NCJ Number
85915
Date Published
1982
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This report explores whether Miller's methods of estimating the number of persons with criminal records in the labor force are weak or unfounded when replicated in Illinois and, if so, whether development of the Interstate Identification Index (III), which would make criminal records more accessible to criminal justice agencies, should be shelved.
Abstract
Miller's estimations were based on three different data sources: FBI estimates of the number of subjects in their files, data from the Philadelphia Cohort Study (Wolfgang et. al., 1972), and State criminal history record files for California, New Jersey, and New York. Miller concluded that between 26-28 percent of the labor force in 1977 could be considered criminals. Replicating Miller's method in Illinois indicates that between 17 and 25 percent of the Illinois labor force had arrest records during 1980. This is considerably less than those who oppose the III suggest. An appendix includes the procedure used to adjust estimates and 15 references. Footnotes are supplied.