ISAC Releases One Research Brief, Two Evaluation Reports
November 14, 2022

The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is pleased to announced the release of one new research brief on the subject of domestic violence, as well as two new evaluation reports on JAG-funded programs.

The research brief Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence Post-Clarke Decision presents an analysis of Idaho Incident-Based Reporting System (IIBRS) data on incidents of domestic violence reported to law enforcement between 2017 and 2021. Results indicate that in the 10 quarters after the Idaho Supreme Court issued its decision in State of Idaho v. Clarke in June 2019, there were sizable differences in the outcomes of domestic assault incidents compared to the 10 quarters preceding the Clarke decision. Notably, the percentage of incidents classified as aggravated domestic assaults increased about five percentage points, the percentage of simple domestic assault incidents in which an arrest was made decreased almost 15 percentage points, and the percentage of arrests that were citations (as opposed to physical arrests, when the offender is booked into jail) increased by more than 28 percentage points.

ISAC serves as the Byrne Evaluation Unit for Idaho’s Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program, which is administered by the Idaho State Police’s Planning, Grants and Research Department. The two evaluation reports examine one current Byrne JAG program and one inactive program.

Reducing the Burden of Fees: An Evaluation of Twin Falls County Adult Misdemeanor Probation’s Substance Abuse Treatment Voucher Program highlights a current Byrne JAG program that, since 2007, has enabled those on adult misdemeanor probation for drug- or alcohol-related convictions to access substance abuse treatment services they would be otherwise unable to afford. Since ISAC began data collection in October 2018, Twin Falls County has used Byrne JAG funding to fund more than 2,600 hours of substance abuse treatment services for nearly 100 clients, and boasts a 66% graduation rate as well as a lower recidivism rate for graduates when compared to other similar probationers who are not enrolled in the program.

Establishing Continuity of Care: A Report on the Terry Reilly Health Systems Mentally Ill Offender Community Transition Program examined an effort to implement a Mentally Ill Offender Community Transition Program (MIO-CTP) in the Boise area. Although the program is now inactive, the program provided mental health services and referrals to more than 460 clients transitioning out of the state prison system between June 2017 and October 2020, less than a quarter (23%) of which had a verified mental health diagnosis before entering the program. Nearly all clients (94%) were provided with referrals to other services, while 59% obtained at least one service directly through the MIO-CTP. More than a quarter (27%) of clients were successfully discharged from the program, and 3% completed the full program. The remainder of those who were successfully discharged (24%) were transferred to other programs or moved away from the service area.

All three reports are available online in the ISAC Publication Library.

ISAC Awarded Grant to Compile, Analyze State Substance Abuse Data
September 1, 2022

ISAC has been awarded a research grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to compile and analyze data on substance use in Idaho.

The award will fund a 1-year ISAC research project that will be carried out in partnership with the Idaho Office of Drug Policy (ODP) and its State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW). The SEOW is a state-level working group, comprised of representatives from across Idaho’s criminal justice and public health sectors, that “provides information and guidance to policymakers and practitioners working to improve behavioral health outcomes among all Idahoans” (ODP, 2021). ISAC plans collect, analyze, and visualize data related to substance abuse in Idaho. This data, contributed by SEOW members, was previously used to develop the annual Idaho Substance Misuse Prevention Needs Assessment report.

This project will serve to validate the data being used by policymakers and practitioners to address substance abuse and behavioral health issues in Idaho, and provide a user-friendly and easily digestible means of accessing that data. ISAC will publish the results of data analysis in a technical report. Additionally, data determined to be relevant to the study of substance abuse in Idaho will be included in an interactive data dashboard, which is intended to replace the Needs Assessment report series with a more user-friendly, visual source of data and analysis. Both the technical report and the data dashboard are currently scheduled for a Winter 2024 release.

The grant was awarded under BJS’s State Justice Statistics (SJS) program, a competitive federal research grant aimed at enhancing states’ capacity to develop and carry out innovative and timely justice system research projects. Only state Statistical Analysis Centers are eligible for funding under the SJS program, positioning ISAC as the only entity in Idaho eligible for this funding. 2022 marks the sixth-straight year ISAC has earned an SJS award; ISAC has received SJS awards 22 of the last 23 years. Historically, the SJS program funds between 30 and 40 research proposals per year.

ISAC Releases Two New Research Reports, New Data Dashboard on Violent Crime Victimization
August 30, 2022

The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is pleased to announce the release of two new research reports and one new data dashboard, all on topics related to violent crime victimization in Idaho.

Offending Patterns Among Domestic Violence Offenders in Idaho presents results from a study of the criminal history records of more than 56,000 individuals who have been charged with a domestic violence (DV) crime in Idaho over the last 35 years. Key findings in the report include:

• The average person arrested on DV charges was male and in their early 30s at the time of their first DV arrest. Nearly half (48%) had been previously arrested on other violent, property, or drug crime charges.
  
  
• Case outcome data in the criminal history database indicated that slightly more than 45% of DV charges ended in a conviction for a DV crime. The remaining 55% of the cases for which data was available ended in the charges being amended or pled out to a non-DV charge, the charge being dismissed, or an acquittal.
  
  
• About 40% of DV offenders were rearrested for a new misdemeanor or felony charge within five years of their first DV arrest, and 17% were rearrested for a new DV charge. Of those who were rearrested, 40% were rearrested within one year.
  
  
• Three factors increased the likelihood of being rearrested for additional DV crimes:
  • Males were nearly twice as likely as females to be arrested more than once on DV charges;
  • Younger offenders were more likely to be rearrested on additional DV charges than older offenders; and,
  • Those who had been previously arrested for a different violent crime before their first DV arrest were 55% more likely to be arrested on DV charges multiple times.

Crime Victimization in Idaho: An Overview of Available Data and its companion data dashboard were developed in partnership with the Department of Criminal Justice at Boise State University (BSU) for their Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse website. BSU and ISAC sought to report on the status of victimization data in the state, as well as examine data regarding risk and protective factors that may impact victimization. The data dashboard displays data concerning various types of victimization in Idaho as well as data regarding services that have been provided to victims in the state. Key findings in the report include:

• Two measures of violent crime victimization are trending in opposite directions. Both the number and rate of violent crime victims known to law enforcement decreased over the four-year period from 2016 to 2019 (1% and 6%, respectively). However, the number of victims served by federally funded victim service programs in Idaho increased by 38% in that same time. These opposing trends emerged during a time in which Idaho’s population grew by 3%.
  
  
• There are three major gaps in the existing data:
  • Existing data does not explain why the opposing trends are occurring;
  • Existing data cannot measure how many crime victims never report the crime to law enforcement and why not, leaving the state with a gap in its knowledge about the true prevalence of crime in Idaho; and,
  • Existing data cannot measure how many crime victims never receive services and why not, or how many access services from programs other than those that are federally funded.
    
    
• ISAC makes three recommendations for filling these gaps in knowledge:
  • Develop new, and expand existing, data sources to include more regional and local data;
  • Implement a statewide victimization survey similar to the now-discontinued Idaho Crime Victimization Survey (last conducted in 2012), and conduct the survey on a regular basis; and,
  • Implement a statewide standardized data collection system to collect data on services provided to crime victims.

Both reports are available online in the ISAC Publication Library. The Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse data dashboard is accessible from both the ISAC Data Dashboard repository and the Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse.

ISAC Releases Annual Update to Crime in Idaho Data Dashboard
July 5, 2022

Today ISAC released its annual update to the Crime in Idaho Data Dashboard. The dashboard displays data collected from state and local law enforcement agencies on reported crime in Idaho since 2005.

Updates include:

• Data for 2021 added to existing sections
• New section added specific to Intimate Partner Violence
• New section added specific to Sex Offenses

Some state-level highlights from this year’s updates:

• The victimization rate for crimes against persons decreased 2% from 2020 to 9.8 victims per 1,000 residents in 2021. This is a 31% drop from 2005 and the lowest point in that time span.
• The victimization rate for intimate partner violence (a crime against persons committed by someone the victim is/was married to or is/was in a dating relationship with) decreased 3% from 2020 to 3.1 victims per 1,000 residents in 2021. This is a 30% drop from 2005 and the lowest point in that time span.
• The victimization rate for sex offenses increased 7% from 2020 to 1.3 victims per 1,000 residents in 2021. This is the highest the rate has been since 2010, when the sex offense victimization rate was also 1.3. It is a 23% increase from its lowest point in 2014 (1.0).
• The victimization rate for crimes against property decreased 12% from 2020 to 13.4 victims per 1,000 residents in 2021. This is a 56% drop from 2005 and the lowest point in that time span.
• The arrest rate for drug/alcohol offenses increased 6% from 2020 to 12.1 arrestees per 1,000 residents in 2021. This is the first time the drug/alcohol arrest rate has increased since 2018; the rate had reached a low point of 11.4 in 2020.

Additional data on county-level rates, demographics, and more can be viewed on the dashboard.

The Crime in Idaho Data Dashboard, which is still under construction, allows users to explore much of the data housed in the Idaho Incident-Based Reporting System, Idaho’s vast repository of law enforcement data on criminal incidents that occur within Idaho and the same data set that drives the annual Crime in Idaho report series. Agency, county, and state data from between 2005 and 2021 can be visualized in one place, allowing for highly customizable views and quick trend analysis. The dashboard currently contains sections pertaining to crimes against persons, crimes against property, and drug/alcohol-related arrests, intimate partner violence, and sex offenses, with additional sections to follow as they are built. Data updates are provided annually on or around July 1st. This project is a collaborative effort between ISAC and the Idaho Uniform Crime Reporting Program, both of which are components of the Idaho State Police.

ISAC Updates STOP Accomplishments Dashboard
April 12, 2022

Today ISAC updated its STOP Accomplishments dashboard to include data from Calendar Year 2021. Administered on the state level by the Planning, Grants & Research (PGR) Department of the Idaho State Police (ISP), the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) grant is a federal pass-through funding program authorized by Congress as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). STOP funds originate in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women and are passed through to local agencies to support communities in their efforts to develop and strengthen effective criminal justice strategies to address domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence; and develop and enhance victim services in cases involving these crimes.

Some highlights from 2021:

• A total of 14 agencies across 9 counties and 5 ISP districts reported STOP-funded activities to PGR.
• STOP funding paid for over 32,600 hours of staff time, enabled 38 community-focused educational events, and funded 68 professional development trainings for 557 law enforcement officers, health care workers, court staff, victim advocates, and others.
• Agencies providing direct services to victims/survivors of sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, and stalking served 2,599 victims/survivors, 69% of which were victimized by a current or former intimate partner. The most commonly-used STOP-funded services were victim advocacy (provided to 67% of victims/survivors), crisis intervention (47%), and civil legal advocacy (28%).
• Law enforcement units funded by STOP conducted 104 investigations, leading to 15 arrests and 29 cases being referred for prosecution.
• Prosecution units funded by STOP received 111 cases, 67% of which were accepted for prosecution. Of those accepted for prosecution, 67% of cases resulted in a conviction or guilty plea.

See more data from Idaho’s STOP program on ISAC’s STOP Accomplishments dashboard.

Learn more about Idaho’s STOP program on PGR’s STOP VAWA page.

ISAC Adds Property Crime Victimization to Crime in Idaho Data Dashboard
January 13, 2022

Today ISAC updated its Crime in Idaho data dashboard with data on property crime victimization. The new section displays data gathered from state and local law enforcement agencies around Idaho on crimes such as robbery, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, with a focus on victimization rate trends by county and victim demographics.

The Crime in Idaho data dashboard, which is still under construction, allows users to explore much of the data housed in the Idaho Incident-Based Reporting System, Idaho’s vast repository of law enforcement data on criminal incidents that occur within Idaho and the same data set that drives the annual Crime in Idaho report series. Agency, county, and state data from between 2005 and 2020 can be visualized in one place, allowing for highly customizable views and quick trend analysis. The dashboard currently contains sections pertaining to crimes against persons, crimes against property, and drug/alcohol-related arrests, with additional sections to follow as they are built. This project is a collaborative effort between ISAC and the Idaho Uniform Crime Reporting Program, both of which are components of the Idaho State Police.

ISAC Publishes Research Briefs on Sexual, Intimate Partner Violence
December 17, 2021

ISAC has published two research briefs examining recent trends in both sexual and intimate partner violence in Idaho.

Sexual Violence in Idaho, 2020 includes data victims known to law enforcement, victims who received grant-funded services, and feedback from victim service agencies. Since 2016, both the rate of victims known to law enforcement per capita and the number of victims accessing grant-funded services has increased. Notable agency needs include resources to train and retain staff, respond to evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide safe shelter or housing to victims of sexual violence.

Intimate Partner Violence in Idaho, 2020 includes data on victims known to law enforcement, victims who received grant-funded services, and feedback from victim service agencies. Since 2016, the rate of victims known to law enforcement per capita has decreased, but the number of victims accessing grant-funded services has increased. Notable agency needs include resources to train and retain staff, expand service availability, respond to evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide safe shelter or housing to victims of intimate partner violence.

Both research briefs are available in the ISAC Publication Library.

ISAC Awarded Grant to Study Crime Patterns During COVID-19 Pandemic
October 26, 2021

ISAC has been awarded a research grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to study crime patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award will fund a 1-year ISAC research project that will utilize data from the Idaho Incident-Based Reporting System as its foundation. ISAC plans to conduct an interrupted time-series analysis to compare crime trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders that were in effect in Idaho during March and April 2020. The analysis will also include county- and regional-level analyses to determine differential impacts to crime trends in different geographic areas. Finally, trends for incident types of particular interest to justice system stakeholders in Idaho, such as drug/alcohol crime, domestic violence, sexual violence, and violence against children, will be examined in-depth.

The grant was awarded under BJS’s State Justice Statistics (SJS) program, a competitive federal research grant aimed at enhancing states’ capacity to develop and carry out innovative and timely justice system research projects. Only state Statistical Analysis Centers are eligible for funding under the SJS program, positioning ISAC as the only entity in Idaho eligible for this funding. 2021 marks the fifth-straight year ISAC has earned an SJS award. Historically, the SJS program funds between 30 and 40 research proposals per year.

ISAC will publish results of the study in a technical report, which is currently slated for a Fall 2022 release.

ISAC Publishes Reports on Crossover Youth, Recidivism
October 12, 2021

ISAC is pleased to announce the release of two new research reports on the topics of crossover youth in Eastern Idaho and recidivism rates among Idaho’s felony offenders.

Crossover Youth in Eastern Idaho: Results from the District 6 Crossover Youth Practice Model Pilot Project presents the results of a pilot project in Bannock, Onedia, and Power Counties. Stakeholders from across the juvenile justice and child welfare systems came together in 2019 to begin implementing the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM). Fully implemented in February 2020, the CYPM aims to streamline services for “crossover youth”, youth who are involved in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, by bringing together stakeholders from both systems to create joint case management plans that provide the most appropriate services to crossover youth in a more efficient manner. ISAC found that youth who “crossed over” after the CYPM was implemented experienced better outcomes on a wide range of measures as compared to youth who crossed over prior to CYPM implementation.

Read ISAC’s report on the CYPM pilot project here.

Recidivism Rates Among the Idaho Department of Correction’s Supervised Population presents results of a large recidivism study of felony offenders in Idaho. ISAC used data from the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) and the Idaho Supreme Court (ISC) to determine 3-year recidivism rates among felony offenders in Idaho, utilizing five definitions of recidivism. Using a series of survival analyses, ISAC determined actual and expected recidivism rates, as well as predictive demographic factors, for a group of more than 40,000 felony offenders that were under IDOC supervision between 2010 and 2017. Expected recidivism rates ranged from a low of 10% (technical probation/parole violations) to a high of 41% (charged with a new crime) three years after being released to the community from prison or being placed on probation, with slightly less than half of those recidivism events occurring within the first year. Across all recidivism types studied, being younger and male significantly increased the odds of an offender experiencing a recidivism event within their first three years in the community. The wide range in recidivism rates across the five definitions used in this study has implications for how recidivism should be studied in Idaho in the future, which ISAC also outlines in the report.

Read ISAC’s analysis of recidivism among Idaho’s felony offenders here.

ISAC Launches Redesigned Website, Crime in Idaho Data Dashboards
September 29, 2021

Today ISAC launched redesigned versions of its website and Crime in Idaho data dashboards.

ISAC’s new website features an updated layout, with pages and navigation features designed to make it easier for users to pinpoint the exact resources they need. Individual pages now highlight ISAC’s interactive data dashboards, recently released research reports, and ISAC’s reorganized digital publication library which provides users with more than two decades of research reports and analysis of Idaho’s criminal justice system.

The all-new Crime in Idaho data dashboard replaces two older ISAC dashboards (Violent Victimization, Drug & Alcohol Arrests). The new dashboard, which is still under construction, allows users to explore much of the data housed in the Idaho Incident-Based Reporting System, Idaho’s vast repository of law enforcement data on criminal incidents that occur within Idaho and the same data set that drives the annual Crime in Idaho report series. Agency, county, and state data from between 2005 and 2020 can be visualized in one place, allowing for highly customizable views and quick trend analysis. The dashboard currently contains sections pertaining to crimes against persons and drug/alcohol-related arrests, with additional sections to follow as they are built. This project is a collaborative effort between ISAC and the Idaho Uniform Crime Reporting Program, both of which are components of the Idaho State Police.

ISAC Welcomes New Senior Research Analyst
July 26, 2021

Today ISAC welcomes our new Senior Research Analyst, Kourtnie Rodgers. Ms. Rodgers comes to ISAC from Michigan State University, where she served as a Graduate Research Assistant while pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice. She is also a part-time lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University.

The move is a return to the West for Ms. Rodgers, who earned degrees from both the University of Wyoming and Boise State University prior to heading east. She has extensive research and data management experience, most often focused on various aspects of police-community relations, police administration, and the management of large administrative databases. She has co-authored four peer-reviewed articles and presented her work at numerous national conferences.

ISAC Names New Director
January 25, 2021

Thomas Strauss takes the helm of ISAC today after being promoted to Principal Research Analyst. The Principal Research Analyst serves as ISAC’s Director, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Mr. Strauss first came to ISAC in 2018 as a Senior Research Analyst. In that role, he contributed to nearly every project ISAC took on. He has been a contributing author on five technical reports, and the lead developer on all of ISAC’s interactive data dashboards. Mr. Strauss also serves as ISAC’s representative on multiple state-level working groups and committees, most notably serving as the current Chair of the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup.

The move comes as former ISAC Director and Principal Research Analyst Misty Kifer transitions into her new role as a Grants/Contracts Officer within the Planning, Grants and Research (PGR) team. She returns to her role the STOP VAWA Grant Administrator for the State of Idaho, a position she briefly held in 2014. Ms. Kifer first came to PGR in 2004 as a Senior Research Analyst with ISAC, and served as ISAC’s Director for the last six years.

ISAC Receives National Publication Award
November 20, 2020

The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) has chosen ISAC as one of four 2020 Douglas Yearwood National Publication Award winners. ISAC’s report, Idaho Criminal Justice Needs Assessment: A Survey of Criminal Justice Practitioners and Community Leaders (2020), was the winner of the award for Best Research/Policy Report by a Small SAC. ISAC Senior Research Analysts Thomas Strauss and Danielle Swerin and ISAC Director Misty M. Kifer all contributed to the project, which entailed developing the survey, collecting and analyzing data, and drafting and disseminating the report.

Other 2020 winners include the Statistical Analysis Centers in the states of Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. The authors of all four award-winning reports will be presenting their projects to a national audience during an online event hosted by JRSA on December 17.

Idaho Criminal Justice Needs Assessment (2020) presents results from a survey of criminal justice practitioners and community leaders to evaluate the state of the justice system in Idaho and to identify areas in need of additional resources. Topics include current data and crime trends in Idaho and needs reported by professionals in law enforcement, adult court system, corrections, juvenile justice, victim services, government leaders, and community leaders. Major needs reported include mental health services, drug treatment services, re-entry support, rural area services and funding, domestic violence prevention and interventions, and workforce training and increased salaries. The results of this project will be used to identify under-resourced areas of Idaho’s justice system and develop strategies for distributing federal grant funds effectively around the state.

Read ISAC’s award-winning report here.

ISAC Publishes Report, Dashboard on Sexual Violence in Idaho
October 2020

ISAC is proud to announce the release of two new resources for data on sexual violence in Idaho.

This year, ISAC partnered with the Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) Program at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to build a surveillance system and public-facing interactive data dashboard that monitors indicators of sexual violence in Idaho. The system is designed to be a resource for all who have an interest in tracking indicators of sexual violence, including SVP and its subgrantees. Starting with a list of indicators selected by SVP’s Evaluation Advisory Committee, ISAC selected 43 indicators to include in the system. ISAC also performed statistical tests on 14 indicators to determine the relationship between the indicators and the rate of rape victimization in Idaho. The companion report summarizes the process of indicator selection, as well as the results of the statistical analyses.

View the Idaho Sexual Violence Data Surveillance System Dashboard at the Get Healthy Idaho website.

Read the statistical report here.