U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Glossary

FabrikaSimf/ Shutterstock.com (see reuse policy).

Prosecution and legal services

Includes the civil and criminal justice activities of the attorneys general, district attorneys, state's attorneys (and their variously named equivalents), and corporation counsels, solicitors, and legal departments with various names.

Public defender

A salaried staff of full-time or part-time attorneys that renders indigent criminal defense services through a public or private nonprofit organization, or as direct government paid employees.

Public defense

Legal counsel and representation in either criminal or civil proceedings as provided by public defenders and other government programs that pay the fees of court-appointed counsel.

Public Law 83-280 (commonly referred to as Public Law 280 or P.L. 280)

Establishes criminal justice responsibilities among American Indian tribes with tribal land, the states in which tribes are located, and the federal government. Public Law 280 is mandatory or optional for 204 tribes, about two-thirds of the total in the lower 48 states. In states where P.L. 280 does not apply, the federal government retains criminal jurisdiction for major crimes committed under the Indian Country Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 1152), the Indian Country Major Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 1153), and the Assimilative Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 13).

Public Law 93-638

The Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 affords tribes the opportunity to provide for their own police departments and other institutional services through federal grants and contracts.

Public-order offenses

Weapons offenses—Includes the unlawful sale, distribution, manufacture, alteration, transportation, possession, or use of a deadly weapon or accessory.

Driving-related offenses—Includes driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and any other felony in the motor vehicle code.

Other public-order offenses—Includes flight/escape, parole or probation violations, prison contraband, habitual offender, obstruction of justice, rioting, libel, slander, treason, perjury, prostitution, pandering, bribery, and tax law violations.

Purse snatching/pick-pocketing

Theft or attempted theft of property or cash directly from the victim by stealth, without force or threat of force.

Race

For the National Crime Victimization Survey, respondents self identify with one or more racial categories. Racial categories defined by the Office of Management and Budget are American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; black or African American; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; and white. The race of the head of household is used in determining the race of the household for computing household crime demographics.

Race/Hispanic ethnicity (Race/ethnicity)

Beginning in 2003, BJS implemented methodological changes to reflect new guidelines from OMB for the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data in government surveys. This caused changes to the “Other” race category. Prior to 2003, the “Other” race category included American Indian/Aleut Eskimo, Asian/Pacific Islander, and other races. Since 2003, the “Other” race category has included American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, other races, and two or more races. For the National Crime Victimization Survey, respondents may self-identify with one or more racial categories. Also see User’s Guide section on Collection and Reporting of Race and Ethnicity Data.

Race

Racial categories are defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In general, the N-DASH uses this coding for race:

  • White
  • Black
  • Other
Hispanic Ethnicity

A classification based on Hispanic culture and origin, without considering race.

Race/Hispanic ethnicity

Race and Hispanic ethnicity are combined into one variable in this platform, using the following categories for Custom Graphics:

  • White (non-Hispanic)
  • Black (non-Hispanic)
  • Other (non-Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; or persons of two or more races)
  • Hispanic

Race and Hispanic ethnicity are combined into one variable in this platform, using the following categories for Quick Graphics:

  • White (non-Hispanic)
  • Black (non-Hispanic)
  • Asian (non-Hispanic)
  • Other (non-Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; or persons of two or more races)
  • Hispanic

Rap back

A "rap back" or "hit notice" program will inform an employer or other designated entity when an individual who has undergone a fingerprint-based background check, and whose fingerprints are retained by a criminal history repository after the check, is subsequently arrested. His or her fingerprints, obtained after the arrest, are matched against a database that contains the fingerprints that were initially submitted. Employers are then notified of the individual's arrest. Employers pay a fee for the service in some states; other states provide the service for free.

Rape

Forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category also includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object, such as a bottle. Includes attempted rape, male and female victims, and both heterosexual and same sex rape. Attempted rape includes verbal threats of rape.

Rated capacity

The number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to institutions within the jurisdiction.

Real property cases

Cases concerning ownership or division of real property (excluding mortgage foreclosures, which are included under contracts).

Region

The states have been divided into four groups or census regions: Midwest - Includes the 12 states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Northeast - Includes the 9 states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. South - Includes the District of Columbia and the 16 states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. West - Includes the 13 states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Releases

Persons released after a period of confinement (e.g., sentence completions, bail or bond releases, other pre-trial releases, transfers to other jurisdictions, and deaths). Releases include persons who have completed their weekend program and who are leaving the facility for the last time. They exclude temporary discharges, such as work releases, medical appointments, stays in treatment centers, court appearances, furloughs, day reporting, and transfers to other facilities within the jail jurisdiction.

Robbery

Completed or attempted theft, directly from a person, of property or cash by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury.

Completed/property taken - The successful taking of property from a person by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury.

Completed with injury - The successful taking of property from a person, accompanied by an attack, with or without a weapon, resulting in injury.

Completed without injury - The successful taking of property from a person by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, but not resulting in injury.

Attempted to take property - The attempt to take property from a person by force or threat of force without success, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury.

Attempted without injury - The attempt to take property from a person by force or threat of force without success, with or without a weapon, but not resulting in injury.

Attempted with injury - The attempt to take property from a person without success, accompanied by an attack, with or without a weapon, resulting in injury.

Rural area

A place not located inside the Metropolitan Statistical Area. This category includes a variety of localities, ranging from sparsely populated rural areas to cities with populations fewer than 50,000.

Sample

The set of housing units selected by the U.S. Census Bureau to be interviewed for the survey. All occupants of the household age 12 or older are interviewed. See report methodologies for sample inclusions and exclusions.

SARA

SARA stands for Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment. SARA is a commonly used problem-solving method involved in community policing. For more information visit the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing site.

Sentenced prisoner

A prisoner sentenced to more than 1 year.

Sentenced prisoners

Prisoners under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities who have been given a sentence of more than 1 year.

Sentencing

Final act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence generally involves a decree of imprisonment, a fine, and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime.

Series victimization

High-frequency repeat victimizations, or series victimizations, are six or more similar but separate victimizations that occur with such frequency the victim is unable to recall each individual event or describe each event in detail. BJS counts series victimizations using the victim’s estimate of the number of times the victimizations occurred during the prior six months, up to a maximum of 10 victimizations. Including series victimizations in national estimates can substantially increase the number and rate of violent victimization; however, trends in violence are generally similar regardless of whether series victimizations are included. See Methods for Counting High-Frequency Repeat Victimizations in the National Crime Victimization Survey for further discussion of the counting strategy and supporting research.

Sex

The respondent’s sex.