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National Survey of Prosecutors (NSP)
Data Collection Status
Active
Frequency
Census in 2001 and 2007; Surveys in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, and 2020.
Latest Data Available
2007
Data Experts
George Ebo Browne, PhD, BJS Statistician
Collection Period
Census in 2001 and 2007; Surveys in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, and 2020.
Description
The data obtained from the National Survey of Prosecutors (NSP) provided data on prosecutorial activities nationwide as well as a variety of administrative and legal issues facing prosecutors who handle felony cases in state courts. The 2020 NSP surveyed 750 of the 2.347 state prosecutor offices in the U.S. Prior to the 2020 NSP, the most recent iteration of NSPwas a census conducted in 2007. Probability samples of state prosecutors were surveyed in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 2005. Censuses were conducted in 2001 and 2007.
The sampling frame used for the 2020 NSP originated with the 2007 NSP frame, which was updated by matching prosecutor jurisdictions to county-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 5-year American Community Survey and the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes. Cross-matching was done to ensure that all counties in the United States were covered by a prosecutor’s office in the frame. A link to the full online survey was initially sent to all 750 offices in the sample, with the option to request a paper survey. The full survey had four sections with a total of 43 questions, but participants were prompted to skip questions that were not applicable to their office. If offices did not respond to the initial survey after repeated nonresponse follow-up prompts, they were sent the critical item survey, consisting of eight questions.
