Integrated Administrative Data & Criminal Justice Research

• NCJ Number: 252091
• Author(s): Dana DeHart, Cheri Shapiro
• Date Published: June 2017
• Length: 20 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Impact of Incarceration on Families: A Single-Jurisdiction Pilot Study Using Triangulated Administrative Data & Qualitative Interviews

Annotation

This article provides an introduction to potential uses of integrated administrative data for criminal justice researchers, including general benefits of using integrated data and implications for innovative research design.

Abstract

Using integrated administrative data from criminal justice and social service systems can harness information in meaningful ways that transcend traditional “silos” and allow communities to focus collective attention on important social issues that cross systemic boundaries. Despite recent advances in the use of integrated administrative data, practical information to promote adoption by new users is lacking. This article presents a case example of data integration through a state data warehouse for a federally funded project on the impact of incarceration on families. The project uses data from eight agencies (corrections, juvenile justice, mental health, substance use, social services, health, education, and environmental control) and includes development of an Online Analytical Processing cube. Based on lessons learned from this project, this article provides recommendations for developing researcher-practitioner partnerships that use integrated administrative data to improve translational criminal justice research and evidence-based practice and policy. (Publisher abstract modified)