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Abstract:
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The FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports represent the most valuable source of information on patterns and trends in murder and non-negligent manslaughter. Despite widespread use by researchers and policy-makers, these data are not without their limitations---most notably, missing or incomplete incident reports. In this analysis, we invoke methods for addressing missing data in the 1976-2005 SHR cumulative file, related to both non-reports (unit missingness) and incomplete reports (item missingness). For missing characteristics on victims, offenders or incidents, we apply a multiple imputation approach based on Joseph Schafer's (1997) algorithm for incomplete multivariate categorical data. Then, to handle unit missingness, we develop a weighting scheme linking FBI estimates of state homicide counts with NCHS mortality data on decedent characteristics in coroners' reports for homicides.
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