Crime and criminological data can be gathered, interpreted, and represented in different ways. The use of “big data” in criminology has helped illuminate the efficacy of various prevention or intervention policies and programs, as well as helping to better allocate resources for criminal justice. In the United States, the main data sources include the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The UCR is subdivided into the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program, each of which track specific types of crime data (FBI, 2018). Another major crime data system used in the United States is the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). A similar tool has been used on an international scale with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS). Finally, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) operates the United Nations Surveys on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS).
The UCR and the UN-CTS are similar in that they track reported crimes. Tracking reported crimes requires an established, clear definition of each crime. It also requires that all participating law enforcement agencies use the same definitions for those crimes and report instances of those crimes in the same way. Because law enforcement agencies have a large degree of discretion when it comes to reporting crimes, let alone prosecuting them, the data collected by the UCR and the UN-CTS may not always be as reliable as it seems.
Similarly, systems that track victim reports such as the NCVS and the ICVS are designed to capture totally different data that do rely on standardized definitions of crimes and perceptions of safety or victimization. Because of the pervasiveness of stigma and the problems that marginalized communities or individuals face when reporting crimes to their local law enforcement agencies, information systems that focus on victimization like the NCVS and the ICVS can provide data as accurate, if not more so, than the UCR and the UN-CTS. Still, victimization surveys do not take into account the full gamut of crimes as reported by official law enforcement sources, making it critical to use multiple types of big data in criminology research.
All four of these major crime databases offer helpful and clear information. When using big data, it is important to take into account the population sampled to ensure the accuracy and helpfulness of the information. For example, the American sources will reflect incidents that have been classified as criminal under most local legal codes. Those same behaviors are likely to be classified differently in different countries. Perceived helpfulness and clarity also depend on how the information will be used. For example, the law enforcement data provided in the UCR and the UN-CTS can reveal the efficacy of particular programs, interventions, policing practices, and legislation on crime statistics compiled by law enforcement but can yield misleading information. Law enforcement and government prosecutors can engage tactics that are specifically designed to have an impact on UCR or UN-CTS data but not have an appreciable or measurable effect on actual community safety or trust in law enforcement.
Both the NCVS and the ICVS present clear advantages for some types of criminological research, and particularly when it comes to urban planning and sociology. Perceptions of personal safety are important factors in developing community policing models or changing approaches to police-community relations. Furthermore, it is critical to remember that an abundance of crimes never even reach the point at which they can be investigated. The NCVS and ICVS reveal actual instances of crimes that may be unreported or underreported.
References
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS, 2016). Data collection: National Crime Victimization Survey. https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=245
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, 2018). Uniform crime reporting (UCR) program. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (2018). ICVS. http://www.unicri.it/services/library_documentation/publications/icvs/
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC, 2018). United Nations Surveys on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (UN-CTS). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/United-Nations-Surveys-on-Crime-Trends-and-the-Operations-of-Criminal-Justice-Systems.html
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