The National Incident-Based Reporting System
The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is an information system within the criminal justice system of the U.S, which is meant to take the place of the uniform crime reports (UCR). The system, which is currently being tested in most states, has been approved by the South Carolina law enforcement department (Doerner & Lab, 2012). Apparently, the law enforcement department of South Carolina was the first unit to use the new system. The NIBRS has been developed over an approximate two to three decades. The ideas of coming up with a system of this sort cropped up in the late 1970s. The system, devised to help meet the law enforcement needs of the states, is a comprehensive framework that provides detailed information on the various crimes and arrests within the 22 categories of offences, which are made up of 46 specific crimes, referred to as Group A offenses. The system as well covers 11 offense categories of Group B for which only arrest information is provided.
The advantages of NIBRS
While there are many advantages accruing to having the National Incident-Based Reporting System in place of the uniform crime reports, the main advantage is the fact that the NIBRS can provide detailed information regarding crimes. The information given by NIBRS is particularly detailed and can be especially useful as far as critical decision making is concerned. The details provided by the information system can help make law enforcement more effective by identifying those areas that experience intense crimes (Siegel, 2010). This can help the criminal justice system identify places that appear as hot spots for crimes. As such, deployment will be done effectively, with special emphasis on the volatile areas. The detailed information can, as well, support the law enforcement prevent future crimes by handling juvenile cases accordingly, and in good time.
The second merit is the fact that the data and information given by the NIBRS, besides being detailed, covers all crimes. Unlike the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) which covers the group A crimes only, the NIBRS covers all crimes, ranging from terrorism to spousal abuse. This enables the legislators, social scientists, law enforcers and municipal planners identify the parts of the legal system that need to be altered accordingly (Doerner & Lab, 2012). Since the NIBRS gives information relating to white collar crimes, it is reasonable to conclude that employers can work in collaboration with the law enforcement in reducing crime. This as well serves to strengthen such efforts as community policing.
The great advantage of NIBRS data
According to Doerner & Lab (2012) the greatest advantage of the data given by NIBRS is the fact that it is detailed. It does not only provide the arrest details, but also all the details regarding the case and the legal standing of all parties concerned. The benefits of having detailed data are far reaching. For instance, the details of the cases can be used by academicians in enhancing knowledge on the criminal justice system.
The disadvantages of NIBRS
The major disadvantage of the NIBRS is the fact that it entails lengthy procedures as far as reporting and obtaining information is concerned. This has made it ineffective in some states since meeting the criteria for direct reporting to the FBI is quite a hassle. Additionally, the manner in which information is handled is time consuming. This may not meet the urgency of some law enforcement activities. The second disadvantage is the fact that meeting the NIBRS reporting requirements is not easy, especially considering that, the agencies have to submit test data on magnetic storage devices (Siegel, 2010). This makes the whole thing complicated in such a way that the criminal justice system develops inefficiencies.
References
Doerner, W. G., & Lab, S. P. (2012). Victimology (6th Ed.). Burlington, Ma: Elsevier, Inc.
Siegel, L. J. (2010). Introduction to criminal justice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
