Crime statistics are used by law enforcement agencies, Federal, State, and local policy makers, and by many other agencies to assess the amount of crime occurring in certain areas. The accuracy of crime statistics is highly important in all criminal justice departments as well as related agencies. In a 2010 study, after interviewing twenty different staffing experts representing several agencies across the nation, Wilson and Weiss concluded that crime rates were one of the most analyzed sets of data when determining staffing needs in police departments. (Wilson, Weiss, 2014). Crime statistics are used by researchers in the criminal justice field to provide important data necessary in the allocation of resources to law enforcement agencies as
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The two function similarly, but the NIBRS is much more detailed. It separates offenses into two groups: A and B. Group A consist of twenty-three categories and forty-nine offenses. Group consist of ten. A main difference between the UCR and NIBRS is that if multiple crimes were to be committed in a single incident, all of these offenses would be reported under the NIBRS. Also, there is a much higher level of detail in NIBRS. In his research into the system, Michael G. Maxfield concludes that NIBRS, in addition to being an upgrade in the criminal justice system, it can also allow researchers to draw more accurate conclusions. For example, it includes time of occurrence of the crime as well as the type of location. This data can better serve a researcher in analyzing the distribution of specific types of offenses in relation to space and time (Maxfield, 1999). However, the NIBRS has its limitations. A 2017 study at Fitchburg State University examining the overall coverage of NIBRS and its efficacy shows that as of 2013, NIBRS only held data for 29.3% of the U.S and 28% of UCR index crimes (McCormack, Pattavina, Tracy, 2017). Set back by low participation rates, the NIBRS does not serve as an effective tool for evaluating crime rates. A major reason for this low participation is the implementation of NIBRS is costly. According to Bierie, an agency has to buy and maintain the software required for transmitting their crime data reports to NIBRS. The average cost of this is estimated at $150,000 for medium-sized agencies alone (Bierie, 2015). In conclusion, NIBRS is a much more effective tool in developing accurate crime statistics than the UCR, but its drawbacks make it almost equally
The two function similarly, but the NIBRS is much more detailed. It separates offenses into two groups: A and B. Group A consist of twenty-three categories and forty-nine offenses. Group consist of ten. A main difference between the UCR and NIBRS is that if multiple crimes were to be committed in a single incident, all of these offenses would be reported under the NIBRS. Also, there is a much higher level of detail in NIBRS. In his research into the system, Michael G. Maxfield concludes that NIBRS, in addition to being an upgrade in the criminal justice system, it can also allow researchers to draw more accurate conclusions. For example, it includes time of occurrence of the crime as well as the type of location. This data can better serve a researcher in analyzing the distribution of specific types of offenses in relation to space and time (Maxfield, 1999). However, the NIBRS has its limitations. A 2017 study at Fitchburg State University examining the overall coverage of NIBRS and its efficacy shows that as of 2013, NIBRS only held data for 29.3% of the U.S and 28% of UCR index crimes (McCormack, Pattavina, Tracy, 2017). Set back by low participation rates, the NIBRS does not serve as an effective tool for evaluating crime rates. A major reason for this low participation is the implementation of NIBRS is costly. According to Bierie, an agency has to buy and maintain the software required for transmitting their crime data reports to NIBRS. The average cost of this is estimated at $150,000 for medium-sized agencies alone (Bierie, 2015). In conclusion, NIBRS is a much more effective tool in developing accurate crime statistics than the UCR, but its drawbacks make it almost equally