Learn more about BJS’s activities in December 2025! Click on the headings below for details.
Learn how estimates of crime reported by police are generated
BJS released NIBRS Estimation and Extract File Creation Methodology Report, a BJS-funded report by RTI International. It describes the methodology and procedures used by BJS to create the annual National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) National Estimates and Data Extract Files. Covering 12 key topic areas, the report describes the receipt and processing of NIBRS data from the FBI and the data quality checks that are performed. It also outlines the procedures used for the NIBRS Estimation Program, including the indicators to be estimated, imputation, and weighting.
New reports present findings on sexual victimization reported by inmates
BJS released Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2023–24 and Sexual Victimization in Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2023–24. These reports present findings from the fourth National Inmate Survey (NIS-4) in state and federal prisons and local jails. The NIS is part of BJS’s National Prison Rape Statistics Program, which collects allegations of sexual victimization directly from victims and information on reported sexual victimization from administrative records.
The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA; P.L. 108–79) requires BJS to carry out a comprehensive statistical review and analysis of the incidence and effects of prison rape. These reports provide estimates of sexual victimization in state and federal prisons and local jails, present trend data from 2011–12 to 2023–24, and fulfill the requirement under PREA to provide lists of jails and prisons according to their prevalence of sexual victimization.
Read Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2023–24 Read Sexual Victimization in Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2023–24
New report on persons held in Indian country jails
BJS released Jails in Indian Country, 2024. This report provides statistics on the demographic characteristics, most serious offense, and conviction status of persons held in Indian country jails. It also describes facility characteristics, including capacity and staffing. The report supports the mandate established by the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 that requires BJS to establish and implement a tribal data collection system, to support tribal participation in national records and information systems, and to annually report to Congress the data collected and analyzed in accordance with the act. It is the 22nd report in a series that began in 1998, based on the Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country.
Updated statistics on jail populations, admissions, and incarceration rates
BJS released Jails Report Series: 2024 Preliminary Data Release. It presents preliminary statistics on key items from the Annual Survey of Jails and the Census of Jails. This web-based publication includes statistics from 2014 to 2024 on the:
- number of persons held in local jails by demographic characteristics and conviction status,
- number of admissions to jail, and
- jail incarceration rates.
Final statistics will be published in Jail Inmates in 2024 – Statistical Tables, forthcoming.
Access data from the Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies
BJS released the 2021–2022 dataset for the Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (SCLEA), which can be accessed through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. The SCLEA collects data on various aspects of campus law enforcement agencies, including staffing, functions, technology and communication, training, equipment, and techniques. The survey includes campus law enforcement agencies serving institutions funded by both public and private sources. To ensure reliability of national estimates, the 2021 SCLEA was conducted as a census of campus law enforcement agencies serving 4-year and 2-year institutions offering in-person instruction with more than 1,000 full-time students.
Federal Justice Statistics Program datasets are now available
BJS released 28 Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) studies, including 18 FJSP 2023 datasets and 10 FJSP Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) datasets for 2018–2022. They are available through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. The FJSP covers seven stages of federal criminal case processing:
- Arrest refers to the arrest of a suspect by a federal law enforcement agency.
- Prosecution refers to the investigation of criminal matters.
- Pretrial release includes the release and detention of defendants before adjudication.
- Adjudication covers the criminal court proceedings through case disposition.
- Sentencing covers sentences imposed on convicted defendants.
- Appeals covers cases filed and terminated on appeal.
- Corrections includes persons under supervision (i.e., probation, supervised release, or parole) and persons in prison.
The FJSP receives source data from the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, EOUSA, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, U.S. Sentencing Commission, and Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Dataset now available: Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country, 2024
BJS released the 2024 Annual Survey of Jails in Indian Country dataset through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. This survey collects data on all known adult and juvenile facilities (such as jails, confinement facilities, detention centers, and other correctional facilities) operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It provides estimates of:
- staffing and facility characteristics
- the number of adults and juveniles held in Indian country jails
- average daily population in jail facilities
- inmate deaths and suicide attempts
- human trafficking, elder abuse, and kidnapping.
BJS updates the FCCPS tool
BJS updated the Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics (FCCPS) Tool. The FCCPS Tool allows practitioners, policy makers, academics, and the public to investigate and research various aspects of the federal criminal justice system. Updates to the tool include removing the classic view to align with usage patterns, refining the U.S. Criminal Code Statistics page, and making corresponding adjustments to the User Guide and Quick Guide. Additional FCCPS updates are planned for 2026.
Access the Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics Tool
View the redesigned and updated JEET
BJS redesigned and updated the Justice Expenditure and Employment Tool (JEET). JEET allows users to explore expenditure and employment statistics across various functions in the justice system, including total justice system spending, police protection, judicial and legal services, and corrections. It also provides expenditure and employment information for national, state, county, and city levels of government. Updates include the addition of 2020 and 2021 data, refinement of certain visualizations and front-page graphics, modifications to site navigation, and expanded functionality across the tool.
New BJS data tool allows users to identify topics and questions from the Survey of Prison Inmates
BJS released the Survey of Prison Inmates (SPI) Questionnaire Crosswalk data tool. With this dynamic tool, users can map questions asked in the 2016 iteration of the SPI to those asked in the 1997 and 2004 surveys. The tool allows users to toggle through each section of the SPI questionnaire to examine question characteristics and response options across survey years. It also provides users with the ability to download their results.
The SPI is a national, cross-sectional survey of the state and sentenced federal prison populations that is conducted periodically by BJS. The SPI’s primary objective is to produce national statistics on prison populations across a variety of topics.
Access previous Months in Review. Subscribe to JUSTSTATS to receive real-time updates from BJS.