NCJ Number
92776
Date Published
1980
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This paper proposes a cost-efficient procedure, called the perpetual inventory (PIN) approach, to maintain and update criminal justice information files.
Abstract
To answer various queries by legislators, administrators, and others, the criminal justice system generally obtains the required information through censuses or ad hoc surveys. This procedure is expensive and often results in the improper use of the collected information. The PIN approach is intended to remedy this problem. In the PIN approach, a portion of the population is regulary surveyed, and through the use of regression analysis, the unsampled units of that population are updated each time the survey is conducted. Thus, the PIN approach is not just a technique of computerizing the information files of the criminal justice system, but is also provides a scientific tool to update these files. The PIN approach permits evaluation of the criminal justice system and its various components. Sufficient flexibility is provided for individual segments of the criminal justice system or individual localities to maintain up-to-date information for their use while continuing to function as a part of the larger system operated by a State planning agency. The PIN approach permits the collection, maintenance, and updating of information for each person through the various stages of the system, regardless of which component of the criminal justice system is involved at a particular processing stage. The New York State criminal justice system is used to demonstrate how the proposed approach can be applied, and the appendixes present the statistical procedure for updating the information file and a discussion of the use of a few sub-routines that are useful in maintaining and updating criminal justice information files. Six references are included.