August 1, 1996    NCJ 161133

This joint statement of five Federal criminal justice agencies identifies the primary differences in case processing statistics reported by the agencies and explains why the reported statistics are not directly comparable. The five agencies are the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Executive Office for the U.S. Attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the U.S. Sentencing Commission. By examining issues central to the collection and reporting of Federal criminal justice statistics - defendants processed, offenses committed, and disposition and sentence imposed - this statement clarifies differences in emphasis, definition, and classification. As part of an ongoing effort to reconcile the case processing statistics reported by each agency, the agencies plan to publish selected statistics that observe uniform reporting standards. In addition, as part of its Federal Justice Statistics Program, BJS will continue to publish the Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, which describes all stages of the Federal criminal justice system.

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