State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Center 2013

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.

Under this award, the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) requests funds to: 1) provide software maintenance and contractual support for the Missouri Statistical Analysis Center (MoSAC) website and twenty-one (21) Department of Public Safety dashboards that display criminal justice related information, and 2) conduct a collaborative research study of Missouri non-compliant and absconder sex offenders with the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ). The research study will be conducted in two phases. In Phase I, staff from MoSAC and representatives from CCJ will attend a series of kickoff and project review meetings to discuss grant and research requirements and develop an action plan. A literature search of related sex offender studies will be completed by associates assigned by the CCJ. MoSAC staff and CCJ representatives will review and document analytical data designs and specifications for the study. From these data specifications, CCJ representatives will develop a research plan and methodology focusing on Missouri non-compliant and absconder sex offenders. The implementation plan will be the basis for a future grant request to fund Phase II of the research study which involves the development of an absconding risk measurement tool to assist Missouri's chief law enforcement officers with managing registered sex offenders. Funding is also being requested for travel to attend a 2014 conference where JRSA will facilitate a track for the SACs.

CA/NCF