West Virginia FY24 SJSP

The Office of Research and Strategic Planning, which is the designated Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) for West Virginia, is requesting funds for two special-emphasis projects under the 2024 State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers. Currently, the SAC’s capacity to use criminal history records for analytical and/or research purposes is limited. This is, in part, due to the quality of the records that are available. In both 2005 and 2015, the SAC completed statewide audits of the criminal history records (CHR) system and discovered problems with the completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of the records contained in the repository. The CHR data system itself is antiquated and prohibits the use of this information for the purpose of research. With the funds from this application, we hope to repeat the 2005 and 2015 audits in order to measure progress in quality due to the efforts over the past decade and determine the quality of the record. We see this as a first step in order to prepare for future analysis of these records. The Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) was originally passed in 2000. The DCRA requires each state and federal law enforcement agency to collect data on deaths that occur to any person who is incarcerated, under arrest, or enroute to be incarcerated. Currently, as a state agency, West Virginia is submitting quarterly reports to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and working with vital statistics to ensure the Performance Measurement Tool is correctly filled out with accurate data. West Virginia does not currently collect data on arrest-related deaths, which is required. A new system needs to be implemented to allow law enforcement to enter data on arrest-related deaths and officer-involved shootings during or after arrest. This would facilitate transparency between researchers and law enforcement, aiding state compliance with the DCRA. The addition of a web interface and the inclusion of arrest-related deaths will overall improve the state’s DCRA data compliance and transparency, allowing the state to produce a more transparent and comprehensive DCRA report at both state and local levels.