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In this secondary analysis, the research team used publicly available federal sentencing data from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) to measure racial disparities for multiple race groups and stages of sentencing across time (fiscal years 1999-2021). They sought to answer the following research questions:

1. Do racial disparities vary across 3 stages of federal sentencing and over time? If so, how?
2. During which years do the measured racial disparities have a statistically significant decrease?
3. Which policies likely impacted these decreases the most? What are the commonalities between them?

To answer the research questions, the research team measured racial disparities between matched cases across three stages of federal sentencing, represented by two elements each; identified at which points in time the disparities changed significantly using time series plots and structured break analyses; and used this information to systematically review federal policies to identify which might have contributed to significant decreases in racial disparities.

This collection contains 1 analytic dataset (n = 1,281,732) containing 27 key variables for all fiscal years and the code/syntax used to complete the secondary analysis:

• 5 files to compile and clean the original data and produce matched datasets (3 R, 1 SAS, 1 Stata)
• 6 files to analyze sentences by race (all R)
• 4 files to analyze sentences by federal sentencing guideline (all R)
• 11 files to analyze sentences by circuit court (all R)

Please refer to the Data Sources metadata field and accompanying documentation for details on obtaining the original data.

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 utilized data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics on federal criminal case processing to study jurisdictional variations in prosecutorial decision-making outcomes. It linked information across multiple federal agencies in order to track individual offenders across the various stages of the federal justice system. Specifically, it combined arrest information from the United States Marshall's Service with charging information from the Executive and Administrative Offices of the United States Attorney and with sentencing information from the United States Sentencing Commission. These individual data were subsequently augmented with additional information on federal courts to examine contextual variations in charging decisions across federal jurisdictions.

There are three data files. Dataset 1 (Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) and United States Marshals Service (USMS) Data) contains 88 variables and 284,869 cases. Dataset 2 (Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) and United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) Data) contains 717 variables and 256,598 cases. Dataset 3 (United States District Court Characteristics Data) contains 6 variables and 89 cases.

Only Dataset 3 is being released as part of the available study materials. Datasets 1 and 2 can be re-created using the syntax files which are included in the study materials.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2015. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Prisoner Tracking System database. Records include arrests made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS), state and local agencies, and self-surrenders. Offenders arrested for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Prisoner Tracking System contains data on all offenders within the custody of the USMS. The data file contains variables from the original USMS files as well as additional analysis variables. Variables containing identifying information (e.g., name, Social Security number) were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. These data are part of a series designed by Abt and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2016. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Prisoner Tracking System database. Records include arrests made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS), state and local agencies, and self-surrenders. Offenders arrested for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Prisoner Tracking System contains data on all offenders within the custody of the USMS. The data file contains variables from the original USMS files as well as additional analysis variables. Variables containing identifying information (e.g., name, Social Security number) were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. These data are part of a series designed by Abt and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2017. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Prisoner Tracking System database. Records include arrests made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS), state and local agencies, and self-surrenders. Offenders arrested for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Prisoner Tracking System contains data on all offenders within the custody of the USMS. The data file contains variables from the original USMS files as well as additional analysis variables. Variables containing identifying information (e.g., name, Social Security number) were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. These data are part of a series designed by Abt and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2018. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Prisoner Tracking System database. Records include arrests made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS), state and local agencies, and self-surrenders. Offenders arrested for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Prisoner Tracking System contains data on all offenders within the custody of the USMS. The data file contains variables from the original USMS files as well as additional analysis variables. Variables containing identifying information (e.g., name, Social Security number) were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. These data are part of a series designed by Abt and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2019. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Prisoner Tracking System database. Records include arrests made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS), state and local agencies, and self-surrenders. Offenders arrested for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Prisoner Tracking System contains data on all offenders within the custody of the USMS. The data file contains variables from the original USMS files as well as additional analysis variables. Variables containing identifying information (e.g., name, Social Security number) were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. These data are part of a series designed by Abt Associates and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt Associates.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2020. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Capture database. Records include arrests and bookings made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS) and state and local agencies. Justice involved individuals arrested or booked for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Capture system contains data on all justice involved individuals within the custody of the USMS. Variables containing identifying information were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. A primary difference between the 2020 data and previous years is that the 2020 data were subset based upon an admission to custody in the fiscal year. In previous years, arrest date was used to subset the records. Some individuals in the 2020 data will have a missing arrest date. These data are part of a series designed by Abt Associates and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt Associates.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2021. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Capture database. Records include arrests and bookings made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS) and state and local agencies. Justice involved individuals arrested or booked for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Capture system contains data on all justice involved individuals within the custody of the USMS. Variables containing identifying information were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. A primary difference between the 2020 data and previous years is that the 2020 data were subset based upon an admission to custody in the fiscal year. In previous years, arrest date was used to subset the records. Some individuals in the 2021 data will have a missing arrest date. These data are part of a series designed by Abt Associates and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt Associates.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2022. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Capture database. Records include arrests and bookings made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS) and state and local agencies. Justice involved individuals arrested or booked for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Capture system contains data on all justice involved individuals within the custody of the USMS. Variables containing identifying information were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. A primary difference between the 2020 data and previous years is that the 2020 data were subset based upon an admission to custody in the fiscal year. In previous years, arrest date was used to subset the records. Some individuals in the 2022 data will have a missing arrest date. These data are part of a series designed by Abt Associates and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt Associates.

The data contain records of arrests and bookings for federal offenses in the United States during fiscal year 2023. The data were constructed from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Capture database. Records include arrests and bookings made by federal law enforcement agencies (including the USMS) and state and local agencies. Justice involved individuals arrested or booked for federal offenses are transferred to the custody of the USMS for processing, transportation, and detention. The Capture system contains data on all justice involved individuals within the custody of the USMS. Variables containing identifying information were either removed, coarsened, or blanked in order to protect the identities of individuals. A primary difference between the 2020 data and previous years is that the 2020 data were subset based upon an admission to custody in the fiscal year. In previous years, arrest date was used to subset the records. Some individuals in the 2023 data will have a missing arrest date. These data are part of a series designed by Abt Associates and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data and documentation were prepared by Abt Associates.

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.