NCJ Number
59155
Date Published
1979
Length
44 pages
Annotation
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF COMPARING ILLINOIS POLICE DATA TO COURTS AND CORRECTIONS DATA IS SHOWN, AND A METHOD IS SUGGESTED WHEREBY POLICE DATA MAY BE RECORDED TO MAKE COMPARISONS POSSIBLE.
Abstract
ILLINOIS STATE AGENCIES USE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT OFFICIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR CRIMINAL OFFENSES. COURTS AND CORRECTIONS AGENCIES CLASSIFY CRIMES ACCORDING TO THE ILLINOIS STATUTORY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM IN WHICH EACH CRIMINAL OFFENSE IS LISTED AS A FELONY, MISDEMEANOR, PETTY OR BUSINESS OFFENSE, DEPENDING ON THE POSSIBLE SEVERITY OF THE SENTENCE. CONVERSELY, MOST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES RELY ON A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM DEVELOPED ESPECIALLY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CONTAINING OVER 200 OFFENSE CATEGORIES. IF IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO COMPARE POLICE DATA TO EITHER COURTS OR CORRECTIONS DATA, THE RESULTS WILL BE INACCURATE, ESPECIALLY IF BROAD CATEGORIES OF DATA ARE USED. IT IS A MISTAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, TO COMPARE TOTAL 'PART I ARRESTS' TO TOTAL 'FELONY CASES BEGUN' ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE TWO CATEGORIES REFER TO THE SAME TYPES OF CRIME; THEY DO NOT. TABLES AND CHARTS ILLUSTRATE EXAMPLES OF INVALID COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE TWO CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS. A LESS-THAN-PERFECT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, ONE THAT WILL ALLOW A MORE ACCURATE COMPARISON THAN WOULD USING PART I OR INDEX CRIME CLASSIFICATIONS, IS PROPOSED, INVOLVING THE CHOICE OF A STATUTORY CLASS FOR EACH OF THE 38 DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT (DLE) CRIMES. A PANEL OF THREE ILLINOIS LAWYERS AGREED ON THE CHOICE OF CLASS FOR EACH DLE CRIME CATEGORY, EXCEPT ONE. THE COMPLETE CODING SYSTEM, INCLUDING THE SUGGESTED CLASS CODES FOR THE 38 AMBIGUOUS CRIMES, IS APPENDED. DRAWBACKS TO THIS SOLUTION AND ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS ARE DISCUSSED. NUMEROUS TABLES, CHARTS, REFERENCES, AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED, AS WELL AS THE CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENSES APPLICABLE DURING THE YEARS 1972 THROUGH 1977. (WJR)