How to Access Criminal Justice Administrative Records System Data

• In Event: Policy Panel: Using the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System to Support Research

Abstract

The CJARS data infrastructure is a newly developed data system that is available through the Census Bureau’s Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) network. The FSRDC network provides a secure computing environment where researchers can use restricted-access Census Bureau data holdings for approved research projects. This presentation will describe the process that is required to obtain access to CJARS data through the FSRDC network and the resources that are available to assist researchers in this process. The CJARS data infrastructure provides information on the major types of events that occur in the criminal justice system, including: arrest, criminal court case filings, and terms of probation incarceration and parole. Currently, CJARS contains historical coverage in at least one of these domains of the justice system in 18 states. The CJARS study team has documentation resources available to assist interested data users better understand the process that is required to gain access to its data infrastructure.

Author

• Shawn Ratcliff, U.S. Census Bureau