U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Strategic Plan FY 2005-2008 April 2005 and objectivity while striving to produce • enhancing the availability and Introduction impartial, timely, and accurate statistics completeness of records of protective as established in its governing statute. orders involving domestic violence and The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) In carrying out its mission, BJS stalking was established on December 27, adheres to the principles and practices • enhancing the availability of sex 1979, under the Justice Systems established by the Federal statistical offender records Improvement Act of 1979 as an community. • improving automated identification amendment to the Omnibus Crime systems and other State systems Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. BJS maintains over three dozen major supporting national records systems Previous criminal justice statistical statistical series designed to cover and their use for background checks. efforts were authorized within the Law every stage of the American criminal Enforcement Assistance Administration and civil justice system. BJS statistics created by the 1968 Act. are published annually on the following Principles and Practices topics: criminal victimization, popula- for a Federal Statistical Agency As the statistical arm of the U.S. tions under correctional supervision, Department of Justice, BJS is respon- and Federal criminal offenders and A clearly-defined and well-accepted sible for the collection, analysis, publi- mission case processing. cation, and dissemination of statistical information on crime, criminal offend- A strong position of independence In addition to its annual series, BJS ers, victims of crime, and the opera- maintains periodic data series that tions of justice systems at all levels of Continual development of more cover the following: government. useful data • the administration of law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities Openness about the data provided Since its inception, BJS has emerged • prosecutorial practices and policies as the principal criminal justice statisti- • State court case processing Wide dissemination of data cal agency in the Nation. BJS' most • felony convictions fundamental accomplishment is provid- • characteristics of correctional Cooperation with data users ing accurate, timely, and objective populations information to Federal, State, and local Fair treatment of data providers • criminal justice expenditure and policymakers, to assist them in employment combating crime and ensuring that Commitment to quality and profes- • civil case processing in State courts justice is both efficient and sional standards of practice • special studies on other criminal evenhanded. Whether through justice topics. national data collections or assistance An active research program to States and communities, BJS is BJS provides financial and technical Professional advancement of staff dedicated to improving the quality of support to State and local governments our national intelligence on crime and to develop their capabilities to provide Coordination and cooperation with enhancing the quality of the national criminal justice statistics. This BJS other statistical agencies. discourse concerning criminal and civil support targets the development of justice. information systems to foster State Source: Principles and Practices for a participation in national statistical BJS is dedicated to developing, Federal Statistical Agency, National programs — Research Council , (National Academy maintaining, and disseminating all • implementing the National Incident- Press, 3rd ed., 2005) of its statistics in accordance with the Based Reporting System highest professional and statistical • improving the accuracy, utility, and standards. BJS has long maintained interstate accessibility of criminal the strongest commitment to integrity history records BJS provides technical expertise on Organization of the BJS Strategic issues relating to criminal records Plan policy, covering topics such as State criminal history record procedures and The BJS Strategic Plan includes five systems, privacy and security components: standards, and interstate exchange of criminal history records for noncriminal I. Overview of recent crime and justice purposes. justice trends for purposes of identifying and measuring the Performance Mandate problem In recent years, the Department, the II. Statement of BJS’ mission, strate- Office of Justice Programs, and the gic goals, and performance Federal Government in general, have measurement concepts begun implementing performance- based management and budgeting. At III. Description of each strategic goal its core, performance-based manage- and associated outcomes ment encourages organizations to focus on their mission, agree on goals, IV. Measures of BJS’ operational and report results — a process which efficiency is designed to guide organizations toward improved performance. V. Description of the role of profes- Congress has mandated performance- sional review in strategic and based management primarily through program planning. the enactment of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 which requires agencies to identify their strategic goals and the outcomes necessary to achieve these goals. 2 BJS Strategic Plan, FY 2005-2008 Section I. Overview of recent crime and justice trends: identifying and measuring the problem Violence Law Enforcement Courts and Sentencing Corrections Tribal Justice Federal Criminal Justice Fairness in the Criminal Justice System Justice-Related Expenditure and Employment Criminal History Records BJS Strategic Plan, FY 2005-2008 3 Figure 1. Strategic Plan for the Bureau of Justice Statistics: Strategies to Achieve the Objective with Principal Series and State and Local Assistance Programs Objective: Produce statistics to guide Federal, State, and local policy on crime Goal 1: Goal 2: Goal 3: Produce statistics Improve criminal records Ensure public access to data crime and justice and local statistics and statistics Victimization Law Enforcement Prosecution Courts and Improving Criminal Improving Crime and Publication and BJS Assistance to Statistics Statistics Statistics Sentencing History Records Justice Statistics Locally Dissemination Data Users Statistics National Crime Victimization Law Enforcement Management and State Court Case National Criminal History State Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal In identifying Survey Administrative Statistics Processing Statistics Improvement Program Program Justice Statistics sources of BJS National Prosecutors information Survey Cybercrime Statistics Police Use of Excessive Force National Judicial NCHIP Evaluation Technical Assistance to Internet Development Statistics Reporting Program State Statistical Agencies Activities NCVS Automation NCHIP Technical Assistance In interpreting statistical data NCVS Sample Redesign Traffic Stops Statistics- Racial State Court NCHIP Statistics National Incident-Based BJS Clearinghouse Profiling Statistics Caseload Statistics Reporting System and Stalking Statistics Tribal Criminal History Records National Archive of In working with FBI Support Improvement Program Criminal Justice Data public-use data Identity Theft Statistics DNA Crime Labs Domestic Violence tapes Case Processing Statistics School Crime Forensic Crime Labs National Clearinghouse for Criminal Justice Information Workplace Violence Statistics Medical Examiner and System s Coroner Offices Statistics on Victimization of the Disabled Federal Justice Statistics Resources Center Infobase of State Activities and Research Corrections Federal Justice Tribal Justice Statistics on Statistics Statistics Statistics Drugs and Crime National Prisoner Statistics Criminal Victimization in Indian Country Studies Capital Punishment Series Federal Justice Many ongoing BJS Statistics Program statistical series National Corrections Census of Tribal Justice collect and analyze Reporting Program Agencies data on drugs and crime Probation and Parole Annual Survey of Jails in Statistics Indian Country Annual Survey of Local Jails Surveys of Federal, State, and Local Inmates Censuses of Federal, State, and Local Correctional Facilities Deaths in Custody Prison Rape Statistics Civil Justice Employment and Statistics on Improving the Expenditure International Crim e Quality of Justice Statistics and Justice Data State Courts Employment and Expenditure W orld Factbook of ASA Advisory Assistance Data Extracts Criminal Justice Statistics Federal Courts Statistical Methodological Research Program Justice Assistance Data Work with UN and other BJS Visiting Fellow Program Survey on Employment and countries on victimization State Correctional Information Systems Expenditure Data surveys NIBRS implementation study Justice information and policy issues Data Quality Guidelines Formal process to request data corrections I. Overview of recent crime and offense for which they were convicted. Law Enforcement justice trends This translates into about 1.1 million offenders involved with the criminal State and local law enforcement: In As the national repository for statistical justice system nationwide. Offender 2000, approximately 18,000 State and information on crime and the admini- use of alcohol at the time of the offense local law enforcement agencies nation- stration of justice, BJS maintains data was described about twice as often as wide employed over 700,000 full-time on victimizations experienced by the