Public comments requested on the reinstatement, with change, of BJS data collection: Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ)

BJS encourages comments for 60 days through May 13, 2024, on the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ). Your comments on BJS’s request to the Office of Management and Budget, which is published in the Federal Register, should respond to one or more of the following:

• Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of BJS, including whether the information will have practical utility
• Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used
• Evaluate whether and if so, how the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected can be enhanced
• Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of technology.

Through the SILJ, BJS will collect data from a maximum of 10,000 inmates on the characteristics of jail inmates in the United States, track changes of characteristics over time, conduct studies on special topics, and identify policy-relevant issues related to crime and corrections.