The 40th Anniversary of the Crime Report

• NCJ Number: 218261
• Journal: National Institute of Justice Journal Issue: 257 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 20-23
• Author(s): Thomas E. Feucht Ph.D.; Edwin Zedlewski Ph.D.
• Date Published: June 2007
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Journal
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Historical Overview

Annotation

In this article, two of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) most senior researchers reflect on the President’s Crime Commission (1967) and its accomplishments.

Abstract

In the 1960s, the country was faced with growing turmoil as the war continued overseas and social unrest increased at home. The goal of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice was to address a broad spectrum of social problems in the United States, most notably crime and violence. Johnson recognized soon after taking office that crime and public safety deserved a Federal response, yet there was little known about crime and crime trends because of a lack of comparable data across jurisdictions. The President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice was charged with drawing up the responses needed to combat crime. The 19-member Commission set about creating task forces on an array of major crime issues and collecting and analyzing crime statistics. The Commission created the first crime victimization survey and the first estimates of State correctional populations. After 18 months, the Commission delivered its report entitled, “The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society.” It called for increased technological innovation in crime prevention and analysis and for research in all areas of crime and criminal justice. The creation of the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Justice Programs are direct results of Commission report recommendations. Notes