THE CRIME AND JUSTICE SURVEY

1
Research, Development and Statistics

• THE CRIME AND JUSTICE SURVEY

Tracey Budd
BUILDING A SAFE, JUST AND TOLERANT SOCIETY
2
Background

• The Crime and Justice Survey is a self-report
  offending and drug use survey
• Such surveys have been undertaken since the
  1950s to establish levels of delinquency in
  different populations evaluate interventions and
  to inform theory
• Surveys have covered known offenders (e.g.,
  prisoners) and general population samples (often
  focused on young people). Some are
  cross-sectional (sometimes repeated) others
  panel surveys
• HO previously undertaken several large-scale
  cross-sectional self report studies of known
  offenders and young people in the general
  population

Crime and Justice Survey
3
Background

• There are relatively few longitudinal
  self-report offending surveys in UK. Those that
  exist are small scale and often based on local
  samples (e.g. Camberwell study)
• The Crime and Justice Survey is the first
  large-scale, nationally representative
  longitudinal survey of young people in England
  and Wales

Crime and Justice Survey
4
Aims and Objectives

• To measure the number of offenders in the
  general household population and the offences
  they commit, including those not processed
  through the criminal justice system
• To estimate the proportion of offenders and
  offences that come to the attention of the
  criminal justice system
• To estimate the proportion of active offenders
  who are young people and the proportion of crime
  they commit
• To provide information on the nature of offences
  committed and, in particular, offender
  motivations

Crime and Justice Survey
5
More Aims and Objectives

• To provide information on patterns of drug and
  alcohol use, particularly among children and
  young people
• To provide trend information on the level of
  youth offending and drug use
• To collect data on criminal careers and in
  particular to identify the risk factors
  associated with the onset and continuation of
  offending and drug use, and factors associated
  with desistence

Crime and Justice Survey
6
Information on Criminal Careers
Prevalence of offending
Contact with CJS
Frequency of offending
Risk factors
Criminal Careers
Age of onset
Motives
Age desist
Co-offending
Continuity and change
Career duration
Crime and Justice Survey
7
Cross-sectional or longitudinal data?

• Many of the aims and objectives of the survey
  could have been met by a one off or repeated
  cross-sectional self-report offending survey of a
  representative general household sample
• However, a key objective of the survey was to
  allow us to examine criminal careers - how
  different delinquent behaviours develop over time
  and the factors associated with different
  patterns of development

Crime and Justice Survey
8
The age range?

• Some of the key objectives (knowing the
  proportion of offenders who were young people)
  required the survey to cover a wide age range
• However, a representative sample of a wide age
  range would mean we would need a very large
  sample size to get a sufficient number of young
  people for detailed analysis (a key group of
  interest)
• Most longitudinal self-report studies focus on
  young people, following up cohort(s) over a long
  period

Crime and Justice Survey
9
2003 CJS Design

• 2003 Survey
• Probability sample of c 12,000 people aged 10 to
  65 living in private households in EW
• 10,079 core sample, including 4,574 10-25s
• Additional ethnic minority booster sample of
  1,882 (10-65s)
• CAPI, CASI and Audio CASI
• 10 voucher incentive
• Respondents asked at end of interview if willing
  to be re-contacted in future (parents also for
  under 16s and 17/18s in parental home). Stable
  address contact details

Crime and Justice Survey
10
2004-2006 CJS Design

• The rotating panel (5,000 each sweep)
• In 2004 - 10-25s (in 2003) willing to be
  re-contacted at end of 2003 interview followed up
  for interview. Supplemented with a fresh sample
  of 10-25s to reach 5,000 target
• In 2005 - those willing to be re-contacted at
  end of 2004 interview followed up. Supplemented
  with a fresh sample of 10-25s to reach 5,000
  target
• In 2006 - those willing to be re-contacted at end
  of 2005 interview followed up. Supplemented with
  a fresh sample of 10-25s to reach 5,000 target

Crime and Justice Survey
11
Use of dependent interviewing

• Examples in CJS...
• Household box. Respondents asked to confirm if
  each person still in household or not and if any
  new members.
• Respondent age. Very important for routing on
  many questions.
• Ever questions - many questions in 2003 asked
  ever and last 12 months. For panel only asked
  last 12 months. E.g. offending, homeless,
  suspensions
• If know parent deceased from prior interview
  dont ask why parent not in household
• If committed offence last interview but not this
  asked why desisted

Crime and Justice Survey
12
Bounding?

• Possibility of reminding respondents what
  offences they admitted to at last interview to
  help bound the recall period
• Decided against this because information
  self-completion and wanted to avoid interviewer
  involvement
• Respondent may be uncomfortable with knowing
  possible to feed forward such information - may
  feel confidentiality threatened
• Could remind them that if they do admit to
  offences in the interview they will be asked lots
  of questions!

Crime and Justice Survey
13
Advantages/disadvantages

• Advantages
• Reduced respondent burden to some extent
• Sensitivity to respondent circumstances eg
  deceased parent
• Disadvantages
• More complex routing/textfills in CAPI. Can the
  programme cope? Did experience some technical
  difficulties.

Crime and Justice Survey
14
Story so far...

• 2003 CJS successfully completed. 74 response
  rate for core sample, including 10-25s. Lower on
  ethnic sample - around 50
• 95 of 10-25s agreed to follow up in 2004
• In 2004 c82 of these were successfully
  interviewed - total of 3464 cases. In addition
  there were 1810 fresh cases. (Preliminary
  figures)
• 2005 option exercised and will go into the field
  in January
• First reports from 2003 prepared and awaiting
  publication

Crime and Justice Survey
15
Questions...

• Contact details
• Tracey Budd 020 7273 3760
• Debbie Jennings 020 7273 2355
• Clare Sharp 020 7273 4636
• Guy Weir 020 7273 3552
• email tracey.budd_at_homeoffence.gsi.gov.uk
• website
• http//www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/offending1.html

Crime and Justice Survey