NCJ Number
146121
Journal
Research Bulletin Issue: 34 Dated: (Summer 1993) Pages: 54-58
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews the changes in the collection and publication of criminal justice statistics over the last 100 years in Great Britain.
Abstract
On February 9, 1893, the Home Secretary issued a circular that asked clerks of all petty sessional divisions to assist police officers in the preparation of returns for the results of proceedings in courts of summary jurisdiction. This ensured that the police, not the courts, would administer statistics for magistrates' courts for the next 100 years. The circular was based on some recommendations of the Leigh-Pemberton report of 1892. Later developments (1922) saw the size of the annual publication reduced to allow its issue as a Parliamentary Publication. From 1928 until 1964, only minor changes were made; however, the introduction of a computer to replace the punched card tabulating machines required alteration of the method of collecting and processing data. The Perks' report of 1967 recommended changes in the collection and publication of criminal justice statistics, but most of the recommendations were not immediately adopted. Many are now being introduced. Supplementary statistical tables, which had been included since 1964, were discontinued after 1974. From 1980 until the present, the main volume of "Criminal Statistics" has consisted of a commentary that addressed the major topics and extended the tables to provide an 11-year time series where possible. The 1991 "Criminal Statistics" introduced key points and a shorter commentary for each chapter. The supplementary tables were reduced to four volumes, accompanied by a reduction in the number of tables. The author recommends future directions for the collection and publication of Britain's criminal justice statistics. 7 references