@article{05fbe6f6c0c741f98ec6284010f8a69b,
title = "Do Prison Administrative and Survey Data Sources Tell the Same Story? A Multitrait, Multimethod Examination With Application to Gangs",
abstract = "Measurement is critical to advancing theory and research in criminology. Yet, criminologists are often forced to rely on data sources that are not intended to be used for research or collected in contexts where subjects may have incentives to misreport. This is particularly true of data in institutional corrections research. This study leveraged novel data to examine correspondence in key measures found in prison administrative and survey data on 802 prisoners in Texas, focusing on the measurement properties of an important group rarely studied in prison: gang members. We observed high rates of correspondence between data sources for gang membership (82%) and the gang with which they were affiliated (86%). A multilevel test of item correspondence demonstrated that the measures of gang membership performed as well or better than more episodic measures and worse than more durable measures common in corrections research. A multitrait, multimethod matrix revealed that gang membership, and nearly all other measures, satisfied the principles of validity. Finally, there were no differences in correspondence rates between gang and nongang members for nearly every measure, regardless of the method to measure gang membership. Prison administrative and survey data generally tell the same story, which is promising for institutional corrections research, particularly research focused on gangs.",
keywords = "Texas, gang members, misconduct, official data, prisons, self-report data",
author = "Pyrooz, {David C.} and Decker, {Scott H.} and Emily Owens",
note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was supported by Grant 2014-MU-CX-0111 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The research contained in this document was coordinated, in part, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (723-AR15). The contents of this article, including its opinions, findings, and conclusions, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Funding Information: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6915-3812 Pyrooz David C. 1 Decker Scott H. 2 Owens Emily 3 1 University of Colorado Boulder, USA 2 Arizona State University, Tempe, USA 3 University of California, Irvine, USA David Pyrooz, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 483, Boulder, CO 80309-0401, USA. Email: David.Pyrooz@colorado.edu 10 2019 0011128719879017 {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019 2019 SAGE Publications Measurement is critical to advancing theory and research in criminology. Yet, criminologists are often forced to rely on data sources that are not intended to be used for research or collected in contexts where subjects may have incentives to misreport. This is particularly true of data in institutional corrections research. This study leveraged novel data to examine correspondence in key measures found in prison administrative and survey data on 802 prisoners in Texas, focusing on the measurement properties of an important group rarely studied in prison: gang members. We observed high rates of correspondence between data sources for gang membership (82%) and the gang with which they were affiliated (86%). A multilevel test of item correspondence demonstrated that the measures of gang membership performed as well or better than more episodic measures and worse than more durable measures common in corrections research. A multitrait, multimethod matrix revealed that gang membership, and nearly all other measures, satisfied the principles of validity. Finally, there were no differences in correspondence rates between gang and nongang members for nearly every measure, regardless of the method to measure gang membership. Prison administrative and survey data generally tell the same story, which is promising for institutional corrections research, particularly research focused on gangs. prisons self-report data official data misconduct gang members Texas National Institute of Justice https://doi.org/10.13039/100005289 2014-MU-CX-0111 edited-state corrected-proof Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was supported by Grant 2014-MU-CX-0111 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The research contained in this document was coordinated, in part, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (723-AR15). The contents of this article, including its opinions, findings, and conclusions, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. ORCID iD David C. Pyrooz https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6915-3812 Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019.",
year = "2020",
month = may,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0011128719879017",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "66",
pages = "627--662",
journal = "Crime and Delinquency",
issn = "0011-1287",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",
number = "5",
}