Bureau of Justice Statistics
Fiscal Year 1998 Program Plan
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary source for justice statistics in the United States. BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates 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 local policy makers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. This year BJS will:
Interview almost 110,000 citizens in more than 50,000 households about any experiences they may have had as crime victims or in interactions with the police during the year.
Describe characteristics and consequences of about 39 million criminal victimizations.
Analyze operations of some 50,000 agencies, offices, courts, and institutions that together comprise the justice system.
Count populations and conduct sample surveys among the more than 5.3 million adults who during an average day are subject to the care, custody, or control of criminal justice authorities.
Maintain more than two dozen major data collection series from which it publishes and distributes reports nationwide.
BJS publishes data annually on:
Criminal victimization
Populations under correctional supervision
Federal criminal offenders and case processing
BJS periodic data series include:
Felony convictions
State court case processing
Characteristics of correctional populations
Prosecutorial practices and policies
Administration of law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities
Criminal justice expenditures and employment
Civil cases in state courts
Special studies on other criminal justice topics
A description of the various BJS data series can be found under the topical sections of this report.
Many BJS data collection activities are carried out by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. BJS staff also coordinate with other Department of Justice statistical programs, such as the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program and National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
BJS also provides financial and technical support to state governments in developing capabilities in criminal justice statistics; improving the automation, accuracy, and completeness of criminal history records and records of protective orders involving domestic violence and stalking; developing complete and accurate in-state sexual offender registries; and facilitating the interstate exchange of such records through national systems.
New in Fiscal Year 1998
National Sex Offender Registry Grant Program
In FY 1998, BJS will begin administering the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) grant program, which supports the President's goal of establishing an effective national registry of sexual offenders. Although currently all states have some form of registry in place, many cannot efficiently or accurately share information. The NSOR will ensure that accurate and complete information about released sex offenders is available to protect the public and to prevent recidivism. BJS was appropriated $25 million to carry out this grant program.
Specifically the program will ensure that:
State registries are designed to identify, collect, and properly disseminate relevant information that is consistent, accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
States establish appropriate interfaces with the FBI's national system so that state registry information on sexual offenders can be obtained and tracked from one jurisdiction to another.
The NSOR grant program also will assist states in meeting the requirements of federal legislation such as the Jacob Wetterling Act, "Megan's Law," and the Pam Lychner Offender Tracking and Identification Act, as well as related state standards. Accordingly, all states will be eligible for an award from these funds. BJS will issue the program announcement in early 1998.
Hate Crime Statistics
As a collaborative effort among BJS, other OJP bureaus, and the FBI, an examination of hate crime reporting and issues relating to statistics will be conducted. In response to the statistical reporting requirements of the Hate Crime Statistics Act (reauthorized in June 1996), BJS will carry out a study to examine ways to improve participation by law enforcement agencies in collecting and reporting hate crime statistics to the FBI and will profile locality responses to hate crime. Efforts will also be undertaken to generate estimated national levels and trends in hate crime from available data.
BJS anticipates competitively awarding a grant in early 1998 to initiate activities related to improving the quality and accuracy of hate crime statistics (see Federal Register, November 18, 1997).
National Survey of DNA Laboratories
The 1994 Crime Act included provisions establishing the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national DNA database program. As of December 1997, 48 states had enacted laws requiring the collection of DNA samples, primarily from sex offenders and other violent criminals.
BJS, with funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), will conduct a statistical study of the management and administration of DNA laboratories and repositories designed to archive DNA information in electronic data banks. This project is a collaborative effort between BJS, state and local crime laboratory directors, and the FBI's Forensic Science Systems Unit to conduct a survey of public and private forensic laboratories. The study is intended to answer questions of interest to crime laboratory directors. The directors indicated a need for data to compare workloads, procedures, and capabilities among the different laboratories. This statistical effort will provide: management and administrative statistics on operations and capacities of crime laboratories to handle DNA information, a description of the size and content of DNA collection and infrastructure, and a tool to measure compatibility between the national (CODIS) DNA database and state DNA databases.
National Census of Pretrial Programs
In 1961, the first pretrial services program in the country, the Manhattan Bail Project, was established in the New York City. Its purpose was to assist judges in making more consistent release decisions that were less dependent on release through financial means. The experience of the Manhattan Bail Project launched what became known as the Bail Reform Movement, during which statutes were rewritten across the country to specify the factors, such as criminal history and community ties, that judicial officers are to take into account when making pretrial release or detention decisions. In the intervening years, hundreds of pretrial programs have been implemented, with such programs currently present in most major metropolitan areas in the country, as well as numerous suburban and rural jurisdictions.
There are no available data on the pretrial programs currently being implemented nationwide. In response to this data gap, BJS will collect data from officials in all counties in the United States to determine the number and structure of pretrial programs across the country. The census will include approximately 2,900 counties of the chief or presiding judicial officer at the bail-setting level of the judiciary.
Crime and Justice Database on BJS Internet Site
BJS, in conjunction with NIJ, will establish Internet access to much of its data and related sources using a database interface. The Attorney General has emphasized the need to provide online and timely crime data to the public. In response, BJS is developing an aggressive data distribution plan relying heavily upon electronic access to data.
The data dissemination strategy provides a wide variety of data products to users of all interests and abilities. Previously, accessability was limited to data that was published on paper and electronically readable data available on diskette and tape. With the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of computers, many less-sophisticated users will have easy access to data online.
The benefits of this Internet database include: 1) meeting the growing needs of many of the users of BJS and NIJ crime and justice data; 2) providing a new resource of information that will permit users to see trends over time on a jurisdictional basis; and 3) expanding the services to BJS and NIJ customers.
Statistics on the Length of Stay for Prison Population
With funding from the OJP Corrections Program Office, BJS will track the sentence length and projected length of stay for prison admission cohorts, as well as the elapsed time served and projected time to be served by the standing prison population in states receiving Violent Offender Incarceration and Truth-in-Sentencing grant program funds. Key elements will include offender characteristics, most serious offense, admission type, maximum sentence length, elapsed time served, and expected length of stay.
BJS will use the ongoing National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) to collect and analyze individual records of persons admitted and released from prison in selected states. Based on results of the ongoing Inventory of State and Federal Correctional Information Systems, the NCRP data series will be enhanced to include better admission cohort data. Prison release data will also be used to recalibrate projected time served based on actual time served by released offenders. BJS expects to publish findings by year-end 1999.
Recidivism Study
With funding from the Corrections Program Office (CPO) and the FBI, BJS will conduct the first national followup of prisoners in 16 years. The study will entail the development of a sample of state prison releases with oversampling of violent offenders, particularly those offenders convicted of sexual assault crimes and those convicted of offenses against children. Followups would be carried out through both state and federal criminal history records for a period of three years.
The most recent national study of post-prison recidivism conducted by BJS followed for three years a sample of offenders drawn to represent 109,000 prisoners discharged from prisons in eleven states in 1983. Rap sheets revealed that these offenders had about 1.6 million fingerprintable arrests, including more than 300,000 arrests during the followup period.
Two areas where post-prison performance data are particularly needed are for sex offenders and those who victimize children. Methods to be used for carrying out the proposed 1998 recidivism study will be far superior to those employed in the 1983 study due to the substantial improvements that have been made in the criminal history records infrastructure under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and other federal initiatives. To the maximum extent possible, automated records will be utilized to track the national sample and will facilitate analyses of post-prison mobility across states, as well as provide much more complete knowledge of the adjudication of new arrest offenses.
Ongoing BJS Statistical Series and Programs
Crimes and Victims
National Crime Victimization Survey
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the nation's second largest ongoing household survey. Survey data tell us how many rapes, sexual assaults, robberies, assaults, thefts, household burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts are experienced by U.S. residents age 12 or older and their households each year.
Initiated in 1973 and redesigned in 1992, the NCVS is the nation's primary source of information on crime victimization and the victims of crime. It is the only national crime measure that includes both those crimes that people experience but do not report to law enforcement authorities, and those that they do report. The survey redesign incorporated many important changes to the questionnaire, including: additional ways to help survey participants recall incidents; more direct questions on rape, sexual assault, and other sexual crimes; and new questions to measure victimizations by nonstrangers, including domestic violence.
During a collection year, data are obtained in 6-month intervals from a nationally representative sample of roughly 45,000 households, comprising more than 94,000 persons, on the impact, frequency, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States. The survey enables BJS to estimate the likelihood of victimization by rape, robbery, assault, larceny, household larceny, household burglary, or motor vehicle theft for segments of the population such as the elderly, city dwellers, or other groups. The NCVS is the only national forum for victims to describe consequences of crime and the characteristics of violent offenders. Forthcoming reports presenting selective findings include: Violence Between Intimates, 1992-94 and Violence Against Women, 1992-95 to be released early in 1998, and Violent Crime Victimization in the Workplace, 1992-95 to be released in the spring of 1998.
Recent reports:
Criminal Victimization 1996: Changes 1995-96 with Trends 1993-96
released 11/97 (NCJ 165812)
Sex Differences in Violent Victimization, 1994
released 9/97 (NCJ 164508)
Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime
released 9/97 (NCJ 162031)
Violence-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments
released 8/97 (NCJ 156921)
Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1994
released 5/97 (NCJ 162126)
Criminal Victimization, 1973-95
released 5/97 (NCJ 163069)
Changes in Criminal Victimization, 1994-95
released 4/97 (NCJ 162032)
Female victims of violent crime
released 12/96 (NCJ 162602)
City-Level Victimization and Citizen Attitude Surveys
This survey will provide a unique city-based dataset to examine attitudes toward community policing activities, perceptions of crime, police-public contact, and characteristics of victimizations by crime. BJS is working with the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office to provide statistical support for its information and evaluation purposes. Data about crime victimization and citizens' attitude toward police programs will be collected in 12 cities: Chicago, IL; Knoxville, TN; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles, CA; Madison, WI; New York, NY; San Diego, CA; Savannah, GA; Spokane, WA; Savannah, GA; Springfield, MA; Tucson, AZ; and Washington, D.C. The data will also provide a better understanding of the impact of different community policing strategies. The U.S. Bureau of the Census will begin conducting the survey fieldwork in early 1998. The National Institute of Justice is sponsoring the city survey in Washington, D.C. as part of its research support to the D.C. Revitalization initiative.
Software for Local Surveys
BJS is developing a software program using Microsoft Access to enable localities to conduct their own telephone surveys of residents to collect data on crime victimization, attitudes toward policing, and other community-related issues.
Using this user-friendly, Windows 95-based version of the National Crime Victimization Survey, localities can quickly design a questionnaire to reflect local interests, while maintaining a standard core of National Crime Victimization Survey questions. When completed, the software will be made available at no charge to the criminal justice community.
School Crime
BJS and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collaborated to add a special supplement to the NCVS to collect data on aspects of school crime. Household members age 12 or older who attend school were asked questions about their school environment. These data represent an estimated 22 million students, age 12 to 19.
Information was obtained on the availability of drugs and alcohol, existence of street gangs, prevalence of gang fights, presence of weapons at school, victimizations, and fear of being attacked or harmed. A joint BJS-NCES report summarizing the responses collected by the supplement will be published in the winter of 1998.
Hospital Emergency Department Statistics on Intentional Violence
In 1995 BJS undertook a major new area for data collection about intentional violence. This data collection provided information on intentional injuries, such as domestic violence, rape, and child abuse, from a national sample of hospital emergency departments. Through the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, information was obtained on characteristics of the victim and perpetrator, victim-perpetrator relationship, alcohol/drug involvement in the incident, and a description of the circumstances of the injury. Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments was released in August 1997.
Measuring Crime on Campus
BJS and NIJ jointly sponsored a baseline study on campus sexual assault, as required by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The study, carried out by the University of Cincinnati, examines the scope of campus sexual assault and the efforts that post-secondary institutions have made to address this type of victimization. The BJS component of the study used an adapted NCVS questionnaire allowing BJS to measure sexual victimization of college students with a sample that target this population. Preliminary findings are expected in spring 1998.
BJS also published a study of campus law enforcement agencies that examined the characteristics of these agencies in schools with 2,500 or more full-time students and obtained UCR-compatible crime counts for each campus.
Criminal Offenders
BJS collects data about criminal offenders, particularly those serving time in prison or jail. Frequent statistical analyses of various national datasets describe offenders committing particular types of offenses, such as violent offenses, victimization of children, and sex offenses. BJS data collection programs related to corrections, courts, and sentencing provide a wealth of information on demographic characteristics of offenders, criminal histories, arrest offenses, criminal case processing, and sentencing, as well as data on offenders' drug and alcohol use, victims, and familial and economic backgrounds.
Recent reports:
Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison
released 3/97 (NCJ 160092)
Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault
released 2/97 (NCJ 163392)
Sex Offenses and Offenders: Executive Summary,
released 12/96 (NCJ 163391)
The Justice System
Law enforcement
BJS collects data about federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and their activities.
Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics
The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1997, collects data from over 3,000 agencies, including all those that employ 100 or more sworn officers and a nationally representative sample of smaller agencies. Data are obtained on the organization and administration of police and sheriffs' departments, agency responsibilities, operating expenditures, job functions of sworn and civilian employees, officer salaries and special pay, demographic characteristics of officers, weapons and armor policies, education and training requirements, computers and information systems, vehicles, special units, drug enforcement activities, and employee drug testing policies. Preliminary findings from the 1997 LEMAS are expected by year-end 1998.
Community Policing Supplement to LEMAS Survey
As an enhancement to the LEMAS survey, BJS will collect information from law enforcement agencies about their community policing activities, if any. The enhanced survey will, for the first time, gather information on community policing units, training activities, and policies related to community policing. Results from this data collection will be available in the summer of 1998.
Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies
This BJS survey included campus law enforcement agencies from 4-year U.S. universities or colleges that had 2,500 or more students. The data collected describe nearly 600 of these campus law enforcement agencies in terms of their personnel, expenditures and pay, operations, equipment, computers and information systems, policies, and special programs. This is the first survey of campus law enforcement agencies conducted by BJS. It is the most comprehensive survey on campus law enforcement ever conducted in terms of subject areas covered and number of respondents. Findings from this survey were published in Campus Law Enforcement Agencies, 1995 (NCJ 161137).
Police Use of Force
The BJS Police Use of Force data collection is the only source of information on this topic. To date, two annual reports have been published--National Data Collection on Police Use of Force and Police Use of Force, Collection of National Data. The first report, completed in July 1996, described the two planned initiatives sponsored by BJS and the National Institute of Justice--a pilot test of an instrument to supplement the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to survey the public and their contacts with law enforcement officers, and a preliminary effort to support the collection of use of force data from local law enforcement agencies. The second report, issued in November 1997, detailed some of the findings from both initiatives.
Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies
This census provides national data on all state and local law enforcement agencies. Data collected include the number of full-time versus part-time employees, and the number of sworn versus nonsworn employees. In February 1998, current data will be available and published in the Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 1996 (NCJ164618).
Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers
Conducted by BJS in 1993 and 1996, this census obtains data on federal law enforcement officers with arrest and firearms authority by job function, sex, race, and primary state of employment. Current data is available in Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 1996 (NCJ164617).
NIBRS Implementation
The National Incident-Based Crime Reporting System (NIBRS) was designed by the FBI to replace the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program that collects summary statistics each month from law enforcement agencies. BJS is funding a study of NIBRS reporting in law enforcement agencies. The study is under joint BJS-FBI direction.
Guided by a steering committee composed of law enforcement and crime statistics experts, this study is examining the impediments to NIBRS implementation by collecting information from police agencies across the country. The FBI's Criminal Justice Information Systems Advisory Policy Board has unanimously endorsed recommendations the steering committee developed.
Key recommendations include: to assist local agencies with redesigning and upgrading their records management systems and incorporate NIBRS reporting; demonstrate how local agencies can use or are using NIBRS and NIBRS-like data at the local level for crime analysis, management, administrative reporting, and resource allocation; develop details of reconciliation of key elements, codes, and reporting requirements for NIBRS participation to determine whether some of the current mandatory data elements and/or reporting requirements could be made optional as a means of bringing additional agencies into the NIBRS program; provide technical assistance to local departments in their transition to and adoption of NIBRS systems; and document the experience of local law enforcement agencies implementing incident-based manual and automated records in which not all of the data elements or report sections must be completed for every offense or incident.
BJS and the FBI will undertake further work during FY 1998, again guided by the steering committee, to continue implementing the priority recommendations. BJS and the FBI also will collaborate on a project in FY 1998 to develop a cost matrix for implementing a modern Records Management System with NIBRS costs highlighted at different levels of automation and for different sized law enforcement agencies The matrix will include the estimated gross costs of implementing the automated records management system, while identifying the NIBRS component costs of the system.
Prosecution
BJS collects data on state and federal prosecutors and the cases they prosecute.
National Survey of Prosecutors
This survey collects data on resources, policies, and practices of local prosecutors from a nationally representative sample of chief prosecutors who handle felony cases in state courts. The survey obtains basic information on staffing and operations, and collects data on topics such as the use of innovative prosecution techniques, intermediate sanctions, and work-related assaults and threats. The latest published findings are available in Prosecutors in State Courts, 1994 (NCJ 151656). Results from an analysis of state court prosecutors' handling of juveniles proceeded against in criminal court are available in Juveniles Prosecuted in State Criminal Courts (NCJ 164265).
Courts and Sentencing
BJS collects data about the nation's court system, including information about both civil and criminal courts, the cases brought, and their outcomes.
National Judicial Reporting Program
The National Judicial Reporting Program, conducted every two years, surveys a nationwide sample of felony trial courts in collecting detailed information on demographic characteristics of felons, conviction offenses, type of sentences, sentence lengths, and amount of time from arrest to conviction and sentencing.
Most recent data are available in:
State Court Sentencing of Convicted Felons, 1994
forthcoming 1/98 (NCJ 164614)
Felony Sentences in the United States, 1994
released 8/97 (NCJ 165149)
Felony Sentences in State Courts, 1994
released 1/97 (NCJ 163391)
State Court Processing Statistics
The State Court Processing Statistics (SCPS) series provides data on the criminal justice processing of persons charged with felonies in 40 jurisdictions representing the 75 largest counties. These counties account for about half the serious crime nationwide. The program tracks felony defendants from charging by the prosecutor until disposition of their cases or for a maximum of 12 months. Data are obtained on demographic characteristics, arrest offense(s), criminal justice status at time of arrest, prior arrests and convictions, bail and pretrial release decisions, court appearance record, rearrests while on pretrial release, type and outcome of adjudication, and type and length of sentence if convicted. Findings from the 1994 data collection were recently released in Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 1994 (NCJ 164616).
Survey of Civil Trial Cases in State Courts
This survey collects civil trial caseload data for a 1-year period from a sample of counties representative of the nation's 75 largest counties. Data include case type, outcome, jury awards, type of parties, legal representation, and dates of filing and disposition. Having last conducted a similar study in 1992, BJS will survey civil trial cases in 1998.
Latest findings are reported in:
Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992
CD-ROM, released 7/96 (NCJ 157771)
Contract Cases in Large Counties: Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992
released 2/96 (NCJ 156664)
Civil Jury Cases and Verdicts in Large Counties: Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992 released 7/95 (NCJ 154346)
Tort Cases in Large Counties: Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992
released 4/95 (NCJ 153177)
Criminal Case-Tracking System for Tribal Jurisdictions Program
This program is designed to supplement data collected as part of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) with data collected by the tribal courts. This will allow for better managed criminal justice resources and enhanced justice decisionmaking. Using the integrated system, tribal jurisdictions could track violent offenders, domestic abuse cases, the impact of drug testing, and probation and other forms of supervised release.
With funding from BJA's Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program and with the cooperation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), BJS funded two American Indian jurisdictions in FY 1997 to develop and implement an automated criminal case-tracking system. This pilot project is expected to take up to 18 months to implement. Once the prototype system has been developed and tested by the demonstration sites, it will be made available for all interested tribes by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Federal Justice Statistics
The Federal Justice Statistics series provides annual data on workload, activities, and case outcomes in the federal criminal justice system. Information is reported on all aspects of processing in the federal justice system, including the number of persons investigated, prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, sentenced to probation, released pretrial, and under parole or other supervision; initial prosecution decisions; referrals to magistrates; court dispositions; sentencing outcomes; sentence length; and time served. Beginning in 1997, BJS expanded the Federal Justice Statistics program to include statistics describing the processing of civil federal court cases, including tort trials and civil rights petitions filed by federal and state inmates.
Data are acquired from the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (which provides data describing the federal criminal and civil dockets, appellate dockets, pretrial services, and probation and parole), the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Under the leadership of BJS, these federal criminal justice agencies have formed a coordinating committee to meet regularly to discuss issues relating to the collection of data describing the federal criminal justice system and the report of federal criminal case processing statistics. With the support of this coordinating committee, beginning in FY 1998, BJS will annually publish Federal Case Processing Statistics. This report, which will supplement each agency's annual statistical report, will highlight specific aspects of the federal criminal justice system as well as describe significant trends in the federal criminal case processing. The statistics produced will be tabulated according to procedures agreed upon by each participating agency.
Recent and forthcoming reports include:
Federal Tort Trials and Verdicts, 1994-95
released 1/98 (NCJ 165810)
Juveniles in the Federal Criminal Justice System
released 1/97 (NCJ 163066)
Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 1993
released 10/96 (NCJ 160089)
Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 1992
released 10/96 (NCJ 148949)
Survey of State Court Organization
Conducted for BJS by the National Center for State Courts, this survey provides basic descriptive information relating to the nation's state court systems. Information is collected on trial courts; the role of grand juries, peremptory jury challenges, jury verdict rules, appellate courts, case selection, expedited procedures, governance of court systems, budgets, administration, judges and judicial selection, number of judges, mandatory judicial education, and processing of criminal cases, felony definition, mandatory minimum, and habitual offender sentencing provisions. This periodic data collection will be conducted again in 1998. Latest published data are available in State Court Organization, 1993 (NCJ 148346).
National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems Program
BJS, in partnership with BJA, will develop, test, and implement a national level data collection program to measure the way in which states and localities provide legal services for indigent defendants, their caseload levels, and related costs, policies, and practices.
Court-appointed legal representation plays a critical role in the nation's justice system. Much has changed over the past decade as states and local defender systems rely more on contract and private services. The National Indigent Defense Survey will assist in developing a better understanding of the changing nature of public defender services in the United States. Data collection is scheduled to begin in the summer of 1998.
Corrections
BJS collects data about the nation's correctional system, including information about prisoners and correctional facilities and agencies. The correctional system of the United States includes a range of agencies and populations. Adequate statistical accounts of the extent and nature of the system require diverse reporting programs:
Annual counts and characteristics of persons entering or exiting probation or parole
Annual and midyear counts of incarcerated persons in state or federal prisons or local jails
Annual statistics on persons admitted or released from state or federal prisons and on persons released from parole supervision
Annual counts and characteristics of persons sentenced to death
Quinquennial surveys of national samples of prison and jail inmates and adult probationers
Censuses of state and local correctional facilities and parole and probation agencies.
Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities
This survey provides detailed data on individual characteristics of prison inmates, current offenses and sentences, characteristics of victims, criminal histories, family background, gun possession and use, prior drug and alcohol use and treatment, and educational programs and other services provided while in prison. In 1997 BJS conducted the survey through personal interviews of a nationally representative sample of 13,500 state prison inmates and 4,000 federal inmates in about 270 state prisons and 40 federal prisons. This effort represents the fifth in a series of national surveys of inmates conducted every five to six years. In FY 1997, BJS released a report, Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison (NCJ 160092), which derives estimates from the latest survey using standard demographic life table techniques.
Survey of Inmates in Local Jails
This survey is periodically administered to collect data on the local jail inmate population. Jail inmates that includes individuals at several points on the criminal justice continuum--those awaiting trial, those sentenced to jail and serving their sentence, and those sentenced to prison and awaiting transfer. The survey obtains information on the personal and family characteristics of jail inmates, past drug and alcohol use, history of physical abuse, and history of contact with the criminal justice system.
BJS has just completed the 1995 survey, which consists of personal interviews with a nationally representative sample of nearly 6,500 inmates. This set of interviews was the first BJS survey administered with laptop computers, a method that is expected to increase efficiency. Preliminary survey findings are expected to be released in early 1998.
Survey of Adults on Probation
This survey obtains, for the first time, detailed information on the backgrounds and characteristics of a national sample of probationers representative of the 2.6 million adults under such supervision in the community. Specific areas of inquiry include criminal history, prior drug and alcohol use, participation in drug and alcohol treatment programs, use of firearms, victim characteristics, the conditions of supervision, and the extent of contact with probation authorities.
Initial findings from the survey, based on the administrative records of 5,867 probationers in 167 probation departments, were released in Characteristics of Adults on Probation, 1995 in December 1997. BJS is currently analyzing data from approximately 2,000 personal interviews with adult probationers, with the first report to be based on these data, Alcohol/Drug Abuse and Treatment of Adults on Probation, 1995, anticipated for spring 1998.
Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities
This census is conducted every five to six years. It provides detailed information on the types of inmates housed, facility age and type, security level, court orders, programs, health and safety conditions, confinement space, and staff characteristics. The latest data were published in August 1997 in Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1995 (NCJ 164266). Data revealed a total of 941,642 state inmates in 1,375 facilities and 81,930 federal inmates in 125 facilities on June 30, 1995.
Census of Jails
Conducted every five years, this census obtains information on each facility, admissions and releases, court orders, programs that offer alternatives to incarceration, amount charged to hold an inmate for another jurisdiction, crowding and use of space, staffing, health care (including prevalence of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis), and drug testing policies and practices. The census furnishes the sampling frame for the nationwide survey of jail inmates. A new data collection will start in 1998.
Census of State and Local Probation and Parole Agencies
Last conducted in 1993, this is a complete census of federal, state, and locally operated probation and parole agencies. The census gathers data on agency organization, staffing, expenditures, program operation and participation levels, and drug and HIV testing policies and programs. The census serves as the sampling frame for the national survey of adults on probation.
National Prisoner Statistics
The National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program produces annual and semiannual national and state-level data on the numbers of prisoners in state or federal prison facilities. Since 1926 the federal government has published data annually on the prisoner count in each state, the District of Columbia, and the federal prison system.
Recent or forthcoming reports or releases include:
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear, 1997
released 1/98 (NCJ 167247)
Prisoners in 1996
released 6/97 (NCJ 164619)
Correctional Populations in the U.S., 1995
released 6/97 (NCJ 163916)
Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1996
released 1/97 (NCJ 162843)
National Corrections Reporting Program
The National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) collects data annually on all prison admissions and releases, and on all parole entries and discharges in participating jurisdictions. Demographic information, conviction offense, sentence length, minimum time to be served, credited jail time, type of admission, type of release, and time served are collected from individual prisoner records.
Capital Punishment
This series yields annual national and state-level data on persons sentenced to death and those executed. Data collected include offender demographic characteristics, prior criminal history, criminal justice system status at the time of the capital offense, and time spent on death row. Data are available on executions since 1930 and sentencing since 1974. The latest data were reported in Capital Punishment 1996, released December 1997.
Annual Survey of Jails
The Annual Survey of Jails collects data that permit intercensal estimates of the number of inmates in the nation's local jails. The survey also collects data on the relationship between jail populations and capacities. Information is provided on an annual basis starting in 1982, excluding the years 1983, 1988, and 1993, in which a complete census of U.S. local jails was conducted. The latest data are available in the report Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1997 (NCJ 167247) released in January 1998.
National Probation and Parole Reporting Program
This program gathers annual data on state and federal probation and parole counts and movements and the characteristics of persons under the supervision of probation and parole agencies. BJS staff collects and analyzes these data, using survey forms completed by federal, state, and local probation and parole agencies. Published data include admissions and releases by method of entry and discharge. Demographic information, time served, and conviction offenses are collected from individual prisoner records. The latest data are available in Probation and Parole Populations, 1996 (NCJ 166364), released August 1997. Detailed data by jurisdictions is published annually in Correctional Population in the U.S., 1995 (NCJ 163916), released June 1997.
Inventory of State and Federal Corrections Information Systems
In FY 1998, BJS, NIJ, and CPO are sponsoring the development of an inventory of corrections information systems. The inventory will be designed to assess the current status of offender-based information systems in state departments of corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
BJS hosted an Advisory Committee meeting of correctional administrators, research directors, and other researchers for the purpose of identifying priority information needs and issues areas needed to construct an inventory of corrections information systems at the federal and state levels. The committee identified six topical areas around which to build the inventory: offender profiles, recidivism, program effectiveness, internal order, public safety, and operational costs. Based on the committee's recommendations, the Urban Institute and BJS developed a detailed questionnaire to determine if a system contains the data elements related to each priority area, if the data are stored electronically, and for what percent of offenders the data are available. In addition, Urban Institute conducted short, unstructured telephone interviews with each correctional agency to obtain general information about the organization, structure, and capacity of their information systems.
The final report, expected by yearend 1998, will summarize the results of the capacity survey and inventory. Topics to be addressed in the final report include: the underlying causes for variation in coverage of data elements; core elements required across jurisdictions; consistency; improvements and innovations needed to meet new challenges in corrections; and whether the data systems meet jurisdictions' needs.
Expenditure and Employment
BJS collects employment and expenditure data about the nation's criminal justice system.
Criminal Justice Expenditure and Employment Program
This program collects, analyzes, and publishes data on the cost of operating the nation's criminal justice systems. Using data extracted from the Census Bureau's ongoing finance and employment survey series, BJS produces national estimates of expenditures and employment relating to major criminal justice activities, including police protection, judicial (including courts, prosecution, legal services, and public defense), and corrections. The latest data are available in Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts, 1992, released 1/97 (NCJ 148821). The 1993 Extracts will be published early in 1998.
Firearms and Crime
BJS has published a series of documents on firearms, crime, and criminal justice. These reports include selected findings from several collections of national data. Three reports in this series have been published: Guns Used in Crime, Weapons Offenses and Offenders, and Firearm Injury from Crime.
During 1998, BJS intends to continue the series with a report on where criminals obtain the guns they use and the involvement of these guns in the crimes they committed. This report will utilize data from the recent Survey of Adults on Probation, as well as several earlier collections, including the 1991 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Institutions and the weapons addendum to NIJ's Drug Use Forecasting System. These sources cover individuals arrested for crimes, as well as those on probation or in prison. BJS publishes selected findings on firearms, crimes, and criminal justice drawn from several collections of national data.
International Statistics
International Statistics Program
Through the International Statistics Program, BJS cooperates with the United Nations and with other countries in efforts to improve the international collection of statistics on crime and criminal justice systems so that cross-national comparisons can be made and the relationship between crime trends in the U.S. and other countries can be examined. BJS also funds international studies that compare aspects of the U.S. criminal justice system with those of other countries. In 1997, a study was completed comparing prosecution in the United States and Germany.
The World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems, developed under a BJS grant and available electronically through the Internet, provides narrative descriptions of the criminal justice systems of countries around the world. These descriptions are written to a common template so that comparisons of similar functions in different countries can be easily made.
General Criminal Justice Statistics
BJS produces a number of statistical documents and other products that cover more than one criminal justice topic. The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, first published in 1972, is compiled annually from more than 150 separate sources and presents data with minimal text and extensive tables. Almost all data are nationwide in scope and, where possible, are displayed by region, state, and city for comparative analyses. The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, 1996 is now also available on CD-ROM and can be accessed online at http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook. This Internet site is updated as information becomes available.
BJS also publishes the Criminal Justice Agency Survey List, an updated listing of various state and local jurisdictions and criminal justice agencies from which sample surveys are selected.
State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers
BJS offers technical and financial support to state governments for the establishment and operation of state-level Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs). SACs collect, analyze, and report statistics on crime and justice to federal, state, and local levels of government and help share state-level information nationally.
Under the State Justice Statistics Program, Statistical Analysis Centers analyze particular criminal justice issues identified by BJS in conjunction with other OJP components. These issues are selected for nationwide consistency and interest across the states and change every 12 months. BJS encourages SACs to collect and analyze data derived from sex offender registries, criminal history record information, and incident-based crime data. SACs also will be encouraged to conduct research and analyses related to other themes described in the FY 1998 program announcement. Detailed program and application guidelines are available in State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers: Program Application Guidelines, Fiscal Year 1998, scheduled for release in early 1998.
Through the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), BJS offers technical assistance to state SACs in the development, collection, analysis, use, and dissemination of criminal justice statistics. JRSA was organized in 1974 by the directors of the state SACs to promote cooperation and the exchange of information, statistics, and technology among states. In providing technical and liaison services to the SACs for BJS, JRSA maintains a criminal justice information clearinghouse, provides an automated Database of State Activities and Research, and conducts an annual conference on justice statistics, research, and policy analysis.
Visiting Research Fellowship Program
The Visiting Research Fellowship Program promotes criminal justice statistical research among the academic and professional criminal justice community to meet the specific needs of the Department of Justice and BJS. Visiting Fellows participate in a specifically designed research project of particular operational relevance to the national or international justice system. The Fellowship Program offers criminal justice researchers an opportunity to have a significant impact on specific BJS projects, as well as a chance to examine innovative approaches to the analysis and dissemination of BJS data.
Ongoing and new Visiting Fellow projects include:
The measurement of assaultive behavior. This research will provide a better understanding of assaultive behavior and the mechanisms that result in the two standard measurement outcomes--rates of homicide and aggravated assault. The objective is to help understand the differences between simple and aggravated assault, as well as the dynamics of an event that causes an assault to become fatal.
Developing graphical and geographical methods for analyzing criminal justice data. This project will examine the graphic and geographic techniques and methods that are applicable to analysis of criminal justice data and for other purposes.
Analyze the characteristics of the Uniform Crime Report. This research will analyze the characteristics of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program and gather information on imputation procedures used to account for late and missing data. The project also will analyze and review of the progress of researchers comparing the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Report with police homicide data in Chicago and Boston.
Criminal Record Systems
BJS supports several programs aimed at improving criminal records. Criminal history records are fingerprint cards or their electronic counterparts, linked with information about arrests, convictions, and sentences, when available. Records are inaccessible electronically to other states if they are not automated, or if a state does not participate in the national system--the Interstate Identification Index.
Records without dispositions delay inquiries or handicap law enforcement or others in the identification of individuals with a prior conviction and those who are prohibited from purchasing a firearm, subject to domestic violence protective orders, or ineligible to hold positions of responsibility involving children, the elderly, or the disabled.
Of the 52 million criminal history records in the United States, 56 percent are now accessible nationally, up from 50 percent from a year ago. Approximately a third of the records are both accessible and include dispositions, an increase of over 3 million records over the past three years.
Criminal Records Data Quality Program
This program supports surveys, studies, conferences, and technical assistance on issues relating to criminal justice records. Primary emphasis is on accuracy and completeness of records, limitations on dissemination, commingling of juvenile and adult records, data auditing techniques, and the interstate exchange of records. Under this program, the State Survey of Criminal History Information Systems is conducted, providing information on the technology, policy, and legislative status of criminal history records. The third update to the survey, reporting 1995 year-end data, was released in May 1997. The next update, describing record status as of year-end 1997, will be initiated in January 1998.
In July 1997, BJS sponsored a major national conference in Seattle to address the impact of recent legislation focusing on sex offenders and establishment of the National Sexual Offender Registry. Proceedings of the conference will be issued in the winter of 1998. A task force has also been established jointly with the National Center for State Courts to identify increased demands for court data created by recent legislation and to develop protocols to meet these needs. The first meeting is scheduled for July 1998.
National Criminal History Improvement Program
The National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) implements the grant provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the National Child Protection Act of 1993, as well as selected provisions of the 1994 Crime Act that relate to criminal history records.
The program assists states in improving the quality of their criminal history records and supports the timely development of the capability to perform adequate criminal background checks. A national criminal record system will permit the immediate identification of persons who are prohibited from purchasing a firearm, are subject to domestic violence protective orders, or are ineligible to hold positions of responsibility involving children, the elderly, or the disabled. The development of complete and accurate criminal records, which are immediately available on an interstate basis, is also critical to support law enforcement efforts to make determinations regarding pretrial release, career criminal charging, sentencing options, and correctional assignments. Background checks for national security and related purposes are also only as effective as the quality of the records on which they are based.
Since NCHIP's inception in FY 1995, BJS has awarded over $162 million to assist states in upgrading criminal records to support operation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Awards have been made to all states and eligible territories to upgrade records (including protection orders) to interface with the national criminal history record system and to identify individuals convicted of crimes involving domestic violence, child victims, the elderly, and the disabled, as well as individuals subject to protective orders involving domestic violence. Funds also have been awarded to provide direct technical assistance and evaluation. The NCHIP appropriation for FY 1998 is $45 million. BJS will use these funds to assist states in continuing efforts to improve the quality and availability of criminal records to ensure that such records are available for presale firearm checks and for other purposes.
Section 922 of the Federal Gun Control Act was amended on September 30, 1996 to prohibit the sale of firearms to persons convicted of misdemeanors involving domestic violence. To implement this new requirement, states could use 1997 NCHIP awards to collect and automate misdemeanor information and to identify those misdemeanors that involve domestic violence.
Consistent with the Stalker Reduction provision of the 1994 Crime Act, BJS also is providing NCHIP funds to assist state and local governments in improving the process for classifying and entering data regarding stalking and domestic violence into local, state, and national crime information databases. In FY 1996 and 1997, BJS was appropriated $1.5 million and $1.75 million, respectively. In recognition of the importance of this effort, and pursuant to an OJP commitment to Congress, BJS solicited early applications from the states for these purposes. Seven states applied and were awarded grants on December 1, 1996. An additional 15 states received funding from this appropriation. Overall, 31 states received funding to identify domestic violence offenses and protection orders under the NCHIP program.
BJS also has initiated efforts to establish and promulgate model standards for definitions and data collection protocols applicable to data describing domestic violence and sexual violence. The proposed definitions will be published in the Federal Register. A task force and advisory group was established, representing researchers, statisticians, and practitioners. Proposals are under review by an outside review panel and recommendations from the panel are expected by the end of the year. It is anticipated that an award will be made and project activities will begin in January 1998.
For further information on the NCHIP program, refer to National Criminal History Improvement Program: FY 1997 Program Announcement (NCJ 165589), released June 1997. The FY 1998 Program Announcement will be released in spring 1998.
Firearm Inquiry Statistics
The Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) program, a component of NCHIP, is designed to use relevant statistics to assess the impact of presale firearm checks as required under the Brady Act and related state legislation. The statistical data obtained by BJS under the program focus on the total number of inquiries related to firearm purchases, the number of rejections, and the basis for the rejections. Data are also collected separately concerning the procedures followed by states and law enforcement officers in connection with presale checks under both the Brady Act and related state legislation.
In February 1997, BJS released Presale Firearm Checks: A National Estimate (NCJ-162787), which provides a national estimate of the number of presale background checks conducted in connection with proposed firearm purchases, the number and percent of rejections, and the basis for the rejections. The report, Presale Handgun Check, 1996 (NCJ 165704), released in September 1997 reported that approximately 70,000 out of an estimated 2,593,000 applications for handgun purchases were rejected due to a presale background check.
How to Use BJS Services
What's Available on the Internet
Providing information on the Internet has proven to be the most efficient way BJS can make its data accessible to those who need it instantly. BJS information is updated frequently. The BJS Web site presents information by crime and justice topics. Summary findings, statistical graphics, descriptions of the data collections, publications, and additional work by BJS staff are listed under each topic and subtopic. Links to related pages on the BJS site and to related sites are also included. The BJS World Wide Web site is located at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/.
Visit these additional areas on the Web site:
What's new at BJS: The most recent information from BJS is highlighted in this section, including announcements, releases, solicitations, and the latest data.
About BJS: An overview of BJS is provided, describing its mission and responsibilities, criminal justice areas covered by data collection programs, grant programs, and dissemination programs maintained.
Key facts at a glance: Small versions of charts and brief statements of findings are presented with links to full-size charts, additional information about the charts and findings, and the data that support the chart.
Publications: Electronic versions of many BJS reports are also available on the Internet. Publications can be accessed by selecting the appropriate criminal justice topic on the BJS home page or through the publications list, which is in alphabetical order. A list of periodic reports is also available.
Electronic versions of BJS publications are presented in two formats: in ASCII without tables and graphics, and in portable document format (.pdf) as published with graphics and tables (viewable on any computer and printable on any printer). Many tables from BJS reports and some additional data are available in the .wk1 format, readable by most spreadsheet software. In many instances, the spreadsheets have been grouped and compressed into files using the .zip format to speed downloads. Except for ASCII documents, BJS products are in formats that require interpreter applications that must be installed on the computer as plug-ins to Web browsers or standalone applications.
Press releases: The most recent press releases from BJS are published on the Web site at the press release section of the BJS home page.
The BJS Web site also provides data to download, including:
Crime and justice electronic data abstracts: Aggregated data from a wide variety of published sources are assembled into spreadsheets. Intended for analytic use, the files include crime, justice, and sociodemographic variables. Many of the files contain data over time and by state, locality, and federal district.
Source data and codebooks: BJS data files are archived, documented, and made available on the Internet through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. BJS reports are linked to the raw data used in the report, which can be downloaded from the archive. Users can access over 43 gigabytes of data collected since the mid-1970s, covering the full range of criminal justice topics.
Crime and justice data from other sources: Provides links to data from other sources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies. Also provides links to juvenile justice statistics and international crime statistics.
Conference proceedings from "Justice Agencies and the Internet," held in San Francisco on November 4-5, 1997 are available online from SEARCH, the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics, at http://www.97internet.search.org/. Computer industry leaders and several hundred justice practitioners from around the country attended the event. Conference sessions explored issues ranging from linking a few rural justice agency intranets to form "extranet" systems to the exciting opportunities and new Web applications made possible by the emergence of Extensible Markup Language (XML).
BJS encourages all users of its home page to send comments, suggestions, and information inquiries to askbjs@ojp.usdoj.gov. Hundreds of inquiries and useful comments have been received by BJS since the BJS Web site opened in February 1996.
BJS Clearinghouse
The BJS Clearinghouse, a component of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), provides information about crime and justice statistics. The clearinghouse offers products and services tailored to the needs of the criminal justice professional.
Clearinghouse staff who specialize in BJS statistical resources can assist requestors in locating data that best meet their particular information needs. BJS specialists can also direct users to a variety of other criminal justice data.
The NCJRS Justice Information Center can be accessed by Internet at http://www.ncjrs.org. By calling the BJS Clearinghouse toll-free at 1-800/732-3277, callers can receive BJS reports and BJS mailing list information, criminal justice data, custom literature searches of the NCJRS database, database referrals to other sources of crime data, and other data assistance from information specialists.
The BJS Clearinghouse also has developed products to assist researchers, policy makers, and other professionals, including CD-ROM's, statistical information packages, slide presentations, topical searches, and topical bibliographies. Contact the Clearinghouse at the Internet address or phone number above to request information or to order publications and products. The Clearinghouse also can be reached by e-mail at askncjrs@ncjrs.org or by mail by writing to the BJS Clearinghouse/NCJRS, P.O. Box 179, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701-0179. Visitors are welcome to the BJS Clearinghouse reading room at 1600 Research Boulevard, Rockville, Maryland.
In addition, requests for publications or other information can be faxed to the BJS Clearinghouse at 1-410/792-4358. BJS also operates a fax-on-demand system, which can be accessed by calling 1-301/519-5550.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
Under an agreement with BJS, the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) archives BJS data files, documents them, and makes them available to researchers, scholars, journalists, and other users. Established in 1978, NACJD headquarters are located with the central staff of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The central mission of NACJD is to facilitate and encourage research in the field of criminal justice through the sharing of data resources. Specific goals include: providing machine-readable data for the quantitative study of crime and the criminal justice system through the development of a central data archive; supplying technical assistance in analyzing data collections and selecting the computer hardware and software for analyzing data efficiently and effectively; and offering training in quantitative methods of social science research to facilitate secondary analysis of criminal justice data.
NACJD routinely receives data from four agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: BJS, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Individual scholars and researchers in the criminal justice field may also deposit data with NACJD. Interested individuals should contact NACJD staff for more information on this process.
Data files that are maintained by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data are available at no charge for search and download from the NACJD site on the Internet at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/nacjd/. Additional information is available from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, ICPSR, Institute for Social Research, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, 1-800/999-0960 or 1-313/763-5011. To ask Archive staff questions via e-mail, contact them at cdunn@icpsr.umich.edu.
National Clearinghouse for Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS)
This clearinghouse was created in 1976 to provide information on criminal justice information system resources and to promote and facilitate the transfer of automated public domain criminal justice information systems. CJIS disseminates information about public domain and proprietary criminal justice information systems, maintains an index of criminal justice software, and facilitates communication among criminal justice practitioners nationwide.
BJS supports CJIS, which is dedicated to improving the administration of justice through information technology. Operated by SEARCH, the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics, CJIS is accessible through the Internet at http://www.search.org/.
CJIS provides online access to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, opinions of the United States Supreme Court, all four volumes of FBI specifications for the National Incident-Based Reporting System, and publications from other agencies and associations.
A library of hundreds of criminal justice shareware programs is online as well. For more information about the clearinghouse call 916/392-2550, or send e-mail to webmaster@search.org.
Database of State Activities and Research
Maintained by the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), this database covers the activities of state criminal justice statistical agencies, including current Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) activities, research efforts, statistical programs, abstracts of SAC publications, information on publications in the JRSA library, and data from the SAC Skills Survey.
The JRSA staff can search the database for specific topics using key words and provide printouts of search results. Contact JRSA via the Internet at http://www.jrsainfo.org/, by e-mail to cjinfo@jrsa.org, or by telephone at 202/842-9330.