BJS is seeking input from tribal leaders, tribal law enforcement and court administrators, justice practitioners working in Indian country, and other interested parties on the development and implementation of the 2024 Census of Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies (CTLEA) and Census of Tribal Court Systems (CTCS). BJS plans to conduct new iterations of the CTLEA and CTCS in 2025, with a data reference year of 2024.
BJS will host three tribal justice data webinars in February 2024 and a two-day in-person meeting in March 2024 to discuss possible updates to the CTLEA and CTCS survey instruments for the 2024 collections. The events will serve as listening sessions and will allow BJS to collect input on potential survey topics from people working in the tribal community and affiliated with the tribal justice systems.
BJS Acting Director Kevin M. Scott, PhD, announced the new 2024 CTLEA and CTCS projects through a letter inviting all 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States to participate.
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss topics including emerging issues in their communities, crime prevention, changes to tribal justice systems, and challenges faced by law enforcement. BJS will provide information about the upcoming data collections and how they can benefit the tribal law enforcement and justice systems.
BJS is also collaborating with federal partners to develop and implement the new data collections. Those federal partners include the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, FBI Indian Crime Unit, and other offices within DOJ that work on tribal crime and justice issues in Indian country. BJS will also host a webinar for federal partners in March 2024 to share key takeaways from the listening sessions and to hear directly from federal agencies about how the surveys can best support those working with tribal justice systems or justice issues.