Click on the headings below for details on BJS’s activities in February 2024.
New BJS report on federal opioid offenses
BJS has released Heroin, Fentanyl, and Other Opioid Offenses in Federal Courts, 2021. Using data from various sources, this report describes the federal criminal justice response to opioids. It focuses on heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids, including how they are classified under the Controlled Substances Act, the number of deaths due to overdose, and the number of persons arrested and sentenced for federal offenses involving these substances. These and other findings are from BJS’s Federal Justice Statistics Program, which collects data from the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Sentencing Commission.
Read the Report
New report shares Edward Byrne Memorial JAG 2022 allocations
This Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program report describes the steps BJS used to calculate the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant formula-based award amounts and presents summary results of the fiscal year 2022 calculations. Administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the JAG program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of criminal justice areas. States and localities receive funds based on their resident population reported by the U.S. Census Bureau and on violent crime data reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
The National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement, 2022 dataset is available
BJS has released the 2022 dataset for the National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement (SCS) through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. Cosponsored by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the SCS is administered every 2 years. This supplement asks respondents ages 12 to 18 about crimes that occurred at school and other characteristics of school crime.
BJS releases updates to LEARCAT, the Law Enforcement Agency Reported Crime Analysis Tool
BJS updated its Law Enforcement Agency Reported Crime Analysis Tool (LEARCAT) with recently released 2022 crime data and refreshed 2021 data. LEARCAT provides access to incident-based data on crimes recorded by law enforcement using data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), as well as contextual information from other federal data sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau. The tool includes crime incident and victimization information at the state, county, and local law enforcement agency levels.
Learn more about the Survey of Prison Inmates Data Analysis Tool
A new video presents valuable information and tips on how to navigate the Survey of Prisons Inmates Data Analysis Tool (SPI DAT), a dynamic analysis tool that modernizes public access to the most recent SPI data (2016) with interactive visualizations. The SPI is a national, cross-sectional survey of the state and sentenced federal prison populations that BJS conducts periodically. With SPI DAT, users can create data visualizations, view additional statistics through the chart tooltip, display or hide chart footnotes, and download results. Watch now and learn about all the dynamic benefits of SPI DAT.
Public comments requested on the Survey of Sexual Victimization
BJS encourages comments for 60 days on the extension, with change, of the Survey of Sexual Victimization, a currently approved data collection. This survey collects annual administrative data on allegations and substantiated incidents of sexual victimization from adult correctional and juvenile justice authorities.
Submit your comments to the Office of Management and Budget through the Federal Register by April 12, 2024.
Apply now! BJS is hiring two unit chiefs
BJS is hiring two Supervisory Statisticians (GS 14–15) to serve as unit chiefs. Each unit chief will supervise a group of employees working at the GS-9 to GS-14 levels and provide the administrative and technical supervision necessary to accomplish the unit’s work. The unit chief will also consult and collaborate with government officials, professional associations, and others to advise on the application of statistics to criminal justice issues, policies, and programs.
• The Jails and Community Corrections Unit Chief will oversee the management of data collections related to jails and community corrections.
• The Statistical Methods Unit Chief will oversee projects related to design and estimation methods for complex survey and administrative data.
The positions are open to the public, and they are being filled under the Direct Hire Authority. Applications are due by Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
BJS consults with tribes about 2024 tribal justice data collections
BJS Acting Director Kevin M. Scott, PhD, has invited the 574 federally recognized tribes and tribal nations to three listening sessions to discuss the development and implementation of the 2024 Census of Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies (CTLEA) and the 2024 Census of Tribal Court Systems (CTCS). The goal of these sessions is to learn from tribal leaders and the tribal justice community about data gaps and needs and to ensure survey questions are relevant and useful to tribal communities.
BJS and NIJ engaged with social science organizations
On February 27, 2024, BJS Acting Director Kevin M. Scott, PhD, and National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Director Nancy LaVigne, PhD, discussed their agencies’ latest research and activities and shared 2024 priorities with members of the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA).
This webinar kicked off the 2024 Headlines webinar series, designed to provide an interactive space for COSSA member organizations to learn about the latest developments within federal science agencies and engage directly with officials.
Other BJS engagements
- 2024 National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (NLETS) Meeting
- American Probation Parole Association Winter Training Institute and Executive Summit
- 76th Annual Conference of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
- Slovak Analytical Center Virtual Meeting
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
- National Sheriffs’ Association Winter Conference
- International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training Executive Committee Meeting
Get access to previous Months in Review activities and view BJS's Year in Review.