In the first post in what will be a period series looking at our official crime stats and what they mean, here I dig into "recidivism," an incredibly important number that is measured poorly and may be impossible to measure well.
Category: Statistics
Technical Note on Prison Admissions in the National Corrections Reporting Program
A brief post on conflicts between the NCRP and NPS over prison admissions--a challenge for those doing empirical work on prisons, and a broader warning about the pitfalls in our criminal legal data.
A Bit Into the Weeds on the 2024 Midyear Homicide Decline
The 2024 MCCA midyear homicide data suggests that 2024 is on track for historic declines. But extrapolating midyear data from a few cities to national yearend data seems risky. This post suggests it may be okay to do so here.
Prisons, Prosecutors, and the Politics of Punishment 