The FBI has revised its national crime data for 2022, revealing a significant increase in violent crime that contradicts the initial report of a decrease. This revision, which was not publicly announced, raises concerns about the accuracy and transparency of the FBI’s crime reporting.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) originally indicated a 2.1% decrease in violent crime from 2021 to 2022. However, the updated data now shows a 4.5% increase. This substantial change was only briefly mentioned on the FBI’s website and was discovered by researchers comparing the new data with the old.
Experts have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and the significant discrepancies in the revised data. Carl Moody, a professor specializing in crime, told RCI that such large revisions, especially without a clear explanation, erode trust in the FBI’s data.
This incident draws parallels to recent revisions made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to its jobs numbers, which also involved significant overestimations.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), which publishes its own crime statistics based on victimization surveys, reported an increase in violent crime in 2022, aligning with the revised FBI data.
The lack of a public announcement regarding the revision and the discrepancy between the initial and revised data raise concerns about the reliability of the FBI’s crime statistics and the potential for misinterpretation by the media and the public.
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