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1 1 (June 15, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedrr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ressk~nM Research Service n& rrrdri~j th. 4~I d~v lob ~rga 1)14 June 15, 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Role in Criminal Justice Data Collection and Dissemination The Bureau of Jus tice Statistics (BJS), established in 1979, is an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Its mis sion is to collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and localpolicymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. BJS facilitates its mis sion by operating statistical, grant-making, and dissemination activities. Many BJS projects involve a combination of these activities. As debates over criminaljustice in the United States continue to unfold, policymakers may further examine BJS' role in data collection and disseminationto help informthese discussions. Statistical Activities BJS publishes annualdata oncrime victimization, corrections populations, and federal criminal offenders and case processing. The Criminal Justice Statistics Programis the base programthrough which BJS seeks to achieve its mis sio n. BJS also publishes periodic data on is sues such as the administration of law enforcement agencies and correctionalfacilities, state court case processing, prosecutorialpractices andpolicies, characteristics of correctionalpopulations,justice-systemexpenditures and employment, and specialstudies oncriminaljustice issues. For instance, the Survey of State Attorneys General Offices was specifically designed to collectdata on special topics over which state Attorneys Generalhave juris diction, such as human trafficking and white collar crime. Grant Activities BJS administers anumberofgrantprograms broadly aimed at enhancing the completeness, timelines s, accuracy, and dissemination of criminaljustice data. These include grants to supportprograms fordatacollection andprocessing as well as statisticaland methodologicalresearch. Grants can support state, local, ortribalgovernments, forprofit and nonprofit organizations, and ins titutions ofhigher education. For instance, the State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers supports collection, analysis, and dissemination ofstatisticalinformation on crime and criminal justice at the state and locallevels, and the NationalCensus of Victim Service Providers funds data collection with research partners on the availability and use of services targeted at supporting victims of crime or abuse. Dissemination Activities BJS supports severalprograms, in some cases in partnership with agencies such as the National Ins titute of https :/c rs repo Justice, thatfacilitate its missionto disseminate information on crime and criminal justice. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service provides access to BJS and other OJP reports as well as to information specialists who can assist with criminaljustice statistics and data The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) is a sourceofarchiveddatasets (fromDOJ agencies as well as from scholars and researchers) on crime and criminal justice. It highlights data relating to national criminal justice statistics, such as data fromthe National Crime Victimization Survey and the AnnualSurvey ofJails, as well as to specialtopics suchas gangs, terrorism, and hate crimes. The FederalJustice Statistics Resource Center compiles data from BJS' Federal Jus tice Statistics Programon suspects, defendants, and federalprisoners processed in the federal criminal justice system. It also has a Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics datatoolto help users analyze these data. BJS also supports theInfobase of State Activities and Research, which is maintained by the Justice Research and Statistics Association. It contains information about the research, activities, and publications of the various state Statistical Analysis Centers, which conductresearch and analyze statistics on criminaljus tice is sues at the state and local levels. Cross-Cutting Data Efforts As noted, BJS' base programis the Criminal Justice Statistics Program, which collects dataon corrections, the federaljustice system, tribalcrime and justice, law enforcement, prosecution and the judiciary, and victimization. BJS also participates in activities related to data collection and improvement outside ofits base program. These activities may include collaborations or grants with outside entities, such as the National Crime Statis tics Exchange Initiative (NCS-X), the National Criminal History Improvement Program(NCHIP), the NationalInstantCriminal BackgroundCheckSystem (NICS), the Record Improvement Program(NARIP), and the Prison Rape Prevention and Prosecution Program. As part of these programs, BJS uses several modes of data collection including both BJS-managed collections and those completed by outside agencies and grantees. BJS directly administers severalstudies; some of these are conducted annually (e.g., the Annual Survey ofJails) and others periodically (e.g., Census of Local Jails). BJS also .conqgress.gov 9

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