NCJ Number
79500
Date Published
1981
Length
67 pages
Annotation
This report examines six major sources of data on arson in Illinois.
Abstract
The major sources of data on arson in Illinois are the Illinois Uniform Crime Reports, Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson Unit, Illinois courts, Illinois Department of Corrections, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Metropolitan Chicago Loss Bureau. For each source, information concerning four aspects of the quality and availability of arson data are provided: (1) how the data are gathered, (2) the data available, (3) limitations of the data, and (4) how the data may be obtained. The Illinois Uniform Crime Reports is a data source for arson offenses known to the police, the reported nature of the offenses, arson arrests, and property losses and homicides due to arson. The Bomb and Arson Section of the Chicago Police Department responds to reported arson offenses and is a source of arson offense and incident data for Chicago only. The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts is the central repository for Illinois courts data and provides limited arson data. Court files, which are maintained for each of the 21 court circuits in the State, provide detailed information on each arson case that comes before a circuit court; however, they are not centrally located. The Illinois Department of Corrections is the central repository for data on sentenced offenders in the State, and as such, it provides data for each person sentenced for an arson offense. Since the Office of the State Fire Marshal is responsible for collecting and reporting data on fires in the State, it is also a source of arson data. The Metropolitan Chicago Loss Bureau is a nongovernmental claims service bureau that collects and maintains data on fire loss claims for about 100 Chicago area insurance companies. Appended are data elements for the various sources discussed, as well as a summary table of the arson data sources. A glossary is included.