Purpose of Criminal Justice Reports
Criminal justice reports were created to serve as a resource tool for law enforcement, according to the FBI, which manages the Uniform Crime Report program. Now criminal justice reports serve as research tools not only for police, but for the public as well.
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Police Resource
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Criminal justice reports can point out specific issues, such as trends in crime or areas with high crime rates. Police can use these reports to focus on specific crimes and/or high-crime areas.
Crime Causes
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Research such as the U.S. Department of Justice's "Crime Analysis in America" helps authorities better understand causes of crime. Such studies, sometimes in conjunction with crime-prevention methods such as community policing, can pinpoint societal or family issues that lead to crime.
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Crime Prevention
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Criminal justice reports allow authorities to develop better crime-fighting methods, and to see if current tactics---sentencing guidelines, for example---are working, according to the Department of Justice.
Information Repository
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The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports provides researchers, legislators and media with annual nationwide crime statistics, trends and studies from thousands of localities. More than 17,000 police agencies provide statistics that can be used to gauge crime's impact on society as well as possible causes and remedies.
Management
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Criminal justice reports often serve as management tools for law enforcement, so they can determine such things as manpower or how much to budget for tools and equipment.
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