DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39233.v1
title: National Corrections Reporting Program, [United States], 2000-2021
title: Version 1

description: The National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) compiles offender-level data on admissions and releases from state and federal prisons and post-confinement community supervision. The data are used to monitor the nation's correctional population and address specific policy questions related to recidivism, prisoner reentry, and trends in demographic characteristics of the incarcerated and community supervision populations. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has administered the NCRP since 1983. Abt Associates has served as the NCRP data collection agent since October 2010.
description: In 1983, the National Prisoners Statistics program, which compiled aggregate data on prisoner admissions and releases, and the Uniform Parole Reports were combined into one reporting system, the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP). The NCRP evolved from the need to improve and consolidate data on corrections at the national level. Its objective was to provide a consistent and comprehensive description of prisoners entering and leaving the custody or supervision of state and federal authorities. In addition to the state prisons, and the California Youth Authority reporting data from 1984 to 2011, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported data to NCRP from 1984 to 1996. Federal data are now collected by BJS under the Federal Justice Statistics Program.
description: <strong>Prison Term Record File</strong>
Prison term records are built from NCRP Prison Admission (Part A), Prison Release (Part B), and Prison Custody (Part D) records submitted by state departments of correction to the U.S. Census Bureau (if submitted before January 1, 2011) or Abt Associates (if submitted after January 1, 2011). Instructions for the Part A, B, and D files provided to the state departments of correction - including key NCRP definitions (e.g., prison, admission, release, custody) - are in the NCRP 2021 Data Collection Manual (See resource guide). Instructions for previous years are available at the NACJD archive.
A description of the computing code that converts year-specific Prison Admission (Part A), Prison Release (Part B), and Prison Custody (Part D) files into a single term record file is available on the NCRP page of the NACJD archive. Data processing steps also included mapping state-specific codes included in a state's NCRP submission into standard NCRP codes. The mappings are contained in two spreadsheets (See resource guide). One spreadsheet maps state-specific offense codes into NCRP offense codes; the other maps all other categorical variables to NCRP codes.
<strong>Prison Admissions (Part A), Prison Releases (Part B), and Prison Custody (Part D) records not used to build Prison Term Records</strong>
Instructions provided to the state departments of correction - including key NCRP definitions (e.g., prison, admission, release, custody) - are in the NCRP 2021 Data Collection Manual (See resource guide). Data processing steps also included mapping state-specific codes into NCRP codes. The mappings are contained in two spreadsheets (See resource guide). One maps state-specific offense codes into NCRP offense codes; the other maps all other categorical variables to NCRP codes.
<strong>Post-Confinement Community Supervision (PCCS) Term Record File</strong>
PCCS term records are built from NCRP PCCS Admission (Part E) and PCCS Release (Part F) records submitted by state departments of correction and community supervision. Instructions for the Part E and F files- including key NCRP definitions (e.g., PCCS, admission, release) - are in the NCRP 2021 Data Collection Manual (See resource guide).
A description of the computing code that converts year-specific PCCS Admission (Part E) and PCCS Release (Part F) files into a single term record file is available on the NCRP page of the NACJD archive.
No new C records have been added since the previous NCRP archive files - National Corrections Reporting Program, 2000-2012 (ICPSR 34984). C records are now reclassified as F (PCCS release) records.
Data processing steps included mapping state-specific codes into NCRP codes. The mappings are contained in two spreadsheets (See resource guide). One maps state-specific offense codes into NCRP offense codes; the other maps all other categorical variables to NCRP codes.
<strong>Post-Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E) and Release (Part F) records not used to build PCCS Term Records</strong>
Instructions provided to the state departments of correction and community supervision - including key NCRP definitions (e.g., PCCS, admission, release) - are in the NCRP 2021 Data Collection Manual (See resource guide). Data processing steps also included mapping state-specific codes into NCRP codes. The mappings are contained in two spreadsheets (See resource guide). One maps state- specific offense codes into NCRP offense codes; the other maps all other categorical variables to NCRP codes.
description: Variables include offender characteristics (e.g., unique ID number, date of birth, race, sex), sentence characteristics (e.g., county where sentence imposed, offenses, sentence length), date and type of admission to prison, and date and type of release from prison.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Prison Term Records
DS2: Prison Admissions (Part A), Prison Releases (Part B), and Prison Custody (Part D) Records Not Used to Build Term Records
DS3: Post-Confinement Community Supervision (PCCS) Term Records
DS4: Post-Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E) and Release (Part F) Records Not Used to Build PCCS Term Records
description: All persons admitted to state prison, released from state prison, admitted to state post-confinement community supervision, discharged from state post-confinement community supervision, or in state prison at year end from 2000 to 2021 in the United States. Smallest Geographic Unit: county
description: mail questionnairePlease note that the Parole Exit (Part C) data are no longer available starting in 2016.