Assessing the Representativeness of NIBRS Arrest Data. (November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pattavina, April; Carkin, Danielle Marie; Tracy, Paul E.
• Is Part Of: Crime and delinquency. Volume 63:Number 12(2017)
• Page Start: 1626
• Page End: 1652
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Subjects: National Incident-Based Reporting System -- uniform crime reports -- crime statistics -- arrest statistics; Crime -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0011128717724298
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-1287

Abstract

This article examines the coverage of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) arrest data as of 2016. We use NIBRS and Uniform Crime Report (UCR), Summary Reporting System on persons arrested. We examine the correspondence of arrests measures between the UCR and NIBRS for overall arrests, and arrests by sex, race, and age. We found that NIBRS arrest data are a close match to UCR data overall and the differences across demographic measures are very slight.