Data Quality Issues Affecting
Statistical Uses of Federal and State
Criminal Records
2012 FCSM Statistical Policy Seminar, December 5, 2012
Gerard F. Ramker, Deputy Director
U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Statistics
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Simplified Criminal History Record - “Rap Sheet”
Name: Smith, John Q.
Race: White
Gender: Male
DOB: 6/12/1974
Height/Weight
SSN
Aliases used
Scars, marks, tattoos
State ID Number
Photo y/n
Residence
FBI Number
DNA y/n
Place of employment
Miscellaneous No.
Fingerprint classification
Arrested
1/1/1990
First Degree Murder
ICC 38-9-1(a)
Chicago Police Department
CB 12345678
IR 3456789
Charged
1/8/1990
Voluntary Manslaughter
ICC 38-9-2(b)
Cook County State’s Attorney
1990 – CF- 123456
Convicted
2/1/1990
Disposition: Guilty
Involuntary Manslaughter
ICC 38-9-3(b)
Cook County Circuit Court
1990 – CF- 123456
Sentenced
2/3/1990
Sentence: Life
Imprisonment
Cook County Circuit Court
1990 – CF- 123456
Received
2/4/1990
Reception & Classification
Illinois Department of
Corrections
1990 – CF- 123456
C8765431
Released
1/31/2012
Mandatory Supervised
Release
Illinois Department of
Corrections
C8765431
Administrative/Operational Uses of
Criminal History Records
• Criminal Justice Uses
– Police name checks
– Charging decisions
– Pre-trial release decisions – held in custody or released on
recognizance
– Sentencing
– Correctional classification – housing assignments in jails/prisons
– Public registries (sex offender)
– Firearm purchases, licenses, permits, etc.
• Non-Criminal Justice Uses
– Pre-employment screening
– Professional/Occupational licenses
– Permits
Research & Statistical Uses of Criminal
History Records
• Studies of recidivism – pre-post comparisons
of arrests, convictions, incarcerations
• Program evaluation
• State-level studies:
– Legislative impact studies/models
– Forecasting prison/jail populations
International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets)
State B
Interstate
Identification
Index
State C
FBI
State Criminal
History Record
Repository
Law
Enforcement
Agency
Correctional
Agency
State A
Prosecutor
Court
BJS Record Improvement Efforts
• Funded state efforts
– to automate manual records.
– to add state records to national system including
various NCIC records AND criminal history records.
– Improve the accuracy, completeness, timeliness,
and availability of such records.
– Have provided over $560 million to the states
since 1995.
Prisoner Recidivism Study
• Administrative data from BJS’s National
Corrections Reporting Program provided by
state departments of corrections.
• Sample of 74,000 released prisoners
representing more than 400,000 persons
released in the 32 states during 2005.
Memorandum of Understanding
between BJS, the FBI, and Nlets.
BJS
International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets)
State A
State C
Interstate
Identification
Index
FBI
State B
State D
Data Acquisition/Processing
• Raw rap sheet data (the state’s electronic response)
• Parsed into a database containing five segments
–
–
–
–
–
Identification
Demographic
Arrest
Court
Corrections
• Standardized database created
• BJS research database
• Public-use research database
Application of DQ Assessment Tool
• Focused on the BJS research database and the
public-use file.
– Files that derive in large measure from data that, in its
native state:
• Is highly unstructured.
• Originates in different states guided by provisions of their
separate criminal codes and codes of criminal procedure.
– Ensuring that record parsing and standardization does
not introduce errors.
– Assessing/documenting other data quality issues
Application of DQ Tool (continued)
• Secondary focus on broader data quality issues
and improvement strategies relating to
operational uses of these records.
– “Fitness for operational use”
– State profiles for record repositories which highlight
record completeness issues
– Discussion with:
• Associations representing record repositories on multi-state
issues
• Advisory bodies on policy issues involving reporting and
representation standards
Contact Information
Dr. Gerard F. Ramker, Deputy Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics
810 7th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20531
(202) 307-0765 - Gerard.Ramker@usdoj.gov
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