In assessing criminality, researchers have used counts of crimes, arrests, and so on, because interval measures were not available. Additionally, crime seriousness varies depending on demographic factors. This study examined the Crime and Violence Scale (CVS) regarding psychometric quality using item response theory (IRT) and invariance of the crime seriousness hierarchy for gender, age, and racial/ethnic groups on 7,435 respondents. The CVS is a useful measure of criminality, though some items could be improved or dropped. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis revealed that crime seriousness varies by age and gender. IRT shows promise in assessing and adjusting for demographic variations in crime seriousness.
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