CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS - DATA FROM A 'NONSYSTEM'

• NCJ Number: 34432
• Author(s): K M WILLIAMS
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 40 pages
• Grant Number(s): 75-NI-99-0111
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

USING THE OFFENSE AS A UNIT OF ANALYSIS, THIS PAPER ATTEMPTS TO TRACE CRIME FROM VICTIMIZATION AND ARREST THROUGH CONVICTION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Abstract

TRACING CRIME IN ANY LARGE CITY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM VICTIMIZATION THROUGH THE POLICE AND COURT SYSTEMS IS DIFFICULT, SINCE THE STATISTICS COLLECTED AT ONE STAGE CANNOT BE DIRECTLY COMPARED TO THOSE COLLECTED AT ANOTHER. THIS PAPER FIRST OUTLINES SOME OF THE MAJOR SOURCES OF INCOMPARABILITY BETWEEN THE VICTIMIZATION SURVEY DATA PUBLISHED BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION FOR LARGE CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THE REPORTED OFFENSES OF THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS (UCR) COMPILED BY THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. THEN, IN AN EFFORT TO SHOW HOW MORE COMPATIBLE DATA COLLECTION WOULD ALLOW MEASUREMENT OF THE HANDLING OF CRIME BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WITHIN A JURISDICTION, BOTH OF THESE DATA SOURCES ARE COMPARED TO ARREST AND CONVICTION DATA FROM PROMIS (PROSECUTOR'S MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM) FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN 1973. THE FLEXIBILITY OF PROMIS, WHICH ALLOWS CLASSIFICATION OF THE DATA BY OFFENSE, DEFENDANT OR VICTIM, AS WELL AS BY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH, FACILITATES COMPARISONS WHICH LEAD TO THE DESIRED OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM. THE ISSUE OF JUVENILE STATISTICS IS ADDRESSED IN A FINAL SECTION. THROUGH ALL OF THESE COMPARISONS, WAYS OF IMPROVING CRIME AND COURT STATISTICS ARE SUGGESTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)