Crime and Victimization on Tribal Lands and Involving American Indians and Alaska Natives–Opportunities and Challenges

• Activity Number: 547 - Statistics About Crime and Justice for Tribal Areas and for American Indian and Alaska Natives: Current State and the Need for Innovation
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 11, 2022 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Government Statistics Section
• Author(s): Amy Lauger*
• Companies: Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Keywords: Crime; Justice; Tribal; American Indians and Alaska Natives

Abstract

Recent initiatives have highlighted the need to improve the availability and quality of crime statistics for tribal areas and for the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population. The U.S. Department of Justice administers two statistical programs to measure crime and victimization in the nation: the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Sample size and coverage challenges complicate using NCVS to produce reliable victimization estimates for the AIAN population or for persons living on tribal lands. On January 1, 2021, the FBI transitioned to collecting only NIBRS-based crime data from law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Before the transition, 143 of the approximately 234 tribal LEAs reported complete crime data to the FBI. However, many tribal LEAs are not currently able to meet the new reporting requirements. This presentation will include available statistics of the two populations from both agencies, the methodological and data collection challenges involved, and opportunities to improve these important statistics.