2019 Census of Jails and 2020-23 Annual Survey of Jails | BJS 2018 14127

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJS 2018 14127

The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) grant opportunity titled "2019 Census of Jails and 2020-23 Annual Survey of Jails" is a discretionary, cooperative agreement intended to support the nationwide collection and production of official statistics on jail populations in the United States. The core purpose of the project is to run two closely connected data collection programs: the Census of Jails (COJ), which is a full enumeration of local jail facilities, and the Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ), which is an ongoing annual survey of a scientifically selected sample of jail jurisdictions conducted in the years between jail censuses. Together, these collections are designed to give BJS and the public reliable, consistent measures of how many people are held in jail, who they are, and how jail systems operate over time.

The COJ is the larger, periodic census effort that has been conducted since 1970. It is administered to roughly 3,200 county and city jail facilities across the country, and it also includes Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities that function in a jail-like capacity. Because the COJ is a census rather than a sample survey, it is the main tool BJS uses to generate facility-level and state-level statistics. It captures baseline structural and operational information that lets BJS describe the jail landscape across all states, identify trends, and provide a comprehensive picture of local jail capacity and use.

The ASJ complements the census by providing annual national-level statistics in non-census years. Started in 1982, it is administered to a nationally representative sample of nearly 900 jail jurisdictions selected from the most recent COJ "frame" (the master list of jail facilities/jurisdictions built from the census). The point of the ASJ is to keep jail statistics current between censuses by measuring population levels and key characteristics each year, allowing BJS to publish timely national estimates and trend lines without having to conduct a full census every year. In practice, the ASJ depends on the COJ for its sampling design, and the COJ benefits from the ASJ by keeping ongoing measurement and operational knowledge active between full enumerations.

Across both the COJ and ASJ, the grant-supported work focuses on producing core jail indicators that are widely used by policymakers, researchers, and criminal justice practitioners. These statistics include the overall jail population size and demographic or legal status characteristics such as sex, race, and conviction status. The collections also cover counts of juveniles held, the flow of people through jails via admissions and releases, and operational measures like holds for other authorities (for example, people detained for another agency or jurisdiction). Additional key measures include rated capacity and turnover rates, which are essential for understanding crowding, how quickly jail populations change, and how jails function as short-term detention and processing facilities.

A major additional value of the COJ is that it serves as the sampling frame for other BJS jail data collections beyond the ASJ, including the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails. In other words, the census establishes and updates the authoritative universe of jail facilities and jurisdictions that BJS can use to design representative samples for specialized surveys. That frame-building function is critical because the accuracy of national jail statistics depends heavily on having a complete and up-to-date list of facilities and jurisdictions, along with basic classification information needed for sampling and weighting.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by BJS under CFDA 16.734 and is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning BJS expects substantial involvement in the project such as collaboration on methods, oversight of data quality, and alignment with federal statistical standards. The opportunity number is BJS 2018 14127, with an original posting date of May 18, 2018 and an original closing date of July 2, 2018. BJS anticipated making one award, with a maximum award ceiling of $2,560,000. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification referenced in the solicitation's eligibility section, which commonly includes research organizations, data collection firms, academic institutions, nonprofits, and other qualified entities capable of administering large-scale government statistical collections.

Overall, the grant centers on maintaining the nation’s primary statistical infrastructure for tracking jail populations and jail operations. The COJ provides comprehensive, state-level and facility-level coverage on a periodic basis, while the ASJ supplies annual national estimates between censuses. Together, they produce the official indicators used to understand jail population levels, demographic composition, custody status, population movement into and out of jails, and capacity-related pressures, while also ensuring BJS has the sampling foundation needed for future jail surveys.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2019 Census of Jails and 2020-23 Annual Survey of Jails" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 02, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,560,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BJS 2018 14127

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