State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers, 2009

• 2009-BJS-2049
  This program announcement describes the guidelines and requirements of the FY 2009 State Justice Statistics (SJS) Program for Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs). Since 1972, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and its predecessor agency, the National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service, have provided partial support to state and territorial governments for the establishment and operation of Statistical Analysis Centers to collect, analyze, and report statistics on crime and justice to Federal, state, and local levels of government, and to share state-level information nationally. The information produced by SACs and their involvement in criminal justice projects has been and will continue to be critical to Federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies and community organizations as they develop programs and policies related to crime, illegal drugs, services to victims, and the administration of justice.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applicants are limited to Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs) established by state legislation or executive order.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this program announcement, contact Devon B. Adams at 202-307-0765 or via email at Devon.Adams@usdoj.gov. Please include "SJSSAC09" in the subject line.
  
  PDF
  
  

FY 2009 NICS State Records Estimates Development and Validation Project

• 2009-BJS-2227
  It is important to note that states must satisfy two requirements to be eligible for a grant. First, states must have a program in place to allow persons restricted from obtaining firearms due to the presence of a federal mental health prohibitor to apply for relief from that restriction. Second, states must provide the Attorney General with reasonable estimates of certain categories of available records in the state. In addition to being one of two prerequisites for grant eligibility, the record estimate serves another important purpose. The Act allows for a potential reward to be granted to states that have reported records at a certain level of completeness and for a potential penalty to be imposed on states that fail to report records at a certain minimum level of completeness. The reward consists of a waiver of NCHIP matching grant funds and may be granted on a basis outlined in the Act. The penalty consists of the withholding of a percentage of formula grant funds under the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program and may be imposed, as early as 2011, on a basis outlined in the Act.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time, on June 19, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funding may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Gerard Ramker, Associate Director, at 202-307-0765.
  
  PDF (86K)
  
  

FY 2009 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2027
  BJS is publishing this notice to announce the continuation of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) in Fiscal Year 2009, to identify the program priorities, and provide information on application requirements.
  
  Deadline: All NCHIP applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, February 26, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: The NCHIP application must be submitted by the agency designated by the Governor to administer the NCHIP program. States may choose to submit applications as part of a multi-state consortium or other entity. In such cases, please contact your BJS program manager for further information.
  
  Contact Information: This application must be submitted through the OJP Grants Management System (GMS). For assistance with the requirements of this program announcement, contact Devon B. Adams at 202-307-0765 or e-mail askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "2009NCHIP" in the subject line. The Grants Management System Support Hotline is 1-888-549-9901, option 3. Note: The GMS Support Hotline hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. eastern time.
  
  PDF (122K) | HTML
  
  

Methodological Research to Support the Redesign of the National Crime Victimization Survey: Screening Questions

• 2009-BJS-2263
  The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) was instituted in 1972 to produce national estimates of the levels and rates of crimes of violence and theft, including crime not reported to police departments. Along with the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the NCVS constitutes a key component of our Nation's system to measure the extent and nature of crime in the United States.

  The NCVS is conducted for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) by the U.S. Census Bureau at a sample of housing units and group quarters in the United States and the District of Columbia selected using a stratified, multi-stage cluster design. In 2007, the NCVS sample was comprised of about 83,000 sample housing units with interviews completed in about 75,000 of these households. The sample excludes persons who are crews of vessels, in institutions, members of the armed forces living in military barracks, and the homeless.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 8:00 p.m. eastern time, on July 14, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and non-profit organizations
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Michael Rand, Chief of Victimization Statistics, at (202) 307-0765 or via e-mail askbjs@usdoj.gov . Include "ncvsscreen09" in the subject line.
  
  Download full solicitation (PDF 65K)
  
  

FY 2009 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) for States and State Court Systems Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2181
  The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-180 ("the NICS Improvement Act"), was signed into law on January 8, 2008. The NICS Improvement Act amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established NICS. The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law.

  The NICS Improvement Act was enacted in the wake of the April 2007 shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech shooter was able to purchase firearms from an FFL because information about his prohibiting mental health history was not available to the NICS and the system was therefore unable to deny the transfer of the firearms used in the shootings. The NICS Improvement Act seeks to address the gap in information available to NICS about such prohibiting mental health adjudications and commitments and other prohibiting factors. Filling these information gaps will better enable the system to operate as intended to keep guns out of the hands of persons prohibited by federal or state law from receiving or possessing firearms. The automation of records will also reduce delays for law-abiding gun purchasers.

  The Act authorized a grant program to assist states in providing certain information to the NICS, and prescribes grant penalties for non-compliance with the Acts record completeness goals. Additionally, pursuant to the Act, there are certain conditions, described below, that a state must satisfy in advance of receiving grants under the Act. In FY 2009, $10 million has been appropriated for this program.
  
  Deadline: All NARIP applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on Friday, May 22, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: NARIP applications must be submitted by: (a) the agency designated by the Governor to administer the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP); (b) the state or territory central administrative office or similar entity designated by statute or regulation to administer federal grant funds on behalf of the jurisdiction's court system; or (c) separately for both eligible entities.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this program announcement, contact Devon B. Adams at 202-307-0765 or via email at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "NARIP" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

State Court Processing Statistics, 2009 Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2077
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is seeking proposals to administer the State Court Processing Statistics Project (SCPS) project. SCPS is a recurring data collection involving the compilation of felony cases processed in a sample of state courts in the nation's 75 most populous counties. Historically, the data collected have included current arrest charges, demographic characteristics, prior arrests and convictions, criminal justice status at arrest, type of pretrial release or detention, bail amount, court appearance record, adjudication outcome, and sentence received if convicted.

  In fiscal year 2008, BJS awarded funds to redesign and re-conceptualize the SCPS project. The redesign examines the utility and feasibility of several proposed changes to the data collection instrument and the sampling framework, and will result in a number of recommendations to enhance the existing collection. The redesign work is expected to be completed by July 2009.

  The current solicitation will provide an opportunity to begin initiating certain aspects of the SCPS redesign. The recipient of this award will administer the data collection for felony cases processed in the nation's 75 most populous counties, and collaborate with BJS to finalize and implement additional enhancements to the collection as recommended by the redesign work. Applicants are encouraged to review previous BJS reports using SCPS data available on the BJS website at . BJS anticipates making one award for a 24-month period under this solicitation, with an award date on or after September 30, 2009. BJS is authorized to issue this solicitation under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968, Section 302, as amended.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5.00 p.m. eastern time on April 8, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the programmatic requirements of this solicitation, contact Thomas H. Cohen, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at 202-307-0765 or askbjs@usdoj.gov. Please include "scps09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

2009-2011 Deaths in Custody Reporting Program: State Prisons and Local Jails

• 2009-BJS-2074
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) seeks a data collection agent for the State prison and local jail portions of the Death in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP) for 2009 through 2011.

  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) was directed by the Attorney General to implement the data collection requirements of the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (DICRA), Public Law 106-297. Under this legislation, BJS was required to establish a quarterly collection of individual records of every death that takes place in State prisons and local jails nationwide. The legislation also required similar collections of death records from juvenile correctional facilities and State and local law enforcement agencies, but these portions of the DCRP are not covered by this solicitation. While PL 106-297 has since expired, BJS has established the DCRP as an ongoing statistical series.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5.00 p.m. eastern time on April 1, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the programmatic requirements of this solicitation, contact Margaret Noonan, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at 202-307-0765 or via e-mail at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Please include "dcrp09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

Court Statistics Project (CSP) Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2128
  The purpose of this solicitation is to seek a data collection agent to administer the Court Statistics Project (CSP). The CSP was initiated in 1975 by the National Center for Courts (NCSC) with BJS support commencing in the early 1980s. The Court Statistics Project (CSP) provides a systematic means to develop a valid, uniform, and complete statistical database that details the operation of state court systems nationwide. The CSP collects and aggregates data from the trial and appellate courts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These data focus on state court caseloads for a particular year and multiyear trends in the work of state courts. All state trial and appellate court data collected through the CSP will be accurate as of December 2008. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review previous CSP reports that are available on NCSC's webpage at http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/csp/CSP_Main_Page.html. BJS anticipates making one award for a 12-month period under this solicitation, with an option for two additional continuation years conditional upon availability of funds and the quality of the initial performance and products. BJS is authorized to issue this solicitation under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968, Section 302, as amended (42 USC Section 3732).
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on May 11, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the programmatic requirements of this solicitation, contact Duren Banks, Unit Chief, Prosecution and Adjudication, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at (202) 307-0765 or via e-mail at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "csp09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

Survey of Inmates in Prisons and Local Jails: Design and Testing Phase Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2189
  The purpose of this award is to provide funding for a collection agent to design and field test a survey for administration to inmates in a national sample of prison and jail facilities, hereafter known as the Survey of Inmates in Prisons and Local Jails (SIPLJ), and to prepare a national implementation plan to field the SIPLJ in 2012.

  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, has periodically collected information through personal interviews with inmates in jails and prisons since the 1970s (see Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities and Survey of Inmates in Local Jails at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/correct.htm#Programs). BJS seeks to create a single instrument that is adaptable to inmates housed in prison and jail settings and administered using an Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (ACASI) mode. It is anticipated that ACASI will enhance the precision of its estimates; increase sample size where feasible through group administration; minimize collection costs; and minimize the disruption to prison and jail facilities during the survey. The instrument will be modular based with separate substantive domains delivered to inmates in a manner to maximize the content covered by the surveys while minimizing the costs of administration. The recipient will also design and test an alternative mode of administration for use in facilities where ACASI is not feasible.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on May 29, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for profit and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: r assistance with the requirements of this announcement, contact Lauren Glaze, Statistician or Laura Maruschak, Statistician at 202-307-0765 or email askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "siplj09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

Conversion of Criminal History Records into Research Databases Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2186
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) seeks a data processing agent through a cooperative agreement to convert criminal history records into research databases to support recidivism studies.

  This program furthers the Department's mission by enhancing BJS's capability to conduct recidivism studies more efficiently and, therefore, more frequently. For years, BJS recidivism research has utilized data reported manually to BJS by individual state criminal history repositories. This project aims to convert the information recorded on national criminal history records (i.e., "rap sheets" derived from information housed in individual state repositories) into a database supportive of ongoing recidivism research. In addition, as a pilot test of the data conversion process, this project will produce a research database for use in a study of the recidivism of persons released from prison in 2005.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5.00 p.m. eastern time on May 29, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Matthew Durose, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at 202-307-0765 or via e-mail at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Please include "Conversion of CHR" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

2009 State Court Organization Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2127
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is seeking a data collection agent to administer the 2009 State Court Organization (SCO). SCO is a data collection that focuses on the overall structure and framework of the nation's trial and appellate courts. Prior iterations of SCO were conducted in 1980, 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2004. Similar to previous surveys, 2009 SCO will focus on various issues related to court administrative and organizational structure including sentencing, the use of juries, the governance of the judicial branch, appellate court structure and processes, and the overall structure of the nation's state trial and appellate courts. All data collected will be accurate as of December 2009. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review previous BJS reports focusing on state court organization data available on the BJS website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. BJS anticipates making one award for a 30-month period under this solicitation, with an award date on or after September 30, 2009. BJS is authorized to issue this solicitation under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968, Section 302, as amended.
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5.00 p.m. Eastern time on May 6, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applications for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the programmatic requirements of this solicitation, contact Thomas H. Cohen, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at 202-307-0765 or email askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "sco09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

Design of 2009 National Private Security Survey Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2172
  The purpose of this award is to provide funding to research, develop, design, and draft three plan options for the implementation the 2009 National Private Security Survey (NPSS). The primary objective of the award is to produce project specifications for this multi-survey data collection on private security officers, which will ultimately serve as the counterpart to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) collection. The NPSS will provide data on the demographic characteristics, workload, clients, selection, training, and expenditures of a national sample of contract security companies and a stratified national sample of employers of proprietary security officers and investigators across various industries. Under this solicitation, awardees, in cooperation with BJS and experts in the field, will design data collection instruments for both the contract and proprietary sides of the NPSS and will produce three plans for the implementation of the NPSS based on sampling methodologies with ascending levels of sample scope, estimation specificity, and budget. An additional objective of the project is to produce an extensive literature review and secondary analysis of existing sources of data on the private security field in general. BJS anticipates making an initial award for an 8-month period under this solicitation. BJS is authorized to issue this solicitation under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Section 302, as amended (42 USC Section 3732).
  
  Deadline: All applications are due by 5:00 p.m. eastern time, on May 14, 2009.
  
  Eligibility: Applicants for funds may be submitted by both for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Lynn Langton, Statistician, at 202-307-0765 or via email at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Please include "npss09" in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

2009 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories Solicitation

• 2009-BJS-2188
  The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is seeking proposals for an agent to develop, design, and field the 2009 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories. The goal of this project is to generate accurate and reliable national statistics about the approximately 400 publicly funded forensic crime labs serving federal, state, and local jurisdictions. The census will be conducted in 2010 and collect information on the 2009 workload and operations of crime labs, including the types of analyses performed, staff levels, budget expenditures, and backlogs for forensic services. Under this solicitation, the selected applicant, in cooperation with BJS and experts in the field, will design, test, and administer the collection instrument. The selected applicant will be required to deliver a final data file to BJS by January 31, 2011. Applicants are encouraged to review previous BJS studies on forensic crime laboratories at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs. BJS will provide the selected applicant with a preliminary roster of labs. BJS anticipates making one award for a 16-month period under this solicitation, with an award date on or after October 1, 2009. BJS is authorized to issue this solicitation under 42 U.S.C. § 3732(c).
  
  Deadline: Applicants must register with GMS prior to applying. The deadline to register is 5:00 p.m.
  
  Eligibility: Applicants are limited to for-profit (commercial) organizations, nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher learning, and consortiums with demonstrated organization and community based experience working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities, including tribal forprofit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations, tribal colleges and universities, and tribal consortiums.
  
  Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Matthew Durose, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at 202-307-0765 or via e-mail at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include cpffcl09 in the subject line.
  
  Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF)
  
  

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