NCJ Number
125937
Date Published
1990
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Projects of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) are highlighted.
Abstract
The single largest data collection program which BJS sponsors is the National Crime Survey, which collects information on victimizations from household members 12 years of age and older in a rotating sample of 49,000 households. The National Pretrial Reporting System was launched to address a serious gap in existing knowledge about the criminal justice system and indicates that the average number of prior arrest charges for all defendants was three felonies and three misdemeanors. The National Judicial Reporting Program focuses on convicted felons, their characteristics, and the sentencing patterns for this population. Another BJS program, the National Corrections Reporting Program, gathers data on the characteristics of persons admitted to or released from State prisons. The National Probation Reports provide annual data on the number of persons placed under probation supervision and the year-end total of persons under such supervision. The Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey collects national information on the operations of law enforcement agencies and departments. All of these programs develop knowledge which is essential to informed decisionmaking, especially at the State and local level.