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Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... measures these victimization rates,1 along with details on the victims, as part of its overall mission of measuring all criminal victimizations. However, data users have expressed concern that rape and sexual assault appear to be undercounted on the NCVS.
From page 2...
... The panel was formally charged to "assess the quality and relevance of statistics on rape and sexual assault from the NCVS and other surveys contracted for by other federal agencies as well as surveys conducted by private organizations," examining issues such as the "legal definitions in use by the states for these crimes, best methods for representing the definitions in survey instruments so that their meaning is clear to respondents, and best methods for obtaining as complete reporting as possible of these crimes in surveys, including methods whereby respondents may report anonymously." Thus, the panel took a fresh look at the problem of measuring incidents of rape and sexual assault from the criminal justice perspective, but the panel was not constrained to fit this measurement within the NCVS or to restrict its recommendations to specific methodologies that BJS has used in the past. MEASUREMENT The first part of this report focuses on methodology and vehicles used to measure rape and sexual assault.
From page 3...
... It is a national household survey with the goal of obtaining information on a broad set of criminal victimizations (including rape and sexual assault) from the victims rather than law enforcement.
From page 4...
... The panel undertook an examination of the total error structure of the NCVS with the intent of identifying areas that were particularly problematic and that could contribute to underestimation of rape and sexual assault. This review of potential sources of error covered sampling error, frame error, processing error, nonresponse error, specification error, and measurement error.
From page 5...
... As a result, BJS does not provide estimates for rape and sexual assault for those subpopulations, instead providing estimates only for the more aggregated category of serious violent crimes. CONCLUSION 7-1 The National Crime Victimization Survey, which is designed as an omnibus victimization survey, is efficient in measuring the many types of criminal victimizations across the United States, but it does not measure the low incidence events of rape and sexual assault with the precision needed for policy and research purposes.
From page 6...
... CONCLUSION 8-1 The overall unit response rates, as calculated, on the National Crime Victimization Survey are moderately high and have been reasonably stable over the past 10 years. Although an independent analysis concluded that the methods that the Bureau of Justice Statistics uses to adjust for nonresponse appear to provide a satisfactory correc tion for nonresponse bias at the unit level, our panel has reservations about that analysis and remains concerned that there may be a nonre sponse bias related to sexual victimization.
From page 7...
... CONCLUSION 8-5 There is serious specification error in the National Crime Victimization Survey measurement of rape and sexual assault. Although the Bureau of Justice Statistics has developed clear defini
From page 8...
... As part of examining measurement error, the panel identified several problems with the training provided to interviewers on the NCVS and the subsequent monitoring of the interview process. For 10 years, until recently, there was no refresher training for interviewers, and the reinstated training offered only limited focus on the special training needs for sensitive questions about sexual victimizations.
From page 9...
... A New Survey and Improved Methods RECOMMENDATION 10-1 The Bureau of Justice Statistics should develop an independent survey -- separate from the National Crime Victimization Survey -- for measuring rape and sexual assault. The panel makes several recommendations regarding the design and implementation of the independent survey, including a multiple frame approach (see Chapter 10)
From page 10...
... However, if that is not possible, then the Bureau should conduct the recom mended new survey on a fixed schedule, such as every 2 or 3 years, and use data from both the National Crime Victimization Survey and the new survey to calculate annual estimates of rape and sexual assault. The panel supports the multiwave structure of the NCVS for the proposed stand-alone survey, and it endorses the use of bounded recall procedures to control telescoping effects.
From page 11...
... The exact process of determining the "type of crime" classification of an incident reported on the NCVS based on responses provided by the respondent is not clearly portrayed for data users. RECOMMENDATION 10-8 The Bureau of Justice Statistics should make more transparent the link between responses on the survey screener and incident reports and the final type of crime classification of those incidents of potential rape and sexual assault.
From page 12...
... RECOMMENDATION 10-10 The Bureau of Justice Statistics should reassess the methodological change made to the National Crime Vic timization Survey regarding series victimization and should investigate alternative procedures that are more effective in respect to measure ments of rape and sexual assault. This reassessment should involve formal input by experts on outlier adjustment techniques and by data users who can help assess the relative tradeoffs in quality.
From page 13...
... RECOMMENDATION 10-12 The Bureau of Justice Statistics should conduct a series of coordinated research investigations to enable it to resolve each of the preceding specific issues in developing the design for the recommended stand-alone survey on rape and sexual assault. Enhanced Communication with Data Users As BJS moves in new directions to improve its measurement of rape and sexual assault, the agency needs to embrace external advice from the data user and statistical communities, and set up mechanisms to ensure open, regular, and effective communication with these communities.
From page 14...
... . The panel applauds BJS for its openness in addressing ways to fulfill its important mission to provide estimates of rape and sexual assault and is confident that the analyses and recommendations in this report can contribute to improvements in measuring these injurious victimizations.


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