questionnaire for telephone interviews with NCRP reporte

BJS questionnaire for NCRP data providers: SSN

1. Does your agency have electronic records with inmates’ 9-digit social security numbers (SSNs)?

   1. If no, does your agency have the ability to link to inmates’ SSNs in another agency’s database?

2. Are the SSNs based on unverified self-reports by inmates, or are the SSNs validated in some way?

   1. If the SSNs are validated, what is the validation procedure? (example – check with Social Security administration; SSN obtained from other agency documents)

3. Does your agency have a standard procedure by which an external agency like BJS can request to obtain 9-digit SSN data for prison inmates for statistical purposes?

   1. YES. [Obtain a copy of the standard procedure from the NCRP respondent – the actual request form, IAA or MOU example, IRB requirement, and/or name and contact information for the person who is in charge of evaluating the request.]

2. NOT REALLY - It has been requested in the past, but always evaluated on an individual basis. [Obtain information from the NCRP on who to contact next – department chief, legal personnel, etc. – who can tell us how to navigate through the system to get the data].

3. NO, AND WE’VE NEVER PROVIDED THESE DATA TO ANYONE….

   1. Because a law specifically prohibits our release of these data [Ask respondent to give you a link to the legal code that says this]

   2. Because it is DOC policy not to give this information out to anyone [Ask respondent to give contact information for the person in their legal and/or IT/research departments who developed this policy so that we can contact them]

   3. Because no one has ever asked before [Ask respondent for contact information for the person they feel would be the appropriate official from whom to request the data]

   4. Other reason: ___________[Obtain reason, obtain contact information for person to whom we should address our questions about this reason]

4. If there is a law or DOC policy specifically prohibiting the release of 9-digit SSN to external agencies for statistical use, does it also preclude the provision of the final 4 digits of SSN?

   1. YES. [Again, obtain link to legal code or contact information for person who developed policy]

2. NO. [Obtain contact information for appropriate person from whom BJS should request the data]

5. Research suggests that home address, when used with SSN, can improve matches between administrative data sets. Does your agency have access to inmates’ home address prior to imprisonment?

   1. If no, does your agency have the ability to link to inmates’ home address in another agency’s database?