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FY 2017 Graduate Research Fellowship Program for Criminal Justice Statistics
Applicant institutions sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply if the
doctoral research dissertation has direct implications for criminal justice policy and
practice in the United States. BJS encourages institutions to consider sponsoring
qualified doctoral students from social and behavioral sciences, mathematics, or
statistics for their applications. Applicant institutions are strongly encouraged to
sponsor minority and female student candidates. Awards are anticipated to be made to
successful applicant institutions in the form of a grant to cover a doctoral student
fellowship. Awards are anticipated to be made to successful applicant institutions on
behalf of the sponsored doctoral student. Awards will not exceed the amount of $45,000.
Awarded funds are to be used to cover all allowable expenses over the project period.
Additional funds will not be provided (see B. Federal Award Information). If the
doctoral student's dissertation is not completed and delivered to BJS within 5 years
from the date of the fellowship award, the academic institution may be required to
return the full award amount to BJS. The Director of BJS will make final award
decisions.
Deadline: Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on February 24, 2017.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to degree-granting educational institutions in the
United States. To be eligible, the institution must be fully accredited by one of the
regional institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of
Education. Historically black colleges and universities historically black colleges and
universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal universities are encouraged
to apply for a fellowship.
Contact Information: For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact Dr. Gerard F.
Ramker, Deputy Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics by telephone at 202-307-0765, or
by email at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "2017GRFPCJS" in the subject line.
Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF 375K)
FY 2017 BJS Faculty Research Fellowship Program in Criminal Justice Statistics
State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers, 2017
FY 2017 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)
The NCHIP grant program aims to improve the nation's safety and security by enhancing
the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and
by ensuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice
background check systems.
Deadline: Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 5, 2017.
Eligibility: The NCHIP application must be submitted by the agency designated by the governor to
administer the NCHIP program or a federally recognized Indian tribe. States and tribes
may choose to submit applications as part of a multi-state consortium, multi-tribe
consortium, or other entity.
Contact Information: For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact Devon B.
Adams, Chief, Criminal Justice Data Improvement Program, by telephone at 202-307-0765,
or by email at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "NCHIP17" in the subject line.
Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF 313K)
FY 2017 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP)
The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-180 (NIAA or the Act), was
signed into law on January 8, 2008, in the wake of the April 2007 shooting tragedy at
Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech shooter was able to purchase firearms from a Federal
Firearms Licensee (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 NIAA 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 persons to purchase firearms.
Deadline: Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 19, 2017.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to (a) the agency designated by the Governor to
administer the NARIP, (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) federally recognized Indian tribal
governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior.
Contact Information: For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact Devon B.
Adams, Chief, Criminal Justice Data Improvement Program, by telephone at 202-307-0765,
or by email at askbjs@usdoj.gov. Include "NARIP17" in the subject line.
Full solicitation in PDF format (PDF 293K)
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) requires that applications for funding be submitted through the OJP Grants Management System (GMS).
Applicants for financial assistance from BJS should also review:
Criminal justice statistics programs | Assistance to state, local, and tribal governments | IPA Mobility Program
Data collection and processing
BJS maintains nearly three dozen major statistical series designed to cover each stage of the criminal justice system. A description of the various BJS data series can be found under the topical references on the BJS home page. The U.S. Census Bureau carries out the majority of BJS's data collection activities. However, BJS conducts several statistical programs for which other non-profit organizations serve as BJS data collection agents. BJS periodically announces solicitations for these programs in the Federal Register and current solicitations are listed at the top of this page.
Statistical and methodological research
BJS conducts, supports, and implements methodological research and initiatives designed to improve the quality of justice statistics, records, and information systems.
BJS, in partnership with the American Statistical Association (ASA), sponsors research projects designed to foster improvements in the methods used to obtain, analyze, and report national-level data on crime and criminal justice. Each year, new topics for methodological research are identified by BJS and ASA. Solicitations for new research projects are announced each year in February and October.
The BJS Visiting Fellows Program promotes criminal justice statistical research among the academic and professional justice community. Visiting Fellows participate in a specifically designed research project of particular operational relevance to the national or international justice system. The 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.
National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) provides financial and technical support to states in improving the accuracy, utility, and interstate accessibility of criminal history records and enhancing records of protective orders involving domestic violence and stalking, sex offender records, automated identification systems, and other state systems supporting national records systems and their use for background checks.
State Justice Statistics (SJS) Program for Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) offers technical and financial support to states to establish and maintain a state-level capacity to collect, analyze, and report statistics on crime and justice in order to contribute to effective state policies and programs and to participate in national data series. Through the creation of SACs, BJS encourages analyses of evolving criminal justice topics of interest within the state using data gathered from state and local agencies and promotes statistical inquiries into improved measures of crime incidence and prevalence.
Through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program, BJS invites individuals interested in pursuing criminal justice issues to apply for temporary assignments. Projects will be designed to focus on improving BJS's statistical programs. Assignments may vary in duration, up to 2 years, and may be intermittent, part-time, or full-time. Visit the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program page for deadlines and eligibility requirements.