Census of Jails 2025 and 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) intends to develop and implement a web-based survey to collect 2025 and 2026 Census of Jails (COJ) data from nearly 3,000 local jails. For the first time, the COJ will begin data collection annually. This program furthers the DOJ’s mission by gathering critical criminal justice data from local jails and providing these data to support innovative strategies to handle the challenges confronting the criminal justice system.  Project activities include the refinement of the web-based data collection system; updates to and verification of the current jail frame data; development and implementation of outreach materials to encourage COJ survey response; implementation of data collection and procedures to maximize data quality; efficient processing, including data cleaning, weighting, and imputation; and an expeditious delivery of final data. After the completion of data collection each year, outcomes will include the COJ survey data file, a revised jail universe frame, and an annual data collection summary and recommendations report.  Researchers and practitioners will benefit from the COJ, as it is a primary source for data on jail population, facility characteristics, and jail programs in the United States. It also provides the jail frame for BJS jail establishment surveys and inmate surveys.