Subtitles:
Where can you go to get quick information on crime and criminal justice issues?
Are all sources for crime and criminal justice information neutral?
Author
By Leonard A. Sipes, Jr.
Thirty-five years of speaking for national and state criminal justice agencies. Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Graduate-Johns Hopkins University, post-master’s Certificate of Advanced Study.
For additional information, see https://www.crimeinamerica.net/about-this-site/.
I respond to reporter inquiries daily. Media on deadline, use leonardsipes@gmail.com.
Important Notes
There are endless entities offering information on criminal justice policy (especially correctional and sentencing information) that are advocacy organizations; virtually everything they offer is skewed to match a philosophical approach to crime. The organizations listed below are known for their fairness and accuracy.
See https://www.crimeinamerica.net/todays-crime-news-now/ for a summary of additional daily resources on crime.
National Criminal Justice Resources for Reporters and Everyone Else
The RSS feed for Crime in America is http://crimeinamerica.net/?feed=rss2 .
For reporters, it’s essential to reach knowledgeable specialists who will save you time by providing quotable information, helpful documents via download and referrals to knowledgeable, media friendly experts. There are hundreds of sources for criminal justice information, only a few are listed here.
There are two primary sources/websites for criminal justice information. The Office of Justice Programs (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov) of the US Department of Justice is the umbrella organization for a variety of federal criminal justice and statistical efforts. The most useful organizations are the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Both provide lists of publications that are useful for story purposes. Their subject specialists are always helpful, and will refer you to other media friendly experts and resources.
Another good national site is the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (http://www.ncjrs.org) another OJP funded organization. Their subject specialists (see “Contact NCJRS”) are there to refer you to relevant organizations and experts. They will also refer you to websites for quick document downloads.
Additional Useful Organizations
Crime Statistics:
The FBI (http://www.fbi.gov/)
For information on national, state and local crimes “reported” to law enforcement.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs)
For information on national crime surveys for “total” crime figures, see the “Criminal Victimization in the United States” series.
See this site at https://www.crimeinamerica.net/crime-rates-united-states/ for a comprehensive summation of crime in the United States
Crime Prevention Information :
National Crime Prevention Council (http://www.ncpc.org/)
See article on this site at https://www.crimeinamerica.net/crime-prevention-tips-that-work-3/.
Law Enforcement:
The Police Executive Research Forum (http://www.policeforum.org/)
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (http://www.theiacp.org)
The National Sheriff’s Association (http://www.sheriffs.org)
The Police Foundation (www.policefoundation.org)
Offender Reentry, Corrections, Sentencing Policy:
US Dept. of Justice, National Institute of Corrections (http://nicic.org)
The American Correctional Association (http://www.aca.org)
American Parole and Probation Association (http://www.appa-net.org)
American Jail Association (http://www.aja.org)
Re-entry Policy Council (http://www.reentrypolicy.org/)
Pew Public Safety Performance Project (http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/public-safety-performance-project/about)
Courts:
National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsc.org/).
Victim Issues:
The National Organization for Victim Assistance (http://www.try-nova.org)
Office for Victims of Crime (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc)
Everything Else:
National Criminal Justice Association (www.ncja.org)
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (http://www.ncjrs.org)
My book: “Amazon Hot New Release”- “A Must Have Book,” Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization available at Amazon