Social Science Data Resources: Crime & Justice

Access to thousands of social science datasets for research and instruction. A first place to start in looking for social science data for secondary analysis.

"Serve(s) as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy." Includes the Decennial Census, the American Community Survey the Economic Census, and more.

Features an alphabetical list of data resources from government agencies. Includes all topics from health, education, economic, crime, child and family, immigration, genealogy, labor and many more.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), through its Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center (FJSRC), compiles information describing suspects and defendants processed in the Federal criminal justice system.

Available through ICPSR, the ICVS is a collection of surveys of householders' experience with crime, policing, crime prevention, and feelings of insecurity in a large number of nations. Sample size is generally, 1,000 - 2,000 households from each participating country.

The NACJD preserves and distributes computerized crime and justice data from Federal agencies, state agencies, and investigator initiated research projects. They have a collection of online Resource Guides that highlight popular criminal justice research topic.

Previously called the National Crime Survey (NCS), has been collecting data on personal and household victimization since 1973. An ongoing survey, conducted twice each year, of a nationally representative sample of residential addresses.

Information on demographic, socioeconomic, and criminal history characteristics of inmates including: age, ethnicity, education, gun possession and use, lifetime drug use and alcohol use and treatment, prior incarceration record, and prearrest annual income and details of inmates' military service records. Data on characteristics of victims are provided as well.

The surveys were started in 1977, covering five-year intervals from 1970-1994. Starting in 1995 surveys cover two- or three-year intervals. Sample Size: The number of participating countries varies by sweep.

A guide to data useful for the study of violence against women available from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at ICPSR.

This report links to current tribal statistical reports on crime and jails.