The Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country (SJIC) includes all known Indian country correctional facilities operated by tribal authorities or the U.S. Department of the Interior’s BIA. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) conducted the SJIC to describe all adult and juvenile jail facilities and detention centers in Indian country. For this collection, Indian country includes reservations, pueblos, rancherias, and other appropriate areas (18 U.S.C. § 1151).

Annually, BIA provides BJS a list of Indian country jail facilities, including detention centers, jails, and other correctional facilities operated by tribal authorities or BIA. BJS uses this list to update its existing roster of jails in Indian country. BJS obtains data from administrators of Indian country jails by faxed questionnaires and through follow-up phone calls and facsimiles.

In 2004, BJS contacted administrators in 70 facilities to participate in the survey. BJS received responses from 61 facilities. Seven facilities did not respond, and 2 facilities were not operating. In 2007, BJS's roster consisted of 86 facilities. Seventy-nine of the facility administrators responded to the survey, 4 did not respond, and 3 facilities were not operating. In 2008, BJS's roster of Indian country jails consisted of 85 facilities. BJS received responses from 82 facility administrators. There were no nonrespondents, and 3 facilities were not operating. In 2008, BJS's roster consisted of 86 facilities. BJS received responses from 80 facility administrators, there were no nonrespondents, and 6 facilities were not operating. Prior to the 2010 data collection, 1 facility in the 2009 universe was determined to be closed, resulting in a revised (79 facilities) facility count.

In 2010, the BJS roster consisted of 86 facilities. Prior to the survey collection, 7 facilities were closed, not operating, or out-of-scope, resulting in a final universe of 79 facilities. During the survey collection, BJS determined that 4 additional facilities were out-of-scope, resulting in a final universe of 75 Indian country jail facilities. BJS received responses from all 75 facility administrators. For comparison over time, BJS estimated data on inmate populations for the 7 facilities in 2004 and 4 facilities in 2009 that did not respond to the surveys.

Over the 6-year period, a number of facilities either temporarily or permanently closed and new facilities became operational. Eleven facilities permanently closed between 2004 and 2010 and a total of 21 facilities were newly constructed. A number of facilities were also determined to be out-of-scope of the survey collection, including 4 facilities that were included in the 2009 survey. BJS estimated inmate population counts for 7 facilities in 2004 and 4 facilities in 2007 that did not respond to the surveys. All known operating facilities responded to the surveys from 2008 through 2010.

*For methodologies prior to the 2004 SJIC, please refer to the Jails in Indian Country series.

Since beginning in 1998, the SJIC survey instrument has expanded to gather data on inmate admissions offenses, expanded population measurements (e.g., average daily population and offense categories), and inmate health services and facility programs.