspectives, and ethics.