American terrorism study, 1980-2002 [electronic resource].

Format
Data file
Language
English
Published/​Created
Ann Arbor, Mich. : Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2007.
Description
Extent of collection: 5 data files + machine-readable documentation (PDF) + SAS setup files + SPSS setup files + Stata setup files.

Details

Series
Restrictions note
Use of these data is restricted to Princeton University students, faculty, and staff for non-commercial statistical analysis and research purposes only.
Summary note
This study was conducted in response to a lack of existing data collections relating specifically to acts of American terrorism. A primary goal of the study was to create an empirical database from which criminological theories and governmental policies could be effectively evaluated. The American Terrorism Study began in 1989 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorist Research and Analytical Center released a list of persons indicted as a result of investigation under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program. Since that time, FBI has released additional lists to the principal investigators. After receiving a list of persons indicted in federal criminal court as a result of an official terrorism investigation, the researchers reviewed the cases at either the federal district court where the cases were tried or at the federal regional records center where the cases were archived. The researchers divided the dataset into five distinct datasets. Part 1, Counts Data, provides data on every count for each indictee in each indictment. This is the basic dataset. There were 7,306 counts from 1980 to 2002. Part 2, Indictees Data, provides data on each of the 574 indictees from 1980-2002. Part 3, Persons Data, provides data on the 510 individuals who were indicted by the federal government as a result of a terrorism investigation. Part 4, Cases Data, provides one line of data for each of the 172 criminal terrorism cases that resulted from a federal terrorism investigation. Part 5, Group Data, provides one line of case data for each of the 85 groups that were tried in federal court for terrorism-related activity. Each of the five datasets includes information on approximately 80 variables divided into four major categories: (1) demographic information, (2) information about the terrorist group to which the individual belongs, (3) prosecution and defense data, and (4) count/case outcome and sentencing data.
Notes
  • Codebook available in print and electronic format.
  • Title from title screen (viewed on September 3, 2008).
Type of data
Extent of collection: 5 data files + machine-readable documentation (PDF) + SAS setup files + SPSS setup files + Stata setup files.
Time and place of event
  • Date(s) of collection: January 1980-August 2002.
  • Time period: January 1980-August 2002.
Geographic coverage
Geographic coverage: United States.
Funding information
  • Funding agency: United States Department of Justice. National Institute of Justice; Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.
  • Grant number: 1999-IJ-CX-0005; MIPT 106-113-2000-064.
System details
  • Mode of access: World Wide Web.
  • Extent of processing: ICPSR checked for undocumented codes, produced a codebook and frequencies, and generated SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files. ICPSR also reformatted the data. Missing data codes were standardized by the data producer.
Case file characteristics
Weight: none.
Methodology note
  • Mode of data collection: record abstracts.
  • Data source: data were obtained from the United States District Court case records from 1980 through 2002.
  • Sample: the American Terrorism Study began in 1989 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorist Research and Analytical Center released a list of persons indicted as a result of investigation under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program. That initial list included over 200 persons from more than 20 terrorists groups active in the United States from 1980 to 1989. Since that time, the FBI has released additional lists to the principal investigators. The second list included those indicted from 1990 to 1996. The third list included persons indicted from 1997 to August 15, 1998. The fourth list included those indicted from August 16, 1998 to August 15, 2002. The fifth and most recent list included those indicted from August 16, 2002 to August 15, 2004. To be included in this dataset, individuals must have been indicted under a federal "domestic security/terrorism investigation" between 1980 and 2002. Data collection from those indicted from 1998 to 2002 is approximately 98 percent complete. With the exception of a few defendants who have remained fugitive, data collection on cases filed between 1980 and 1997 is complete.
  • Universe: indictments from federal "domestic security/terrorism investigations" in the United States from 1980 to 2002.
Rights and reproductions note
Restrictions: to protect respondent privacy, certain identifying information is restricted from general dissemination. Specifically, variables that facilitate the indirect identification of individuals are restricted from general dissemination. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement form and specify the reasons for the request. A copy of the Restricted Data Use Agreement form can be requested by calling 800-999-0960. Researchers can also download this form as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file from the download page associated with this data collection. Completed forms should be returned to: Director, National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Institute for Social Research, P.O. Box 1248, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, or by fax: 734-647-8200.
Contents
Part 1: Counts Data; Part 2: Indictees Data; Part 3: Persons Data; Part 4: Cases Data; Part 5: Group Data.
Cite as
Smith, Brent L., and Kelly R. Damphousse. AMERICAN TERRORISM STUDY, 1980-2002 [Computer file]. ICPSR04639-v1. Fayetteville, AR: Brent L. Smith, University of Arkansas/Norman, OK: Kelly R. Damphousse, University of Oklahoma [producers], 2007. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2007-07-30.
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