Federal Justice Statistics Program: Paired-Agency Linked Files, 1994-2023 (ICPSR 30701)
The new FJSRC linking system, implemented with the 2008 FJSRC data, includes sets of agency dyad linked files created by improved methods of algorithmic matching. There are both inter-agency linked files and intra-agency dyad linked files.
The inter-agency matched pair files (or "dyads") permit the linking of records from two different source agencies for adjacent stages of federal case processing by providing a crosswalk of the agency-specific key ID variables for the two agency data files in the pair. These agency ID variables (sequential ID numbers) may be used to link records from one agency's standard analysis file (SAF) to the next. The system enables users to track individual defendant-cases through stages of the federal criminal justice system (from arrest to prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, and corrections) sequentially, one agency dyad pair at a time. Each inter-agency paired linked file relates the sequential record numbers (i.e. SEQ_NUM) included in the SAFs from one agency/stage to another.
The intra-agency matched pair files (also dyads) permit the same type of linking as described above except that the linkages are within the same federal agency. The linkages are to different stages of case processing withing a particular agency.
The system covers all data years from 1994-2023. These data are part of a series designed by the Urban Institute (Washington, D.C.) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by the Urban Institute through 2012. Data from 2013 and on were prepared by Abt Associates.
Federal Justice Statistics Program Data, 1978-1994: [United States] (ICPSR 9296)
Federal Court Cases, 1962-1964 (ICPSR 7245)
National Juvenile Court Data Archive, United States, 1985-2019 (ICPSR 38418)
The National Juvenile Court Data Archive houses over 15 million automated records of cases handled by courts with juvenile jurisdiction. Although some states' data contain traffic and dependency cases, the majority are delinquency and status offense records. The collection itself dates back to the 1920s when it was under the Children's Bureau, however in 1974 the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), within the U.S. Department of Justice assumed responsibility for the work of promoting access to automated juvenile court data sets for juvenile justice research and policymaking efforts.
The Archive contains the most detailed information available on juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system and on the activities of U.S. juvenile courts. The Archive houses a sizable collection of automated juvenile court data files that not only support the national estimates but also support the study of a wide range of national and subnational juvenile justice issues. Designed to facilitate research on the juvenile justice system, the Archive's data files are available to policy-makers, researchers, students, and the public. The data have been used to explore a broad range of topics, from investigating the effectiveness of juvenile court programs and examining policy developments in individual jurisdictions, to monitoring the impact of legislative changes, and guiding juvenile justice system reform.
Evidence, Sexual Assaults, and Case Outcomes: Understanding the Role of Sexual Assault Kits, Non-Forensic Evidence, and Case Characteristics, 2015-2017 (ICPSR 37261)
Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases: Replication Research on Sexual Violence Case Attrition in the United States, 2006-2012 (ICPSR 37181)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
The study contains data on sexual assault cases reported to the police for the years 2006-2012, collected from six police agencies and also their corresponding public prosecutor's offices across the United States. The study analyzed the attrition of sexual assault cases from the criminal justice system.
This study includes two SPSS data files:
- Court-Form-2008-2010-Sample-Revised-Nov-2018.sav (801 variables, 417 cases)
- Police-Form-2008-2010-Sample-Revised-Nov-2018.sav (1,276 variables, 3,269 cases)
This study also includes two SPSS syntax files:
- ICPSR-Court-Form-Variable-Construction-2008-2010.sps
- ICPSR-Constructed-Variables-Syntax.sps
The study also contains qualitative data which are not available as part of this data collection at this time. The qualitative data includes interviews, field observations, and focus groups which were conducted with key personnel to examine organizational and cultural dimensions of handling sexual assault cases in order to understand how these factors influence case outcomes.
An Innovative Response to an Intractable Problem: Using Village Public Safety Officers to Enhance the Criminal Justice Response to Violence Committed Against Alaska Native Women and American Indian Women in Alaska's Tribal Communities, 2008-2011 (ICPSR 37082)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This project set out to understand the specific contributions Alaska's village public safety officers (VPSOs) make to the criminal justice responses to violence committed against Alaska Native and American Indian women in Alaska's tribal communities. More specifically, the goal of this study was to empirically document and assess the impact Alaska's VPSO program has on the investigation and prosecution of those who commit acts of sexual and domestic violence against Alaska Native and American Indian women in Alaska's tribal communities.
The data collected for this study were compiled from detailed case record reviews of a random sample of sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, and domestic violence incidents investigated by the Alaska State Troopers (AST) and closed between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011. Data pertaining to case-level (e.g., year and month of incident report and case closure, time to report) and incident-level (e.g., assault location, weapon use, assaultive behaviors) characteristics were collected, as were demographic data describing suspects, victims, and witnesses/third parties. The study also collected data detailing suspect and victim alcohol/drug use and intoxication, injuries sustained by victims, victim resistance strategies and behaviors, and victim disclosures, among other measures. Additional charging and case resolution (referral, prosecution, conviction) data were also compiled. Finally, the study collected detailed data on the activities and roles played by VPSOs in investigations, as well as additional follow-up activities and services provided to victims.
In total, 683 sexual assault (SA) and sexual abuse of a minor (SAM) and 982 domestic violence (DV) case records were coded and analyzed.
The study collections includes 6 Stata (.dta) files. The zip file includes 2013-VW-CX-0001_DV_CASE.dta (n=982; 127 variables), 2013-VW-CX-0001_DV_CHARGE.dta (n=3711; 23 variables), 2013-VW-CX-0001_DV_INDIV.dta (n=3747; 105 variables), 2013-VW-CX-0001_SA_CASE.dta (n=683; 133 variables), 2013-VW-CX-0001_SA_CHARGE.dta (n=1060; 24 variables), 2013-VW-CX-0001_SA_INDIV.dta (n=3140; 112 variables).
State Court Processing Statistics, 2002: Felony and Domestic Violence Defendants in Large Urban Counties (ICPSR 34892)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, [United States], 2016 (ICPSR 36655)
Forensic Evidence and Criminal Justice Outcomes in Sexual Assault Cases in Massachusetts, 2008-2012 (ICPSR 35205)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This project had three goals. One, to provide a more detailed description of injury evidence and biological evidence in sexual assault cases, including their timing relative to arrests. A second goal was to examine the relationship of forensic evidence to arrests. A third goal was to examine injury evidence and biological evidence in certain types of cases in which it may have had greater impact. To achieve these goals, the researchers created analysis data files that merged data from the Massachusetts Provided Sexual Crime Report, forensic evidence data from the two crime laboratories serving the state and data on arrests and criminal charges from 140 different police agencies.
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2008 (ICPSR 36468)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2009 (ICPSR 36483)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2010 (ICPSR 36484)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2011 (ICPSR 36485)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2012 (ICPSR 36486)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2013 (ICPSR 36487)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2014 (ICPSR 36488)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Bankruptcy Petitions, 2015 (ICPSR 36489)
Analysis of Current Cold-Case Investigation Practices and Factors Associated with Successful Outcomes, 2008-2009 (ICPSR 33761)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
To assess the current practices in cold-case investigations, this study utilized a national online survey of law enforcement agencies (Cold Case Survey Data, n = 1,051) to document the range of ways in which cold-case work is conducted and assess how this organization affects cold-case clearance rates. In November 2008, the chiefs of police in the sample were sent a letter explaining the purpose of the survey and inviting them to participate. Potential respondents were directed to the web-based survey instrument through a provided web address. The results from the national survey were used to select sites for an analysis of case files. Researchers chose three jurisdictions that conducted a large number of cold-case homicide investigations: the District of Columbia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Dallas, Texas (Cold Case Homicide Data, n = 429). To these three sites, researchers added Denver, Colorado (Cold Case Sexual Assault Data, n = 105) because it had received a Department of Justice grant to conduct testing of DNA material in sexual assault cold cases. At all four sites, cold cases were examined for seven categories of data including victim's characteristics, crime context, motivation, human capital, physical evidence, basis for cold-case investigations and cold-case actions.
Social Science Research on Wrongful Convictions and Near Misses, 1980-2012 (ICPSR 34522)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study examined how the criminal justice system avoids wrongful convictions by comparing violent felony cases that ended in an official exoneration after conviction ("wrongful convictions") with those in which defendants had charges dismissed before trial or were acquitted on the basis of their factual innocence ("near misses"). Data were collected on a total of 460 cases (260 wrongful convictions and 200 near misses), and these cases were compared quantitatively and qualitatively on variables that might explain the different outcomes. These variables included the usual causes of wrongful convictions, such as eyewitness misidentification, false confession, and forensic error, as well as demographic, social, and procedural variables.
Statewide Impact Evaluation of Domestic Violence Courts and Recidivism in New York, 1993-2010 (ICPSR 34484)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
The purpose of this study was to answer the following research questions:
- Do domestic violence courts reduce recidivism?
- Do domestic violence courts hold defendants accountable through the use of more severe case outcomes and sentences?
- What, if any, court-level policies make these courts more or less effective (e.g., related to eligibility, program mandates, compliance monitoring, or victim service)?
- What, if any community characteristics make these courts more or less effective (e.g., related to population size, racial composition, or socioeconomic characteristics)?
- Based on individual characteristics (e.g., age, criminal history, or current charges), which categories of defendants are at a high risk of re-offending; and are certain categories particularly responsive to the domestic violence court intervention?
Outcome were compared between matched samples of defendants (Full File Data, n=17,718 and Convicted File Data, n=7,306) processed in the 24 domestic violence courts and in conventional courts operating in the same 24 jurisdictions in New York state prior to the opening of the specialized court. Cases processed in each domestic violence court during its first two full calendar years of operations comprised the domestic violence court sample. Cases processed in conventional courts during the two full calendar years preceding the opening of the specialized court comprised the comparison sample. Data on court policies and practices was drawn from two survey instruments administered to each of the 24 courts (Court and Community Characteristics Data, n=48). The first survey was administered statewide in 2008; the second was a supplemental survey administered in 2010.
The Anatomy of Discretion: An Analysis of Prosecutorial Decision-making for Cases Processed by Offices in One Northern County and One Southern County, 2007-2010 (ICPSR 32542)
Prosecuting attorneys enjoy broad discretion in making decisions that influence criminal case outcomes. This study examines the impact of legal, quasi-legal, and extra-legal factors on case outcomes throughout the prosecutorial process. It then examines how prosecutors weigh these factors in their decision making and explores the formal and informal mechanisms that constrain or regulate prosecutors' decision-making.
The study examines case screening decisions, charging decisions, plea offers, sentence recommendations, and dismissals in two moderately large county prosecutors' offices. It includes statistical analyses of actual case outcomes, responses to a standardized set of hypothetical cases, and responses to a survey of prosecutors' opinions and priorities, as well as qualitative analyses of two waves of individual interviews and focus groups. It addresses the following questions:
- How did prosecutors define and apply the concepts of justice and fairness?
- What factors were associated with prosecutorial outcomes at each stage?
- How did prosecutors interpret and weigh different case-specific factors in making decisions at each stage?
- How did contextual factors constrain or regulate prosecutorial decision making?
- How consistent were prosecutors' decisions across similar cases? What case-level and contextual factors influenced the degree of consistency?
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base Appellate and Civil Pending Data, 2014 (ICPSR 29281)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2001 (ICPSR 3415)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2002 (ICPSR 4059)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2003 (ICPSR 4026)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2004 (ICPSR 4348)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2005 (ICPSR 4382)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2006 (ICPSR 4685)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Database, 2007 (ICPSR 22300)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2008 (ICPSR 25002)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2009 (ICPSR 29661)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2012 (ICPSR 34881)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2011 (ICPSR 33622)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2013 (ICPSR 35603)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2010 (ICPSR 30401)
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Data Base, 2014 (ICPSR 36110)
Investigation and Prosecution of Homicide Cases in the United States, 1995-2000: The Process for Federal Involvement (ICPSR 4540)
Assessment of Defense and Prosecutorial Strategies in Terrorism Trials in the United States, 1980-2004 (ICPSR 26241)
State Court Statistics, 2010 (ICPSR 34943)
State Court Processing Statistics, 1990-2009: Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties (ICPSR 2038)
National Survey of Eyewitness Identification Procedure in Law Enforcement Agencies, 1994-2012 (ICPSR 34274)
Adolescent Sexual Assault Victims' Experiences with SANE-SARTs and the Criminal Justice System, 1998-2007 (ICPSR 29721)
The study examined adolescent sexual assault survivors' help-seeking experiences with the legal and medical systems in two Midwestern communities that have different models of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)/Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) interventions.
In Dataset 1 (Qualitative Victim Interviews), investigators conducted qualitative interviews with N=20 adolescent sexual assault victims 14-17 years old. From these interviews, investigators identified three distinct patterns of survivors' post-assault disclosures and their pathways to seeking help from SANE programs and the criminal justice system: voluntary (survivors' contact with the legal and medical system was by their choice), involuntary (system contact was not by choice), and situational (circumstances of the assault itself prompted involuntary disclosure). Interviews included responses that described the assault, their experience with both the SANE/SART programs and the criminal justice system, and victim and offender demographic information.
In Dataset 2 (SANE Programs Quantitative Data), investigators obtained SANE program records, police and prosecutor records, and crime lab findings for a sample of N=395 (ages 13-17) adolescent sexual assault victims who sought services from the local SANE programs in two different counties. The data collected examined victim's progress through the criminal justice system. Factors that could potentially affect case progression were also examined; age of victim, relationship to offender, assault characteristics, number of assaults on victim, and evidence collected. Differences between the two different counties' programs were also examined for their effect on the case progression.