Showing 1 – 24 of 24 results.
Curated
Child Abuse, Neglect, and Violent Criminal Behavior in a Midwest Metropolitan Area of the United States, 1967-1988 (ICPSR 9480)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-12
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1967-01-01--1988-01-01
These data examine the relationships between childhood abuse and/or neglect and later criminal and violent criminal behavior. In particular, the data focus on whether being a victim of violence and/or neglect in early childhood leads to being a criminal offender in adolescence or early adulthood and whether a relationship exists between childhood abuse or neglect and arrests as a juvenile, arrests as an adult, and arrests for violent offenses. For this data collection, adult and juvenile criminal histories of sampled cases with backgrounds of abuse or neglect were compared to those of a matched control group with no official record of abuse or neglect. Variables contained in Part 1 include demographic information (age, race, sex, and date of birth). In Part 2, information is presented on the abuse/neglect incident (type of abuse or neglect, duration of the incident, whether the child was removed from the home and, if so, for how long, results of the placement, and whether the individual was still alive). Part 3 contains family information (with whom the child was living at the time of the incident, family disruptions, and who reported the abuse or neglect) and data on the perpetrator of the incident (relation to the victim, age, race, sex, and whether living in the home of the victim). Part 4 contains information on the charges filed within adult arrest incidents (occasion for arrest, multiple counts of the same type of charge, year and location of arrest, and type of offense or charge), and Part 5 includes information on the charges filed within juvenile arrest incidents (year of juvenile charge, number of arrests, and type of offense or charge). The unit of analysis for Parts 1 through 3 is the individual at age 11 or younger, for Part 4 the charge within the adult arrest incident, and for Part 5 the charge within the juvenile arrest incident.
Curated
Childhood Victimization and Delinquency, Adult Criminality, and Violent Criminal Behavior in a Large Urban County in the Northwest United States, 1980-1997 (ICPSR 3548)
Released/updated on: 2003-05-06
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1980-01-01--1997-01-01
This research project was designed as a replication and extension of earlier research on how childhood victimization relates to delinquency, adult criminality, and violent criminal behavior (CHILD ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND VIOLENT CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN A MIDWEST METROPOLITAN AREA OF THE UNITED STATES, 1967-1988 (ICPSR 9480)). The study consisted of a sample of abused and neglected children who were made dependents of the Superior Court of a large urban county in the Northwest between 1980 and 1984, and a matched control group of children. Dependency records were obtained from the county court house. Control match criteria were collected from Department of Health birth records data. Type of abuse/neglect precipitating the dependency petition was collected and coded using a modified version of the Maltreatment Classification Coding Scheme (MCS). Data on juvenile arrests from juvenile court records, including both number and types, were collected for each abused and/or neglected youth and each matched control subject. Adult criminal arrests, excluding routine traffic offenses, for all abused and neglected subjects and matched controls were collected from local, county, state, and federal law enforcement sources. A subset of arrests consisting of violent crimes was developed as a key outcome of interest. Major types of variables included in this study are demographics, criminal records, dependency records (only for those subjects abused/neglected as children), including type and severity of child abuse/neglect, and census socioeconomic variables. Several derived variables were also included.
Curated
Restricted
A Comparative Study of Violent Extremism and Gangs, United States, 1948-2018 (ICPSR 37386)
Released/updated on: 2021-01-27
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1948-01-01--2018-01-01, 1960-01-01--2013-01-01
The study assesses the extent of commonalities between individuals who become involved in violent extremist groups and criminal gangs, and the processes by which individuals engage in each group. Following this comparison, the extent to which the empirical results support the potential for anti-gang programs to bolster the resilience of communities against violent extremism and other forms of crime is assessed.
Quantitative assessment was conducted by comparing individuals included in the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) dataset with a subset of individuals drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) along a number of demographic, social, and socioeconomic characteristics.
Supplementary survey data was also collected from 45 former and current gang members in the United States concurrently with long-form interviews, covering a range of variables including background characteristics, demographic information, and attitudes among the respondents.
Curated
Partially restricted
Crime During the Transition to Adulthood: How Youth Fare As They Leave Out-of-Home Care in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, 2002-2007 (ICPSR 27062)
Released/updated on: 2010-12-14
Geographic coverage: Iowa, United States, Illinois, Wisconsin
Time period: 2002-05-01--2007-08-01
The purpose of the study was to examine criminal behavior and criminal justice system involvement among youth making the transition from out-of-home care to independent adulthood. The study collected data from two sources: (1) survey data from the Midwest Study of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study), and (2) official arrest data. The Midwest Study was a longitudinal panel study that was part of a collaborative effort of the state public child welfare agencies in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and the University of Washington. The participating states funded and/or operated the full range of services supported by the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. The Midwest Study survey data were collected directly from the youth in the sample every two years over three waves, between May 2002 and January 2007. A total of 732 respondents participated in at least one of the in-person interviews over the three waves. This data collection includes some variables that were directly measured from the original Midwest Study survey instrument and other variables that were computed or derived from variables in the original data for purposes of the current study. To supplement the survey data, the research team accessed official arrest data from each state for this study. Researchers obtained data on all criminal arrests that occurred between the respondents' Wave 1 interview and August 31, 2007, a date by which all of the study participants were at least 21 years old. The study contains a total of 85 variables including indicator variables, demographic and background variables, delinquency and crime variables, out-of-home care experiences variables, and social bonds variables.
Curated
Criminal Careers and Crime Control in Massachusetts [The Glueck Study]: A Matched-Sample Longitudinal Research Design, Phase I, 1939-1963 (ICPSR 9735)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States, Massachusetts
The relationship between crime control policies and fundamental parameters of the criminal career, such as career length, participation in offenses, and frequency and seriousness of offenses committed, is examined in this data collection. The investigators coded, recoded, and computerized parts of the raw data from Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck's three-wave, matched sample study of juvenile and adult criminal behavior, extracting the criminal histories of the 500 delinquents (officially defined) from the Glueck study. Data were originally collected by the Gluecks in 1940 through psychiatric interviews with subjects, parent and teacher reports, and official records obtained from police, court, and correctional files. The subjects were subsequently interviewed again between 1949 and 1965 at or near the age of 25, and again at or near the age of 32. The data coded by Laub and Sampson include only information collected from official records. The data address in part (1) what effects probation, incarceration, and parole have on the length of criminal career and frequency of criminal incidents of an offender, (2) how the effects of criminal control policies vary in relation to the length of sentence, type of offense, and age of the offender, (3) which factors in criminal control policy correlate with criminal career termination, (4) how well age of first offense predicts the length of criminal career, and (5) how age of offender relates to type of offense committed. Every incident of arrest up to the age of 32 for each respondent (ranging from 1 to 51 arrests) is recorded in the data file. Variables include the dates of arrest, up to three charges associated with the arrest, court disposition, and starting and ending dates of probation, incarceration, and parole associated with the arrest.
Curated
Criminal Careers, Criminal Violence, and Substance Abuse in California, 1963-1983 (ICPSR 9964)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, California
Time period: 1963-01-01--1983-01-01
The purpose of the study was to investigate the criminal career patterns of violent offenders. These data are intended to facilitate the development of models to predict recidivism and violence, and to construct parole supervision programs. Original data were collected on young male offenders in 1964 and 1965 as they entered the California Youth Authority (CYA). At this time, data were collected on criminal history, including current offenses, drug and alcohol use, psychological and personality variables, and sentencing, and demographics such as age, education, work experience, and family structure. The data collection also contains results from a number of standardized psychological instruments: California Psychological Inventory, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, California Achievement Test Battery, General Aptitude Test Battery, Army General Classification Test, and the Revised Beta Test. After release from the CYA and over the following 20 years, subsequent arrest information was collected on the offenders, including the nature of the offense, disposition, and arrest and parole dates.
Curated
Criminal Careers of Juveniles in New York City, 1977-1983 (ICPSR 9986)
Released/updated on: 1999-03-18
Geographic coverage: New York City, United States, New York (state)
Time period: 1977-04-01--1983-09-01
This longitudinal study of juvenile offenders traces the criminal histories of a sample of juveniles, including those who were "dropouts" (juvenile offenders who did not go on to become adult criminal offenders) and those who continued to be arrested, ranging from those with only one subsequent arrest to "persisters" (juveniles who did become career criminal offenders). The data are intended to address the following questions: (1) Are serious juvenile offenders more likely than nonserious juvenile offenders to become adult offenders? (2) Are offenders who begin at a younger age more likely to have more serious criminal careers than those who begin when they are older? (3) As a criminal career progresses, will the offender become more skilled at one type of offense and commit that type of crime more frequently, while decreasing the frequency of other types of crimes? (4) As a criminal career continues, will the offender commit progressively more serious offenses? (5) How well can it be predicted who will become a high-rate offender? Part 1 of this study, Juvenile Case File, contains data on a subsample of 14- and 15-year-olds who were brought to Probation Intake in the New York City Family Court for delinquency offenses. Included are variables for the date and type of arrest, disposition and sentence of the offender, and sex and race of the offender, as well as questions concerning the offender's home environment and highest school grade completed. Part 2, Arrest and Incarceration Event File, includes information on prior delinquency arrests, including the date of arrest, the charge and severity, and the disposition and sentence, as well as similar information on subsequent offenses that occurred up to six years after the original delinquency offense. Included for each incarceration is the status of the offender (juvenile or adult), the date of admission to a facility, and the length of time incarcerated.
Curated
Criminal Violence and Incapacitation in California, 1962-1988 (ICPSR 9922)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States, California
Time period: 1962-01-01--1988-01-01
These data were gathered to investigate the usefulness of statistical methods, particularly multiple-regression analysis, in predicting repeat criminal activity subsequent to an individual's release from prison. The data collection consists of follow-up information, collected in 1988, on a sample of males released from California prisons. The follow-up study identified criminal activity subsequent to individuals' release from prison through 1988. Predictor variables include age, prior periods of arrest, history of drug use, seriousness of original offense, and number of arrests for nuisance, person, property, and fraud offenses.
Curated
Effects of Drug Testing on Defendant Risk in Dade County, Florida, 1987 (ICPSR 9791)
Released/updated on: 1999-08-20
Geographic coverage: United States, Florida
Time period: 1987-06-09--1987-07-24
The purpose of this data collection was to explore the relationship between drug use and crime. Specifically, the collection was undertaken to determine whether drug test results could provide important predictive information on pretrial misconduct over and above that provided by other variables, thus supplying more data for judges to use in making bail and pretrial release decisions. Data about defendants and their criminal and drug use history were gathered. In addition, defendants were subjected to urinalysis drug testing procedures to determine the presence or absence of drugs in the urine. Both the drug testing methods and subsequent results were subjected to reliability and validity testing procedures. The independent variables in the study include demographic attributes such as defendant's sex, race, birthdate, marital status, and employment, charge-related attributes such as current offense, arrest, and court disposition, prior criminal record of the defendant, current and past drug use, and drug testing results. The dependent variables pertain to the defendant's pretrial performance and include items such as failure to appear and any rearrests.
Curated
Empirical Investigation of "Going to Scale" in Drug Interventions in the United States, 1990, 2003 (ICPSR 26101)
Released/updated on: 2009-08-26
Geographic coverage: United States
Despite a growing consensus among scholars that substance abuse treatment is effective in reducing offending, strict eligibility rules have limited the impact of current models of therapeutic jurisprudence on public safety. This research effort was aimed at providing policy makers some guidance on whether expanding this model to more drug-involved offenders is cost-beneficial. Since data needed for providing evidence-based analysis of this issue were not readily available, micro-level data from three nationally representative sources were used to construct a 40,320 case synthetic dataset -- defined using population profiles rather than sampled observation -- that was used to estimate the benefits of going to scale in treating drug involved offenders. The principal investigators combined information from the NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH, 2003 (ICPSR 4138) and the ARRESTEE DRUG ABUSE MONITORING (ADAM) PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES, 2003 (ICPSR 4020) to estimate the likelihood of drug addiction or dependence problems and develop nationally representative prevalence estimates. They used information in the DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT OUTCOME STUDY (DATOS), 1991-1994 (ICPSR 2258) to compute expected crime reducing benefits of treating various types of drug involved offenders under four different treatment modalities. The project computed expected crime reducing benefits that were conditional on treatment modality as well as arrestee attributes and risk of drug dependence or abuse. Moreover, the principal investigators obtained estimates of crime reducing benefits for all crimes as well as select sub-types. Variables include age, race, gender, offense, history of violence, history of treatment, co-occurring alcohol problem, criminal justice system status, geographic location, arrest history, and a total of 134 prevalence and treatment effect estimates and variances.
Curated
Restricted
The Epidemiology of Crime Guns: From Legal Sale to Use in Crime, Louisiana and Maryland, 2010-2016 (ICPSR 38191)
Released/updated on: 2023-01-31
Geographic coverage: Chicago, Illinois, Louisiana, New Orleans, Maryland
Time period: 2010-01-01--2016-01-01
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), collaborating with research partners, conducted a 48-month, two-phase research initiative to enhance their understanding of how firearms move from legal purchase to involvement with a crime. Phase 1 used trace data from Chicago, New Orleans, and Prince Georges County, MD to establish the path of firearms from purchase to usage in a crime. Interviews of the first legal purchaser and incarcerated inmates who committed a crime of violence in New Orleans and Prince Georges County were conducted to seek an understanding of how firearms enter the unregulated market. Phase 2 examined the use of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) in New Orleans as a strategy to reduce gang and gun-related homicides. Overall violence patterns in New Orleans were examined from 2010-2016.
Curated
Evaluation of a Repeat Offender Unit in Phoenix, Arizona, 1987-1989 (ICPSR 9793)
Released/updated on: 1992-10-31
Geographic coverage: United States, Phoenix, Arizona
Time period: 1987-01-01--1989-01-01
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Repeat Offender Unit in Phoenix. Repeat Offender Programs are police-initiated procedures for patrolling and apprehending likely offenders in communities. These units typically rely on the cooperation of police and prosecutors who work together to identify, convict, and incarcerate individuals who are judged likely to commit crimes, especially serious crimes, at high rates. For this study, previous offenders were assigned either to a control or an experimental group. If an individual assigned to the experimental group was later arrested, the case received special attention by the Repeat Offender Program. Staff of the Repeat Offender Program worked closely with the county attorney's office to thoroughly document the case and to obtain victim and witness cooperation. If the individual was in the control group and was later arrested, no additional action was taken by the Program staff. Variables include assignment to the experimental or control group, jail status, probation and parole status, custody status, number of felony arrests, type of case, bond amount, number of counts against the individual, type of counts against the individual, number of prior convictions, arresting agency, case outcome, type of incarceration imposed, and length of incarceration imposed.
Curated
Partially restricted
Examination of Actuarial Offender-Based Prediction Assessments in Texas, 1993-1996 (ICPSR 20403)
Released/updated on: 2008-06-23
Geographic coverage: United States, Texas
Time period: 1993-01-01--1996-01-01
The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the usefulness and effectiveness of prediction and classification of offenders under community supervision. A felony cohort data collection instrument was developed to test the validity of the Wisconsin Risk and Need Instrument in use in Texas, as well as to develop "better" predictor variables for a variety of dependent variables. Using the felony cohort data instrument, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Community Justice Assistance Division (TDCJ-CJAD) collected detailed statewide information on 3,405 felony offenders placed on probation in Texas during October 1993. Specifically, the form was completed by a probation officer on all felony probation intakes at the time the initial case classification risk/needs assessment was conducted. Additionally, follow-up forms were developed and administered to track the offenders' progress at one year, two years, and three years. Variables include probationer information, current offense, criminal history, social history, substance abuse, probation sanctions, case classification risk items, and case classification need items. Additional variables include felony cohort one-year follow-up data form questions, felony cohort second-year follow-up data form questions, and felony cohort third-year follow-up data form questions.
Curated
Partially restricted
Gang Affiliation and Radicalization to Violent Extremism within Somali-American Communities, 5 North American Cities, 2013-2019 (ICPSR 37466)
Released/updated on: 2020-10-29
Geographic coverage: Canada, Minneapolis, United States, Massachusetts, Maine, Lewiston, Auburn, Minnesota, Portland (Maine), Ontario, Toronto, Boston
Time period: 2013-01-01--2019-01-01
How is the process of radicalization understood over time? Do current radicalization to violence differ from earlier waves? How can these understandings be utilized to prevent radicalization to violence and--equally important--understand the reach and impact of programs designed to do so? The overall goal of this project was to pursue the following aims:
- Aim 1: To understand how adversity and social bonds relate to changes in openness to violent extremism over time.
- Aim 2: To evaluate experience and perception of, and the effectiveness of, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) activities.
- Aim 3: To evaluate mechanisms of change in violent extremism.
- Aim 4: To understand similarities/ differences in experiences and/or histories of Somali youth who joined Al-Shabab vs. those known to have been killed in Syria, fighting with ISIS and other terrorist groups.
The above aims were accomplished through extending an ongoing longitudinal research program to span 5 years, and expanding a psychological autopsy sample to include Somali youth who have left Minneapolis and been killed fighting with ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria. Data collection for the longitudinal study consisted of conducting an additional wave of structured interviews with Somali youth (between the ages of 21-33); interviews included assessments of structural adversity (resettlement hardships, trauma exposure, and discrimination), social factors (connection to the resettlement community and/or Somali diaspora community, internet use, and level of acculturation) delinquency, gang involvement, civic engagement, and support for legal and illegal (violent) actions in support of political change. The researchers used latent transition analysis (LTA), generalized estimating equation modeling, and linear regression modeling to accomplish Aims 1-3. Aim 4 was accomplished by using a combination of open source data analysis, psychological autopsy and case analysis methodology. The researchers expanded our current in-depth case studies of Somali youth who left Minneapolis to join al-Shabaab (N = 23, males aged 22-30) to include those who joined ISIS or Al-Nusra (N=4, males aged 18-29). Research questions associated with Aim 4 were analyzed using a psychological autopsy method of developing case histories. Case histories were coded for themes and analyzed for convergence or divergence with case histories of youth who joined Al-Shabab. Scholarly products include manuscripts in journals relevant to criminal justice, policy briefs, and interim and final reports. This project builds on partnerships between Boston Children's Hospital, Somali communities, and Georgia State University.
Curated
Intra- and Intergenerational Aspects of Serious Domestic Violence and Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Buffalo, 1987 (ICPSR 9984)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-12
Geographic coverage: United States, New York (state), Buffalo
These data examine the interrelationships among alcohol use, drug use, criminal violence, and domestic violence in a parolee population. More specifically, the data explore the contributions of parental substance abuse and domestic violence in prediction of parolee violence. The study also investigates the effects of drug and alcohol use on domestic violence for the parolee, the spouse, and the parents. The data were drawn from individual interviews conducted with parolees from the Buffalo, New York, area, half of whom were convicted of violent crimes and half of whom were convicted of nonviolent crimes. Interviews were also conducted with the spouses and partners of the parolees. In addition, data concerning the parolees' criminal histories were abstracted from arrest and parole records. Part 1, Demographic File 1, provides information on the demographic characteristics of offenders, arrests, convictions, and sentencing, institutional transfers, disciplinary reports, indications of psychiatric diagnosis or psychological disturbances, alcohol and drug use, criminal activity, and substance abuse while incarcerated. Part 2, Demographic File 2, includes the same variables as Part 1 (with the exception of information about psychiatric diagnoses, psychological disturbances, and disciplinary reports) for those individuals who declined to be interviewed and a random sample of those who could not be contacted. Part 3, the Interview File, contains information about childhood social histories (including sociodemographics, experience of family violence as a victim and as a witness, and parental drug and alcohol use), self-reported criminal histories, adult social histories (including data concerning violence in current relationships, and drug and alcohol use history), and information about the parolees' and spouses' discipline styles. The researchers discarded data on female parolees for the purposes of their analysis.
Curated
Partially restricted
Multi-State Recidivism Study Using Static-99R and Static-2002 Risk Scores and Tier Guidelines From the Adam Walsh Act, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Carolina, 1990-2004 (ICPSR 34628)
Released/updated on: 2022-05-26
Geographic coverage: United States, Minnesota, Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina
Time period: 1959-01-01--1984-01-01, 1990-01-01--2004-01-01, 1995-01-01--1999-01-01, 1999-01-01--2000-01-01, 2004-01-01--2005-01-01, 1995-01-01--1999-01-01
This study seeks to examine important components of our nation's sex offender tracking and monitoring systems, with a focus on risk assessment and sexual recidivism (measured by re-arrest). Data were collected from 1,789 adult sex offenders in the following states.
- Florida: 500 cases
- Minnesota: 500 cases
- New Jersey: 291 cases
- South Carolina: 498 cases
The data file contains another 551 cases from the state of Massachusetts. However, due to how and when those cases were identified they were not included in the Principal Investigator's focus and analysis. There are also another 151 cases where a study participant's state is missing. Total there are 2,491 cases and 1,947 variables.
Curated
Partially restricted
Offender Decision-Making: Decision Trees and Displacement, Texas, 2014-2017 (ICPSR 37116)
Released/updated on: 2020-01-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Texas
Time period: 2014-01-01--2017-01-01
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 research expanded on offenders' decisions whether or not to offend by having explored a range of alternatives within the "not offending" category, using a framework derived from the concept of crime displacement. Decision trees were employed to analyze the multi-staged decision-making processes of criminals who are blocked from offending due to a situational crime control or prevention measure. The researchers were interested in determining how offenders evaluated displacement options as available alternatives. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 200 adult offenders, either in jail or on probation under the authority of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, from 14 counties. Qualitative data collected as part of this study's methodology are not included as part of the data collection at this time.
Three datasets are included as part of this collection:
- NIJ-2013-3454__Part1_Participants.sav (200 cases, 9 variables)
- NIJ-2013-3454__Part2_MeasuresSurvey.sav (2415 cases, 6 variables)
- NIJ-2013-3454__Part3_Vignettes.sav (1248 cases, 10 variables)
Demographic variables included: age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
Curated
Perceptual Deterrence and Desistance from Crime: A Study of Repetitive Serious Property Offenders in Tennessee, 1987-1988 (ICPSR 9971)
Released/updated on: 1999-11-19
Geographic coverage: United States, Tennessee
Time period: 1987-01-01--1988-01-01
For this data collection, offenders confined to prison were surveyed to examine the utility of deterrence theory variables as predictors of differential desistance from serious property crimes. The investigators also examined subjects' "criminal calculus," that is, their expectations of the likely gains and losses of further criminal behavior and the conditions under which they likely would commit further crimes. Specifically, the data explored whether decisions to commit crime are based on assessment of potential returns from alternate courses of action and the risk of legal sanctions. Sixty repeat offenders who had served one or more prison sentences were asked about their history of criminal activity, reasons for committing crimes, expectations of future criminal activities, and likely consequences of committing crimes. Data were collected in pre-release interviews in 1987 and 1988 as part of a larger study. Variables include age, education, age at first arrest, alcohol and drug use as a juvenile, as a young adult, and as a mature adult, past crimes, willingness to commit specific property crimes, reasons for being willing or unwilling to commit specific property crimes, expectations of arrest subsequent to actual crimes committed, and the likelihood of future criminal activity.
Curated
Profiling Inmates in the Los Angeles County Jail, 1996-1998 (ICPSR 3271)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, California
Time period: 1996-01-15--1998-01-15
By 1996 it became apparent that the Los Angeles county jails faced a serious overcrowding problem. Two possible solutions to the problem were to build more jail capacity or to divert a greater number of incoming inmates to community-based, intermediate sanctions. The research team for this study was asked to review a 1996 profile of inmates in the Los Angeles jail system and to determine how many of them might have been good candidates for intermediate sanctions such as electronic monitoring, work release, house arrest, and intensive supervision. The researchers selected a sample of 1,000 pre-adjudicated (or unconvicted) inmates from the total census of inmates in jail custody on January 15, 1996, to study in more detail. Of the 1,000 offenders, the researchers were able to obtain jail and recidivism data for two years for 931 inmates. For each of these offenders, information on their prior criminal history, current offense, and subsequent recidivism behavior was obtained from official records maintained by several county agencies, including pretrial services, sheriff's department, probation, and courts. Demographic variables include date of birth, race, and gender. Prior criminal history variables for each prior adult arrest include type of filing charge, case disposition, type of sentence and sentence length imposed, and total number of prior juvenile petitions sustained. Current offense variables include arrest date, crime type for current arrest, crime charge, type and date of final case disposition, and sentence type and length, if convicted. Strike information collected includes number of strikes and the offense that qualified as a strike. Jail custody variables include the jail entry and exit data for the current offense and the reason for release, if released. Lastly, two-year follow-up variables include the date, type, and disposition of each subsequent arrest between January 15, 1996, and January 15, 1998.
Curated
Techniques for Assessing the Accuracy of Recidivism Prediction Scales, 1960-1980: [Miami, Albuquerque, New York City, Alameda and Los Angeles Counties, and the State of California] (ICPSR 9988)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: New York City, United States, New Mexico, Albuquerque, California, Florida, New York (state), Miami
Time period: 1960-01-01--1980-01-01
The purpose of this data collection was to measure the validity or accuracy of four recidivism prediction instruments: the INSLAW, RAND, SFS81, and CGR scales. These scales estimate the probability that criminals will commit subsequent crimes quickly, that individuals will commit crime frequently, that inmates who are eligible for release on parole will commit subsequent crimes, and that defendants awaiting trial will commit crimes while on pretrial arrest or detention. The investigators used longitudinal data from five existing independent studies to assess the validity of the four predictive measures in question. The first data file was originally collected by the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City and was derived from an experimental evaluation of a jobs training program called the Alternative Youth Employment Strategies Project implemented in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Miami, Florida, and New York City, New York. The second file contains data from a RAND Corporation study, EFFECTS OF PRISON VERSUS PROBATION IN CALIFORNIA, 1980-1982 (ICPSR 8700), from offenders in Alameda and Los Angeles counties, California. Parts 3 through 5 pertain to serious juvenile offenders who were incarcerated during the 1960s and 1970s in three institutions of the California Youth Authority. A portion of the original data for these parts was taken from EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF THE CHRONIC OFFENDER, [1978-1980: CALIFORNIA] (ICPSR 8226). All files present demographic and socioeconomic variables such as birth information, race and ethnicity, education background, work and military experience, and criminal history, including involvement in criminal activities, drug addiction, and incarceration episodes. From the variables in each data file, standard variables across all data files were constructed. Constructed variables included those on background (such as drug use, arrest, conviction, employment, and education history), which were used to construct the four predictive scales, and follow-up variables concerning arrest and incarceration history. Scores on the four predictive scales were estimated.
Curated
Validating Prison Security Classification Instruments in Hawaii, 1984-1985 (ICPSR 9921)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States, Hawaii
Time period: 1984-01-01--1985-01-01
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a reliable and accurate method for measuring the effectiveness of offender classification systems to improve the management of correctional facilities. In the early 1980s, the state of Hawaii began classifying its prisoners with a newly developed Federal Bureau of Prisons classification instrument. This study was designed to develop a method to evaluate this form. Two prediction models were used. The first, initial classification, used the sum of four variables to arrive at a security score, which was taken to be predictive of violence. The second, reclassification, used the sum of seven different variables to obtain a custody total, which was then used as a major determinant of reclassification. Two groups of inmates were used: inmates who had committed infractions and inmates with no reported infractions. Research variables include (a) initial classification: offense (severity), expected length of incarceration (sentence), type of prior commitments, and history of violence, and (b) reclassification: percentage of time served, involvement with drugs/alcohol, mental/psychological stability, most serious disciplinary report, frequency of disciplinary reports, responsibility that the inmate demonstrated, and family/community ties. In addition, the collection supplies information on race and sex of inmates, sentence limitation, history of escapes or attempts, previous infractions, entry, reclassification, and termination dates (month and year), and custody level. There are demographic variables for sex and race. The unit of observation is the inmate.
Curated
Validation of the RAND Selective Incapacitation Survey and the Iowa Risk Assessment Scale in Colorado, 1982 and 1986 (ICPSR 9292)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado
This data collection was designed to replicate the Rand Selective Incapacitation Survey and the Iowa Risk Assessment Scale using a group of Colorado offenders. The Iowa model provides two assessments of offender risk: (1) a measure of general risk to society and (2) a measure of the risk of new violence. The Iowa dataset includes crime information from defendants' self-reports and from official crime records. Both files contain important self-report items such as perceived probability of being caught, weapon used in the offense committed, months free on the street during the reference period, and detailed activity description during the free period. Other items covered include employment history, plans, reasons for committing the crime, and attitudes toward life, law, prisons, and police.
Curated
Variations in Criminal Patterns Among Narcotic Addicts in Baltimore and New York City, 1983-1984 (ICPSR 9586)
Released/updated on: 2013-05-15
Geographic coverage: New York City, Baltimore, United States, New York (state), Maryland
Time period: 1983-05-01--1984-04-01
This data collection was undertaken to develop a typology of narcotic addicts according to the kind, frequency, and seriousness of their crimes and to identify the most serious criminal offenders, thereby determining which individuals were best suited to rehabilitation. The following questions are addressed by the data: (1) What "types" of narcotic addicts can be distinguished in terms of their criminal behavior? Which of these types are amenable to rehabilitation? (2) At what time during their addiction careers do addicts commit the most crime? Do narcotic addicts "mature" out of addiction? (3) What is the relationship between individuals' involvement in crime prior to addiction and their criminal activity and drug use over their addiction career? (4) Which demographic, personality, or other factors are associated with serious crime committed during periods of narcotic addiction? (5) What are the contributions of situational and dispositional factors to the relationship between addiction and crime? Part 1 of the collection details the subjects' addiction careers, the age they first used various drugs, the age they first became addicted to narcotics, the amount of time they were addicted/not addicted to narcotics, and the total length of their addiction careers. Part 2 contains variables generated by cluster analysis, including cluster assignment or "type." Part 3 includes the educational, occupational, and arrest histories of the subjects, as well as the drug use and arrest histories of their families. The Part 4 file consists of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and Raven Progressive Matrix scores. The frequency and types of crime that subjects committed during the preaddiction period comprise Part 5, while the frequency and nature of drug use during the preaddiction period comprise Part 6. Parts 7 and 8 contain crime variables and drug use variables, respectively, across all nonaddiction periods. Finally, Part 9 contains data characterizing crime across all addiction periods, and Part 10 contains variables regarding drug use across total addiction periods.
Curated
Partially restricted
Women Coping in Prison at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Virginia, 1999-2000 (ICPSR 3354)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Virginia
Time period: 1999-04-01--2000-07-01
This study contributed to the growing interest in mental illness and impairment among incarcerated individuals. It focused on the larger spectrum of psychopathology that characterized the general, nonhospitalized population at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Virginia. Part 1 consists of clinical data obtained through several questionnaires completed by a sample of 812 inmates between April 1999 and January 2000. Parts 2 through 4 consist of additional clinical data on subsamples of the Part 1 sample that were obtained between June 1999 and July 2000 through interviews and self-enumerated questionnaires. Part 5 contains data on inmate behavior and attitudes obtained through questionnaires completed by correctional officers.