NCJ Number
133745
Date Published
1991
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The new, fully computerized British Offenders' Index is one of the largest criminal data bases in Europe, containing information on all serious convictions from 1963 to 1989.
Abstract
Each record consists of identifying details, name, initials, gender, and date of birth; this ID record is matched to produce approximately 6 million criminal histories including type of offense and sentence. The Index yields Janus-type surveys that look both into the past and future. Past work includes tracing the criminal histories of a series of birth cohort samples. The Offenders' Index could become a type of bureau, supplying data files for outside clients who wish to analyze the information. All users must sign a confidentiality statement, agreeing to use the data only for statistical purposes. At present, computing and clerical costs are being studied to produce a costing strategy for both internal and external researchers. 6 appendixes