NCJ Number
155727
Date Published
Unknown
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper outlines the rationale for collecting national criminal justice statistics.
Abstract
The most important purpose of criminal justice information is public accountability. Accurate statistics are essential in the management of a criminal justice system for several reasons: citizens want to know how much crime there is in a country and why the government takes certain crime prevention measures; the delivery of criminal justice is expensive; statistics offer insight into national crime indicators; statistics help in the evaluation of the effectiveness and fairness of the criminal justice system; statistics give the public information on how the justice system is applied on a national basis; and statistics allow international comparisons to be made. Functional requirements of a system of criminal justice information, which are described here, include a management process, a process to obtain and maintain commitment of stakeholders, political neutrality and respect for privacy and confidentiality, technical and subject matter resources, and clear articulation of scope and content.