Toward a State Drug Enforcement Strategy: A Multi-Sector Needs Assessment

The State Justice Statistics (SJS) Program is designed to maintain and enhance each state's capacity to address criminal justice issues through collection and analysis of data. The SJS Program provides support to each state to coordinate and conduct statistical activities within the state, conduct research to estimate impacts of legislative and policy changes, and serve as a liaison in assisting BJS to gather data from respondent agencies within their states.

The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council's (GJCC) Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) will use SJS funds to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to determine drug enforcement efforts and offender treatment needs. Specifically, the SAC will survey law enforcement, prosecutors, probation officers, community-based substance abuse service providers, and judges to get their observations and feedback about needs and priorities in respect to drug use and crime. The needs assessment will also examine the nexus between gang activity and drug crime. The survey will be designed to answer questions related to, among other things, the nature of drug crime by area, the relationship between drug crime and gang activity, the availability and use of resources to combat drug crime, and cross-collaboration efforts among agencies to combat drug crime and assist drug users. The SAC will also examine and map data to determine what types of drug crime are prevalent in various areas of the state. The SAC will complete a report on findings and present policy recommendations to develop a coherent drug enforcement strategy for the state. The SAC will also use funds to support the state's efforts to collect and report data for BJS's Arrest-Related Deaths program.
CA/NCF