OFFENDER BASED TRANSACTIONAL STATISTICS - THE CONCEPT AND ITS UTILITY (FROM PROJECT SEARCH - INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS SYSTEMS - PROCEEDINGS, 1972, BY GARY COOPER - SEE-09380)

• NCJ Number: 48287
• Author(s): C M FRIEL
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 4 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; Project Search (See Search Group Inc)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE OFFENDER-BASED TRANSACTIONAL STATISTICS (OBTS) CONCEPT, A SYSTEMS APPROACH WHICH EMPHASIZES THE OFFENDER'S PROGRESS THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, IS COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL APPROACHES.

Abstract

TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO OFFENDER STATISTICS HAVE TENDED TO BE AGENCY SPECIFIC AND FOCUS ON THE AGENCY WORKLOAD. WITH THIS APPROACH THERE ARE FOUR GENERAL CAGEGORIES OF STATISTICS. LAW ENFORCEMENT STATISTICAL SYSTEMS, SUCH AS THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM, ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE CRIME TYPE, INCIDENCE, CLEARANCE, AND ARREST BY AGE, SEX, AND RACE. JUDICIAL AND PROSECUTORY SYSTEMS USUALLY INVOLVE RECORDING CASES, DISMISSALS, DISPOSITIONS, AND CASE PENDING. NONINSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONAL STATISTICS INCLUDE PAROLE AND PROBATION DATA, WHILE INSTITUTIONAL CORRECTIONAL STATISTICS DEAL WITH PRISONERS RECEIVED AND RELEASED, ESCAPES, AND RECIDIVISM. THE OBTS APPROACH DIFFERS FROM THESE OTHER APPROACHES BECAUSE IT ATTEMPTS TO TRACK THE OFFENDER REGRADLESS OF THE AGENCY INVOLVED BY DOCUMENTING ALL MAJOR DECISIONS MADE ABOUT THE OFFENDER FROM THE TIME OF ARREST TO THE TIME OF FINAL EXIT FROM THE SYSTEM. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES WHERE THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT VARIES WITH AGENCY (CASES, ARRESTS ETC.), THE OFFENDER IS THE OBTS UNIT OF COUNT. RATHER THAN BEING AGENCY FOCUSED, THE OBTS FOCUS IS ON THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. FINALLY, WHERE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES ARE GENERALLY BASED ON THE CALENDAR YEAR, THE OBTS USES A LONGITUDINAL TIME BASE UTILIZING THE TEMPORAL INTERVAL BETWEEN DECISION POINTS. FOUR ADVANTAGES OF THE OBTS APPROACH ARE THAT IT PROVIDES MORTALITY INFORMATION AND INDICES OF FALLOUT FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, PROVIDES INFORMATION ON POINT-TO-POINT PROCESSING TIMES, PERMITS A DETERMINATION OF THE STATUS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AT ANY POINT IN TIME, AND ALLOWS A DETERMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF DECISIONS MADE AT ONE LEVEL ON THE ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSEQUENT LEVELS IN THE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THE OBTS SYSTEM HAS A NUMBER OF UNIQUE IMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS. FIRST, A HIGH DEGREE OF INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION IS REQUIRED, A REQUIREMENT WHICH MAY BE RESISTED BY AGENCIES WHO FEAR THAT SUBMITTED DATA MIGHT BE USED IN EVALUATIONS OF ACCOUNTABILITY. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SYSTEM WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL TRAINING OF RECORDS CLERKS TO ASSURE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF DATA. FINALLY, ALTHOUGH IMPLEMENTATION TIME OF AN OBTS SYSTEM IS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 2 YEARS, IT WILL TAKE AN ESTIMATED 3 TO 4 YEARS FOR A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF OFFENDERS TO HAVE MOVED THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR THE OBTS SYSTEM TO HAVE ANY STATISTICAL VALUE. DESPITE THESE DIFFICULTIES, THE OBTS CAN SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR TRUE INTEGRATION OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND FOR COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING AND CRIME PREVENTION. (JAP)