RT Article
T1 The (mis)measure of race and ethnicity in crime data
JF Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice
VO 21
IS 3
SP 251
OP 273
A1 McCormack, Philip D.
A2 Clarke, Kaitlyn
A2 Walfield, Scott
A2 Spina, Francesca
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1859193366
AB The measurement of crime in the United States is one that has constantly evolved since national efforts began in 1930. However, the measurements of victim and offender characteristics, specifically race and ethnicity, have not developed at the same pace, nor as rapidly for crime data as it has for other fields. This paper examines two primary criminal justice data sources, the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and compares them for context to the United States Census. Analysis shows that the Census has continually expanded racial and ethnic categories while the crime data instruments have mostly refined them only by name. The paper concludes with suggestions for revision of the crime data collection instruments, specifically NIBRS, and a discussion of research and policy implications.
K1 UCR
K1 Race
K1 NIBRS
K1 Ethnicity
K1 crime reports
K1 Census
DO 10.1080/15377938.2023.2241404