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| Sponsor: | U.S. Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Statistics |
| Description: | The Census of Tribal Justice Agencies is the first comprehensive effort to identify which justice agencies operate in tribal jurisdictions, what services those agencies provide, and what information they collect and keep. The data describe the characteristics of tribal law enforcement, courts and administration, corrections and intermediate sanctions, criminal history records, and justice statistics. The data also describe the criminal justice system in Indian Country including which tribes have sworn law enforcement personnel and the source of their authority, the number and types of tribal court systems, who performs the tribal detention function and what types of sanctions are imposed, and tribal access to state and national criminal record systems. |
| Relevant Policy Issues: | Differences in Resolution of Arrest by Type of Court System, and Factors Contributing to Disparities in Involvement with Justice System and Outcomes. |
| Data Type(s): | Census survey |
| Unit of Analysis: | The tribal justice agency is the unit of analysis. |
| Identification of AI/AN/NA: | AI/AN/NA individuals are not identified in the data set. |
| AI/AN/NA Population in Data Set: | Ninety-two percent (314 of 341) of tribal justice agencies responded to the survey. Participation by Alaska Native communities was not sufficient to allow them to be included in the final data. |
| Geographic Scope: | The geographic area covered by the study is national. The data set includes 314 tribal justice agencies out of 341. The state and name of the tribe is identified for each justice agency. While the state of the agency’s location is available, national analysis is recommended as there may be some states with very few agencies. |
| Date or Frequency: | Data were collected once. |
| Data Collection Methodology: | The questionnaires were distributed by mail and participants could respond by mail, fax, telephone, or online. |
| Participation: | Optional, without incentives. |
| Response Rate: | For tribal agencies, it was 92 percent. Responses were very poor for Alaska Native communities, but the rate is not reported. |
| Strengths: | The key strength of this data collection is its uniqueness. This is the only comprehensive description of the justice system in Indian Country available. The response rate for AI tribes was very high (92 percent). The data are available online in spreadsheet format for additional analysis. |
| Limitations: | The key weakness was the very poor response rate by AN communities. Response was so low that they could not be included in the final reported data. |
| Access Requirements and Use Restrictions: | The data set is available to the public at no cost. |
| Contact Information: | The data and reports can be downloaded at:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ctjaic02.htm.
Questions for the Bureau of Justice Statistics should be addressed to: |
| Reports of Interest: | Location for final report: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ctjaic02.htm. |
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