AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams: Payment Practices and Policies in the United States, 2011

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. The qualitative Case Study data is not available as part of this data collection at this time.The purpose of the study was to examine: (1) which entities pay for sexual assault medical forensic exams (MFEs) in state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States, and the policies and practices around determining payment; (2) what services are provided in the exam process and how exams are linked to counseling, advocacy, and other services; (3) whether exams are provided to victims regardless of their reporting or intention to report the assault to the criminal justice system; (4) how MFE kits are being stored for victims who choose not to participate in the criminal justice system process; and (5) whether Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2005 requirements are generally being met throughout the country.Researchers conducted national surveys to obtain state-level information from state Services Training Officers Prosecutors (STOP) administrators (SSAs), victim compensation fund administrators, and state-level sexual assault coalitions. Surveys were  distributed to potential respondents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and United States territories that held these state-level positions. Researchers also distributed local-level surveys though an extensive listserv maintained by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). Researchers also conducted case studies in 19 local jurisdictions across six states were selected for case studies.Interviewees included the victim compensation fund administrator, state STOP administrator, state coalition director (or an appointed staff member) and sometimes crime lab or other state justice agency personnel, at the state level, and;law enforcement, prosecution, victim advocacy staff, and healthcare-based exam providers at the local level. Finally, researchers concluded each local jurisdiction visit with a focus group with victims of sexual assault. Data collection efforts included: a national survey of crime victim compensation fund administrators (Compensation Data, n = 26); a national survey of Services Training Officers Prosecutors (STOP) grant program administrators (SSA Data, n = 52); a national survey of state sexual assault coalitions (Coalitions Data, n = 47); and a survey of local community-based victim service providers (Local Provider Data, n = 489).

Tags: criminal-justice-policy, forensic-medicine, sexual-assault, victim-compensation, victim-services, violence-against-women
Organization: Department of Justice
National Police Research Platform, Phase I [United States], 2009-2011

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The National Police Research Platform was designed to a) strengthen the science of policing by generating timely, in-depth, longitudinal information about policing organizations, personnel and practices and, b) move policing in the direction of evidence-based "learning organizations" by providing translational feedback to police agencies and policy makers. Phase I focused on testing methods and measures in 29 agencies in order to build the Platform infrastructure. First, a "total department" online methodology was successfully implemented covering numerous dimensions of organizational behavior, from supervision and accountability to employee integrity and burnout. Second, a public satisfaction contact survey was implemented in several jurisdictions to provide local external indicators of the quality of police-citizen encounters and organizational legitimacy in the community. Third, two longitudinal studies were initiated - one of new police recruits and one of new first-line supervisors - to chart their career development and identify factors that influence life trajectories. Finally, a randomized control trial was introduced in once site to test the effects of procedural justice training as part of the Platform's measurement system.

Tags: community-involvement, leadership, police-effectiveness, police-officers, police-recruits, public-approval, public-relations, stress, training
Organization: Department of Justice
The Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Action Research Project: 1980-2009

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
The four primary goals of The Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Action Research Project (DSAK-ARP) were:
To assess the scope of the problem by conducting a complete census of all sexual assault kits (SAKs) in police property.
To identify the underlying factors that contributed to why Detroit had so many un-submitted SAKs.
To develop a plan for testing SAKs and to evaluate the efficacy of that plan.
To create a victim notification protocol and evaluate the efficacy of that protocol.
 To conduct the census and investigate factors that contributed to untested SAKs, The study investigated police and other public records, interviewed public officials and employees and manually cataloged untested SAKs to conduct the census and gather information as to the decision making processes as to why the SAKs remained untested. 
A random sample of 1,595 SAKs were tested as part of developing a SAK testing plan. Kits were divided into four testing groups to examine the utility of testing SAKs for stranger perpetrated sexual assaults, non-stranger perpetrated sexual assaults and sexual assaults believed to be beyond the statute of limitations. The final testing group split SAKs randomly into two addition sample sets as part of an experimental design  to examine whether the testing method of selective degradation was a quicker and more cost efficient approach that offered satisfactory levels of accuracy when compared to standard DNA testing methods. 
A two stage protocol was created to inform sexual assault victims that their SAKs  had been tested, discuss options for participating with the investigation and prosecution process and connect the victim with community services.

Tags: forensic-medicine, law-enforcement, rape, rapists, sex-offenses, sexual-assault, victimization, victims
Organization: Department of Justice
Assessing the Impacts of Broken Windows Policing Strategies on Citizen Attitudes in Three California Cities: Redlands, Ontario and Colton, 2008-2009

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study examined the impact that a six-month broken windows style policing crackdown on disorder had on residents of three California cities: Colton, Ontario and Redlands.  The study investigated four questions: 
 What is the impact of broken windows policing on fear of crime among residents of the targeted hot spots? 
What is the impact of broken windows policing on police legitimacy in the targeted hot spots? 
What is the impact of broken windows policing on reports of collective efficacy in the targeted hot spots?
 Is broken windows policing at hot spots effective in reducing both actual and perceived levels of disorder and crime in the targeted hot spots? 
To answer these questions, a block randomized experimental design was employed to deliver a police intervention targeting disorder to 55 treatment street segments with an equal number of segments serving as controls.
 Data were collected on the type and amount of crime before, during, and after implementation as well as interviews of residents before and after the crackdown in order to gauge their perception of its success.

Tags: fear-of-crime, neighborhood-conditions, police-patrol, police-protection, public-opinion
Organization: Department of Justice
Assessing Different Levels and Dosages of the Shifting Boundaries Intervention to Prevent Youth Dating Violence in New York City Middle Schools: A Randomized Control Trial, 2011-2014

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study was a randomized controlled trial of a dating violence and sexual harassment (DV/H) prevention program called the Shifting Boundaries (SB) Program. Thirty-five public middle schools in New York City were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions of the SB program. The project includes a baseline and two follow-up surveys with 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to assess short to medium term impact on rates of DV/H. The classroom curriculum intervention (SBC) covered the consequences for perpetrators of DV/H, state laws and penalties for DV/H, and respectful relationships. The school (building-level) intervention (SBS) included the use of school-based restraining orders, higher levels of faculty and security presence in areas identified through student mapping of safe/unsafe "hot spots," and the use of posters to increase awareness and reporting of DV/H. 
The project examined (1) the effects of saturating a school environment by providing the SB intervention to all three middle school grades compared to only two grades or one grade and (2) the effects of two dosages of SB across two years compared to one dosage of the SB intervention across one year which was explored in two prior evaluations of the program.

Tags: adolescents, dating-social, intervention, school-security, school-violence, sexual-harassment, student-attitudes, students
Organization: Department of Justice
Social Science Research on Wrongful Convictions and Near Misses, 1980-2012


These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.


This study examined how the criminal justice system avoids wrongful convictions by comparing violent felony cases that ended in an official exoneration after conviction ("wrongful convictions") with those in which defendants had charges dismissed before trial or were acquitted on the basis of their factual innocence ("near misses"). Data were collected on a total of 460 cases (260 wrongful convictions and 200 near misses), and these cases were compared quantitatively and qualitatively on variables that might explain the different outcomes. These variables included the usual causes of wrongful convictions, such as eyewitness misidentification, false confession, and forensic error, as well as demographic, social, and procedural variables.


Tags: case-processing, confessions-law, court-cases, courtroom-proceedings, defendants, eyewitness-memory, perjury, prosecution, witnesses, wrongful-convictions
Organization: Department of Justice
Crime Days Precursors Study:  Baltimore, 1952-1976

This data collection focuses on 354 male narcotic addicts
 who were selected using a stratified random sample from a population
 of 6,149 known narcotic abusers arrested or identified by the
 Baltimore, Maryland, Police Department between 1952 and
 1976. Variables include respondent's use of controlled drugs,
 including marijuana, hallucinogens, amphetamines, barbiturates,
 codeine, heroin, methadone, cocaine, tranquilizers, and other
 narcotics. Also of interest is the respondent's past criminal activity
 including arrests, length of incarceration, educational attainment,
 employment history, personal income, mobility, and drug treatment, if
any.

Tags: addiction, arrests, controlled-drugs, criminal-histories, drug-dependence, drug-related-crimes, drug-treatment, drug-use, education, income, job-history, social-history
Organization: Department of Justice
Exploring the Reach of Evidence Outside the Jury Box [United States], 2005-2011

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The purpose of the study was to compare how the quantity versus the quality of evidence influences the likelihood of trial convictions and plea decisions and examine whether evidence has differential impacts on the perceived likelihood of trial convictions and plea values. In Phase I (Phase I Data, n=2,593) defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, completed an online survey of a hypothetical legal case in which the presence of three types of evidence (confession, eyewitness, and DNA) and length of defendant criminal history were manipulated. In Phase II (Phase II Data, n=502), researchers worked with two District Attorneys' offices in New York state to code the contents of case files. Researchers coded 502 closed cases from 2005 and 2006, all of which originated as felony arrests. Researchers also obtained criminal history record information on the defendants involved in the cases.

Tags: court-cases, defense-law, judges, plea-negotiations, pleas, prosecuting-attorneys, prosecution
Organization: Department of Justice
Collective Efficacy and Social Cohesion in Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2010-2011

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The current study sought to expand the current understanding of the psychometric characteristics of the collective efficacy scale at the individual level and the role of collective efficacy in promoting safe, healthy community conditions. A team of interviewers consisting of residents of the targeted neighborhoods were selected and trained to administer the field surveys (NIJ Neighborhoods Resident Survey Data, 108 variables, n=649). In order to ensure accuracy of the responses, the field supervisor conducted telephone validation for approximately ten to fifteen percent of the surveys. In addition to resident surveys, trained research staff conducted systematic social observations (SSOs) of street segments in selected neighborhoods noting physical and social indictors.

Tags: crime, crime-impact, neighborhood-characteristics, neighborhood-conditions, neighborhoods, social-attitudes, social-control
Organization: Department of Justice
Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) Study [United States], 2010-2012

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The Dating Violence among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) study assessed the victimization experience of a national sample of 1,525 Latino adolescents living in the United States. Trained professionals from an experienced survey research firm conducted the interviews over the phone in either English or Spanish, from September 2011 through February 2012.The purpose of the study was to: Determine extent of dating violence in a sample of male and female Latino adolescents;Determine the coexistence of other forms of victimization among those who experienced dating violence;Examine formal service utilization among Latino adolescents who experienced dating violence;Examine informal help-seeking among Latino adolescents who experienced data violence;Examine culturally-relevant factors associated with the experience of and responses to dating violence;Determine the psychological impact of dating violence on Latino adolescents; andEvaluate the role of social resources on victimizations and psychosocial functioning among victimized Latino adolescents.

Tags: adolescents, dating-social, domestic-violence, hispanic-or-latino-americans, victimization
Organization: Department of Justice
Analysis of Rhode Island Domestic Violence Offenders on Probation, 1977-2012

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The purpose of the study was to:  Describe the prosecution and sentencing histories for domestic violence and other offenses;Determine the severity gap in prosecution and sentencing between these domestic violence and non-domestic violence over a six year period; andTo answer whether the variation in prosecution and sentencing severity predicts being subsequently charged for domestic violence in the future.Rhode Island was selected as the study site because it has a high domestic violence arrest rate and specifically distinguishes domestic violence from non-domestic violence offenses based on the relationships of the parties, not by specific type of crime. Further, Rhode Island's judiciary maintains a public web-based database, called CourtConnect, that includes an index of defendants by name and date of birth and lists all arrests followed by prosecution and court actions through final sentence. The criminal history information includes all charges filed in any Rhode Island court for the last 25 years. Two researchers independently coded offender data (Differential Sentencing Data - Persons, n=982) available on CourtConnect. Coders then determined whether the defendants were prosecuted for the charges brought against them (Differential Sentencing Data - Offenses, n=6,649). Offenses that were not prosecuted were differentiated from offenses that were prosecuted. Each charge was classified as domestic violence or non-domestic violence as defined by state statute.

Tags: domestic-violence, offenders, offenders-sentencing, probation, recidivism, sentencing
Organization: Department of Justice
Examination of Resident Abuse in Assisted Living Facilities in the United States, 2011

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The purpose of the study was to: Examine resident abuse from staff report by direct care workers in a nationally representative sample of assisted living settings;Expand the scope of our understanding of resident abuse by including medication abuse in assisted living settings; and Use the data collected to examine: a. rates of abuse; b. the association of external organizational, and internal factors with resident abuse; c. direct care worker characteristics associated with abuse; d. resident characteristics associated with abuse; e. leadership characteristics associated with abuse; f. the inter-correlations of different types of abuse; and, g. resident-to-resident abuse.For the purposes of this research, an assisted living facility is defined as a long term care setting that typically provides residents for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Using state listings from websites, researchers identified approximately 21,000 of assisting living facilities. A random sample of approximately seven percent (n=1,500) of these eligible assisted living facilities were selected from all 50 states. Administrators of assisted living facilities were asked if they were willing to complete the questionnaire (n=1,376). Administrators were also asked if they would be willing to distribute the questionnaire to direct care workers (n=12,555). Researchers requested that they distribute the survey to all full-time and part-time direct care workers on all shifts. Follow up reminder mailings and emails were used for the administrators.

Tags: abuse, assisted-living-facilities, elder-abuse, emotional-abuse, sexual-abuse
Organization: Department of Justice
Indicators of Labor Trafficking Among North Carolina Migrant Farmworkers, 2010-2012

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.The purpose of the study was to investigate potential correlates of labor trafficking in an effort to identify indicators of labor trafficking that could be used by state and local law enforcement as signals that labor trafficking may be taking place in their communities. Stakeholder interviews with individuals from organizations who serve migrant workers (n=24) were piloted in September 2010 with the larger data collection effort occurring between October 2011 and March 2012. In-person interviews were conducted with farmworkers (Farmworker Data, n=380) who may have been experiencing labor exploitation or trafficking. The field data collection activities began in September 2012. Interview data were collected at residential migrant labor camps, at community events, and in Western North Carolina, at integrated housing and locations frequented by farmworkers. Finally, researchers extracted secondary data from a number of sources to create profiles of each county (County Data, n=17) in which interviews were conducted.

Tags: abuse, exploitation, human-trafficking, migrant-labor, migrant-workers, work-environment
Organization: Department of Justice