Similarities and Differences Between UCR and NIBRS
The general concepts, such as jurisdictional rules, of collecting and reporting UCR data are the same as in NIBRs. However, NIBRs goes into much greater detail than the summary-based UCR system. NIBRs includes 46 Group A offenses whereas UCR only has eight offenses classified as Part I offenses.
In NIBRs, the definition of rape has been expanded to include male victims. UCR, until recently, defined rape as "the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will" but since has been expanded. Formerly in UCR, sex attacks against males were to be classified only as either assaults or "other sex offenses", depending on the nature of the crime and the extent of the injury.
UCR does not differentiate between completed and attempted crimes while NIBRs does.
When multiple crimes are committed by a single person or group of persons during the same basic period of time and same basic location, UCR uses a "Hierarchy Rule" (see UCR for details) to determine which offenses will be reported for that incident. Only the most serious offense is reported. For example, if a criminal burglarizes a residence and assaults the inhabitant, only the assault is reported as it takes precedence over the burglary on the "Hierarchy Rule". NIBRs reports all offenses involved in a particular incident.
UCR has only two crime categories: Crimes Against Persons (e.g., murder, rape, assault) and Crimes Against Property (e.g., robbery, burglary, larceny). NIBRs adds a third category titled Crimes Against Society for activities such as drug or narcotic offenses and other activities prohibited by society's rules.
Finally, agencies submit UCR data in written documents that must then be hand entered into a computer system for statistical analysis. NIBRs data are submitted electronically in the form of ASCII text files. These files are then processed without the need for a person to input the data (except at the originating agency's initial filing of the report into their computer system).
Read more about this topic: National Incident Based Reporting System
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