The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) are two major sources of crime statistics commonly used in the United States (Sources of Crime Data: Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System, n.d.). Crime statistics is a complex process because it must revel accurate information when reporting the incidences of crime in society (Criminal Statistics, 1998). Crime statistics first took shape in France around 1827. It is now based on notifiable (triable by jury) recorded offences, the cumulative data recorded by official agencies such as the police and courts, and along with criminological research (Criminal Statistics, 1998). This paper will compare and contrast these two primary
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Only the most serious offense is reported when processed through the UCR because of the hierarchy rule, while the NIBRS allows up to 10 offenses per incident (NIBRS Overview, 2016). Because of the reporting differences, the UCR is the most used system out of the two, with only about a third of all U.S. law enforcement agencies currently participating in the NIBRS (NIBRS Overview, 2016), which has increased from 663 participating agencies in 1991 to 6,299 agencies in 2014 (Effects of NIBRS on Crime Statistics, n.d.). The NIBRS’s in-depth information program can give the impression that an agency has a much higher level of crime, which leave law enforcement unenthusiastic about shifting from the UCR to the NIBRS (Effects of NIBRS on Crime Statistics, n.d.). This information referring to the level of crimes is very important, NIBRS data can be combine with other citywide data for an analysis on a more descriptive view of criminal activity within the community, which is helpful in gathering better evidence to develop a more effective solution and practice. (Sources of Crime Data: Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System, n.d.). With all this great information, NIBRS’s data can be submitted electronically in the form of ASCII text files, needing no manual input, while on the other hand UCR’s data is a written document that have been hand entered into the computer system for analysis (The Difference Between UCR and NIBRS, n.d.). However, under the UCR Redevelopment Project (UCRRP) they are currently working with agencies to help them adopt electronic submissions via the NIBRS (About UCR,
Only the most serious offense is reported when processed through the UCR because of the hierarchy rule, while the NIBRS allows up to 10 offenses per incident (NIBRS Overview, 2016). Because of the reporting differences, the UCR is the most used system out of the two, with only about a third of all U.S. law enforcement agencies currently participating in the NIBRS (NIBRS Overview, 2016), which has increased from 663 participating agencies in 1991 to 6,299 agencies in 2014 (Effects of NIBRS on Crime Statistics, n.d.). The NIBRS’s in-depth information program can give the impression that an agency has a much higher level of crime, which leave law enforcement unenthusiastic about shifting from the UCR to the NIBRS (Effects of NIBRS on Crime Statistics, n.d.). This information referring to the level of crimes is very important, NIBRS data can be combine with other citywide data for an analysis on a more descriptive view of criminal activity within the community, which is helpful in gathering better evidence to develop a more effective solution and practice. (Sources of Crime Data: Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System, n.d.). With all this great information, NIBRS’s data can be submitted electronically in the form of ASCII text files, needing no manual input, while on the other hand UCR’s data is a written document that have been hand entered into the computer system for analysis (The Difference Between UCR and NIBRS, n.d.). However, under the UCR Redevelopment Project (UCRRP) they are currently working with agencies to help them adopt electronic submissions via the NIBRS (About UCR,