The Criminal Justice Data Landscape

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

The FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the U.S. on January 1, 2021. The transition to NIBRS represents a significant shift – and improvement – in how reported crime is measured and estimated by the federal government, but these efforts are not limited solely to data recorded by law enforcement. Multiple ongoing efforts are underway to improve and modernize the collection and reporting of criminal justice data in the U.S. to provide more accurate, representative, and accessible data.

This panel will discuss criminal justice data sources and the ongoing efforts to improve data quality from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS), Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), and SEARCH, the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics.

Sub Unit

• Area XI. Methodology / 77. Advances in Quantitative Methods

Individual Presentations

• Crimes and Arrests Known to Law Enforcement, 2023 - Lizabeth Remrey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ; Kimberly Martin, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ

• Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS): Broadening Access to Integrated Justice Data - Keith Finlay, U.S. Census Bureau

• Enhancing National Crime Statistics: An Action Plan for More Timely, Accurate, Usable, and Complete Crime Statistics - Stephanie C. Kennedy, Council on Criminal Justice

• Improving the Completeness, Accuracy, and Research Utility of Criminal History Data - Derek Veitenheimer, SEARCH

Discussant

• Erica Smith, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ