FY 2021 Continuation of the Federal Justice Statistics Program | O BJS 2021 48005

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the FY 2021 Continuation of the Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP)?

The FY 2021 Continuation of the Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). It supports ongoing work to compile and produce comprehensive statistical information about defendants as they move through the federal criminal justice system.

Which federal agency is offering this grant?

This opportunity is offered by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

Is this a grant or a cooperative agreement?

It is offered as a cooperative agreement. This typically means the recipient works closely with BJS and follows shared project direction, milestones, and review processes, rather than operating entirely independently.

What is the main purpose of the FJSP?

The core purpose is to compile and produce comprehensive statistical information about defendants as they move through the federal criminal justice system by building an integrated, standardized, and linkable set of administrative records covering the federal case-processing pipeline.

What parts of the federal criminal justice process are included in the data?

The project covers the full federal case-processing pipeline, including: arrest and initial processing; prosecution and court activity; pretrial release and detention decisions; adjudication outcomes; sentencing; appeals; and correctional involvement.

Why does the program emphasize linking records across stages?

A key value of the program is the ability to link records across stages so analysts can follow the same case or person across multiple federal justice decisions and outcomes over time. This supports deeper analysis of how federal cases progress and where key decision points occur.

What kind of data does the FJSP use?

The program uses administrative data received each year from seven federal justice agencies. The recipient is expected to manage these data and transform them into standardized, linkable statistical resources.

How many federal justice agencies provide data each year?

Seven federal justice agencies provide administrative data each year for this program.

What work is the recipient expected to perform with the data?

The recipient is expected to handle the full lifecycle of the administrative data, including receiving and securely managing files, standardizing them into consistent formats, maintaining and updating datasets across years, linking records across agencies and stages, conducting analysis, and archiving the resulting standardized data products.

What does "standardization" mean in the context of this program?

Standardization refers to converting incoming administrative data into consistent formats and maintaining uniform structure over time so the resulting datasets can support reliable comparisons across years and consistent reporting.

What does "record linkage" mean in the context of this program?

Record linkage refers to connecting records across agencies and decision points so that the same case or person can be tracked across multiple stages of the federal justice system.

What is the funding activity area for this opportunity?

The program sits within BJS's Information and Statistics funding activity area.

What is the CFDA number for this program?

The program is listed under CFDA 16.734.

How many awards are expected?

The opportunity anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), reflecting that this is a continuation-style, central infrastructure effort.

What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $3,300,000.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is O-BJS-2021-48005.

What is the opportunity category?

The opportunity category is discretionary.

When was the notice created?

The notice was created on December 22, 2020.

What was the original closing date?

The original closing date was March 2, 2021.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as "Others" (see additional eligibility text in the full solicitation). This wording commonly indicates eligibility may be targeted to specific types of organizations or entities meeting particular qualifications.

What kinds of capabilities are likely important for eligibility based on the description provided?

Based on the description, eligibility likely aligns with organizations that can manage sensitive administrative justice data, perform complex record linkage, and maintain long-term statistical series, since those capabilities are central to the work described.

Why is this described as a continuation-style effort?

It is described as a continuation-style, central infrastructure effort because it anticipates a single award and focuses on sustaining and advancing an ongoing foundational national statistical resource rather than distributing funds across multiple smaller, independent projects.

What are the main outputs or deliverables implied by the program description?

The description indicates deliverables centered on producing standardized, linked, analyzable datasets spanning major stages of the federal justice system, along with analysis and archiving of the resulting standardized data products.

What is the broader value of the FJSP to the federal justice community?

The program is positioned as a foundational national statistical resource that enables reliable comparisons across years, consistent reporting, and deeper analytic work to support evidence-based understanding of federal criminal case processing.