FY 2021 National Census of Victim Service Providers

The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), in collaboration with Westat and the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), proposes to conduct a new, 2022 National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP) in response to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) opportunity. This proposal will build on the success of the first NCVSP and provide much needed data to facilitate victim services planning and programming throughout the United States so as to reach more victims.

The proposed project will accomplish 12 main tasks: (1) review the 2017 NCVSP instrument to identify problematic variables and missing constructs, producing a report summarizing findings; (2) conduct frame research and develop a plan for updating the frame; (3) identify subject matter experts to provide feedback on the frame updates and revised instrument; (4) conduct cognitive and usability testing of the instrument; (5) prepare generic and full OMB clearance packages; (6) revise and format the NCVSP instrument for implementation via web, CATI, and paper options; (7) plan and coordinate outreach to VSPs to emphasize the importance and utility of the VSP and thus increase participation; (8) administer the NCVSP; (9) plan and implement imputation procedures and non-response bias analyses, if necessary; (10) prepare clean public use data files, codebooks, and relevant documents for archiving and delivery to BJS; (11) prepare the final report; and (12) prepare progress, financial, and other necessary reports.

The plans proposed are designed to creatively address several main challenges with the previous NCVSP. Among these are an expected decrease in eligibility rates for VSPs due to active status changes in response to VOCA funding cuts, identifying units of analysis for responding entities that may be configured in various ways, consistency in survey items on agency structures and types that may not fit neatly into categories, and securing a high response rate.

While these challenges should not be minimized, the proposed project team is well-positioned to meet them and engage the national network of VSPs. The proposed team combines as a foundation for project success the powerful reach and good reputation with the VSP community of JRSA and its Center for Victim Research, the formidable strength of Westat as a powerhouse for large scale data collection, and the history and unequaled connections with the VSP community of NOVA.