NCJ Number
150510
Date Published
1994
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report describes the nature and uses of the Offenders Index, the criminal database that covers all standard-list convictions in England and Wales from 1963 to 1993 and holds nearly 6 million criminal histories.
Abstract
The Offenders Index unit is part of the Research and Statistics Department of the Home Office and is contained in a mainframe computer located in Merseyside. Work on the Index is conducted on remote terminals at the Home Office headquarters building in London. Study samples can be created by the Index or externally. An output file presents a set of criminal histories on paper or floppy disk. Most Index users are Home Office units, although the numbers of researchers and academicians using the Index are increasing. From April 1991 through June 1994, 58 studies involving about 300,000 offenders were completed. The costs of a study can be substantial, amounting to more than 6 pounds for each offender involved. Ways to reduce costs and the amount of clerical time spent on matching will continue to be explored. Appended figures on offenders and offenses, list of information types for each offender, glossary, and list of Home Office statistical bulletins during the past year