THE DOCUMENT LISTS A NUMBER OF WIDELY HELD MISCONCEPTIONS IN SUCH AREAS AS NATIONAL CRIME TRENDS, THE EXTENT OF VIOLENT CRIME, MINORITIES AND THE POLICE, CRIME AGAINST THE ELDERLY AND AGAINST WOMEN, DRUGS AND CRIME, UNEMPLOYMENT AND CRIME, AND BLACKS ON DEATH ROW. THE REALITY OF EACH SITUATION IS STATED AND DATA ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT THE STATEMENTS. THE INFORMATION USED IS PROVIDED FROM TWO STATISTICAL SYSTEMS: THE NATIONAL PRISONER STATISTICS (NPS) PROGRAM AND THE NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY (NCS). THE NPS, ESTABLISHED IN THE 1920'S, GATHERS AND DISSEMINATES INFORMATION ON STATE AND FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. TWO ELEMENTS OF THE NPS ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION: THE SURVEY OF INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED IN 1974, AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, AN ANNUAL CENSUS OF PRISONERS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. THE SECOND SYSTEM, NCS, WAS ESTABLISHED EARLY IN THE 1970'S. ALTHOUGH IT DOES SHARE THE INABILITY OF OTHER PROGRAMS TO MEASURE ALL CRIMINAL OFFENSES, THE NCS RELIES UPON UNIQUELY QUALIFIED SOURCES -- THE VICTIMS OF CRIME -- FOR DETAILS ON SELECTED CLASSES OF CRIME. BASED ON A CONTINUOUS REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF ABOUT 60,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND 14,000 BUSINESSES PER YEAR, THE NCS VICTIMIZATION SURVEYS SINCE 1973 HAVE YIELDED ANNUAL INFORMATION ON THE IMPACT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CRIMES OF RAPE, ROBBERY, ASSAULT, BURGLARY, LARCENY, AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT. SUPPLEMENTARY SURVEYS CONDUCTED UNDER THE NCS PROGRAM IN 26 LARGE CITIES DURING 1974 AND 1975 PROVIDED CERTAIN PUBLIC OPINION DATA USED IN THE REPORT. ONLY ONE ITEM IN THE REPORT, THAT DEALING WITH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, IS BASED UPON DATA FROM ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS. ALL OTHER DATA ARE ESTIMATES DERIVED FROM SURVEYS IN WHICH RESPONDENTS PARTICIPATED VOLUNTARILY. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (VDA)