Describe the different types of data gathered from the various criminal justice data banks. In the 1920s, the rise in organized crime and illegal alcohol sales prompted media attention that generated public concern about crime. By 1929, Congress authorized the first nationwide reporting of crime data. Consequently, FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) was created. By the 1970s, emphasis on gathering more reliable crime data became a government concern with a crisis in public safety. In 1972, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) was created to uncover the significant number of unreported crimes. Seeking even more dependability from crime data, in 1988, the FBI implemented the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The NIBRS serves to broaden the information gathered about crime and its victims. Moreover, scholars, private research institutions, and government agencies conduct self-reporting surveys of perpetrators and victims.
1. Why is the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) crime gathering methodologies considered flawed?
2. What are some of the similarities in data gathered by both the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)?
3. What is meant by the term “dark figure of crime statistics?”
4. Explain a deficiency in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)?
5. Why is the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) more comprehensive than other data banks? 6. Name three major federal agencies dedicated to crime data collection?