The National Incident-Based Reporting System

The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is intended to replace the current Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system with one that collects a wide range of data on a variety of crimes. NIBRS includes information on victims, offenders, and incident circumstances (e.g., multiple victims, offenders, and/or crimes that may be part of the same episode). Data originate with local law enforcement personnel, who record information on crimes that come to their attention. To be counted, an incident need only be reported and investigated. The incident does not have to be cleared or result in an arrest.

Implementation of NIBRS began in 1988, and participation by states and local agencies, which is voluntary, has grown gradually. In 1997 and 1998, the years covered by the data used in this Bulletin, 17 states contributed data; however, 98% of victim records came from 11 of these states: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Because only three states (Idaho, Iowa, and South Carolina) had full participation by all local jurisdictions, and only three cities with populations greater than 500,000 (Austin, TX; Memphis, TN; and Nashville, TN) participated, victimization in large urban areas is particularly underrepresented.

Although the NIBRS data for 1997 and 1998 are not nationally representative, they reflect the experiences of a large number of the victims of juvenile violence. The participating states reported that 667,679 persons were victims of violent crime and that 126,462 (19%) of those victims faced at least one juvenile offender. Despite their limitations, the NIBRS data provide valuable information about the extent and nature of violent crimes committed by juveniles.