General
General Demographic Information:
- Census Data - US Census data at data.census.gov
- Here is a great tutorial for finding data using a keyword search or advanced search on Data.Census.gov: How to Navigate data.census.gov
An online data reference tool for the United States. It unlocks 220 years of U.S. Census data and makes them available in an easy to use fashion with data visualization, reporting and downloads.
See this page for tutorials: https://www.socialexplorer.com/teach-and-learn/training-modules
Crime:
- Bureau of Justice StatisticsA primary source for criminal justice statistics
- Crime Data ExplorerThe CDE is an interactive tool, which enables law enforcement and the public to more easily use and understand the massive amounts of Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data currently collected and published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) UCR Program managed by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.
- FBI: Crime in the United StatesFind arrests by race, by state.
- National Archive of Criminal Justice DataSome of these data sets may require statistical packages such as SAS or SPSS for access.
- Sourcebook of Criminal Justice StatisticsData from compiled from 100 sources about criminal justice in the United States. "The project has been located at the University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice, and compiled and managed by staff at the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center in Albany, New York."
- Uniform Crime Reporting ProgramThe UCR Program consists of four data collections: The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program. The UCR Program publishes annual reports for each of these data collections and a preliminary semiannual report of summary data each winter, as well as special compilations on cargo theft, human trafficking, and NIBRS topical studies.
General Information:
- USA.govThe "Google" of U.S. government websites. Use this search engine to find information published on .gov sites.
- Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
Downloadable data files, documentations, and data-based research related to a wide range of social science areas. Guide to Searching ICPSR
History
- Native Land MapNative Land Digital is a Canadian not-for-profit organization, incorporated in December 2018. It is designed to be Indigenous-led, with an Indigenous Board of Directors who oversee and direct the organization.
- Lynchings in the United States: 1883 - 1941Map created by Charles Seguin, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Penn State.
- Enslaving LegislatorsMore than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved
Black people. This is who they were, and how
they shaped the nation. - Museums & Universities with Indigenous Remains and ArtifactsUse this database to find out where Native American remains were taken from and which institutions report still having them. Check on institutions near you.
- Anti-miscegenation lawsScroll down to "Read More" to find laws listed by state.
Don't forget about your local public library or historical society. They will have local history information and archives, often online. For example: Westfield (MA) Athenaeum has an easy to find section on their site strictly for local history resources. In addition to what's offered online, you can always call or visit the librarians, and they will be more than happy to help!
https://www.westath.org/local-history/
Policing
- Arrest Data Analysis ToolFrom the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
1) Select Agency Level Counts
2) Select Annual Tables
3) Select Offense by Age and Race - The Sentencing Project: State Level Data"Founded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration."
- Mapping Police ViolenceMapping Police Violence is a research collaborative collecting comprehensive data on police killings nationwide to quantify the impact of police violence in communities.
- The Washington Post - UPDATED database of fatal shootings by a police officer"This database contains records of every person shot by an on-duty police officer since Jan. 1, 2015, as well as the agencies involved in each event. It is updated regularly as fatal shootings are reported and as facts emerge about individual cases."
- 1033 Watch: Look Up Your StateSelect your state. Search your town or county police department using the search box.
- 100 Mile Border Enforcement ZoneThe U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which includes the Border Patrol, is the largest law enforcement agency in the country. Their jurisdiction spans 100 miles into the interior of the United States from any land or maritime border. Two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within this 100-mile border enforcement zone, including cities like Washington D.C., San Francisco CA, Chicago IL, New Orleans LA, Boston MA, & more.
Because these are considered border cities, federal border and immigration agents assert the power to board public transportation or set up interior checkpoints and stop, interrogate and search children on their way to school, parents on their way to work, and families going to doctor’s appointments or the grocery store — all done without a warrant or reasonable suspicion. - Local Budgets, Fines and FeesBusted taillights, missing plates, tinted windows: Across the U.S., ticket revenue funds towns — and the police responsible for finding violations.
- Police Budget BreakdownFrom the Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) - how do America's 300 biggest cities spend our tax dollars? Easy and straight-forward search tool.
- Prison Policy IntiativeThe Prison Policy Initiative's research and advocacy is at the center of the national conversation about criminal justice reform and over-criminalization. Because essential national and state level data is often completely inaccessible, the Prison Policy Initiative's insightful data analysis and powerful graphics help fill these gaps to bring in new supporters and help other movement leaders achieve their goals.
Scroll down on the main landing page to the interactive map "Mass Incarceration: State by State". - Correctional Facility Locator 2020: Prison Policy InitiativeUse this tool from the Democracy Toolkit provided by Prison Policy Initiative.
Prisons & Concentration Camps
- Freedom for Immigrants: Mapping U.S. Immigration DetentionInteractive map of U.S. immigration detention.
- Banned Books in PrisonsBooks to Prisoners believes that prisoners benefit from access to information.
An excessive restriction on reading materials infantilizes incarcerated adults and contributes to an environment of distrust between inmates and correctional officers that hampers rehabilitative goals. The costs outweigh the benefits. - Prisoner Pay RatesPrison wages come up again and again in the context of prison conditions and policies. So, we found the most up-to-date information for each state.
- Prisoner Phone Call RatesThis site deals with the issue of prison and jail phone calls, which typically cost much more than non-prison calls.
- Ban the BoxNationwide, 37 states and over 150 cities and counties have adopted what is widely known as “ban the box” so that employers consider a job candidate’s qualifications first—without the stigma of a conviction or arrest record.
Juvenile Crime
- Civil Rights Data CollectionThe Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection includes data about: enrollment demographics, discipline, school expenditures, teacher experience, and more.
- School Discipline Data By StateALSO, try googling your individual state, like "massachusetts school discipline statistics".
- Juvenile Justice, Geography, Policy, Practice & StatisticsJJGPS - Juvenile Justice Geography, Policy, Practice & Statistics
Protest and Resistance
- US Protest Law Tracker"The US Protest Law Tracker, part of ICNL’s US Program, follows initiatives at the state and federal level since November 2016 that restrict the right to peaceful assembly."
- New Amnesty Map Documents 'Shocking Extent' of US Police Violence Against Black Lives Matter ProtestersAmnesty International has documented 125 separate incidents of police violence against protesters in 40 states and the District of Columbia between 26 May and 5 June 2020.
Environment & Pollution
- Pollution Hotspot MapProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable.