The Accuracy of Arrest Data in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

This study compared NIBRS arrest data in a statewide sample with arrest and summons data on the same cases collected directly from law enforcement agencies (LEAs). NIBRS matched LEA data in 84.1% of cases. However, 5.8% of LEA arrests and 52.9% of LEA summons were false negatives, that is, they were...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cross, Theodore P. (Author)
Contributors: Wagner, Alex ; Bibel, Daniel
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Crime & delinquency
Year: 2023, Volume: 69, Issue: 12, Pages: 2484-2507
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Accuracy
Arrest
NIBRS
National Incident-Based Reporting System
Reliability
Description
Summary:This study compared NIBRS arrest data in a statewide sample with arrest and summons data on the same cases collected directly from law enforcement agencies (LEAs). NIBRS matched LEA data in 84.1% of cases. However, 5.8% of LEA arrests and 52.9% of LEA summons were false negatives, that is, they were incorrectly represented as not cleared by arrest in NIBRS. False negatives were more likely when more than 1?day elapsed between incident and arrest and when the crimes were sexual assault or intimidation. False negatives were less likely in small LEAs (for summons) Recommendations are presented for improving accuracy.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/00111287211067180