SJIC-Sample cover letter announcing data collection

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Washington, D.C. 20531

«Date»

«Name1» «Name2»
«Address1»
«Address2»
«Address3»
Dear «Name3» «Name2»:
We are writing to thank you for your continued participation in the Survey of Jails in Indian
Country (SJIC) data collection program and to ask for your participation in the 2013 survey.
Since 1998, the SJIC has been a core component of the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) data
collections on jail populations. For the seventh straight year we have partnered with Westat to
collect the data.
Your participation in the program has been vital in allowing BJS to track changes in the jail
population and to address critical changes in Tribal jails. Thanks to your efforts, we have
highlighted the high volume of the inmates admitted into your jail and the resource demands they
place on jail operations as a major source of strain in managing your inmate population. For
more information please see the report, Jails in Indian Country, 2011, available electronically at
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4492.
Participation in the 2013 survey is voluntary; however, we ask for your assistance in conducting
this survey. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C.
3732), authorizes the collection of these data.
Please complete your questionnaire and fax to Westat at 301-315-5912 before August 1, 2013. If
you need assistance in completing the survey, please contact Karla Eisen of Westat at 1-888-6757330 or Todd Minton of BJS at 202-305-9630.
Sincerely,

Todd D. Minton
Project Officer, Survey of Jails in Indian Country
BJS Statistician, Corrections Statistics Unit
Enclosure.

William J. Sabol, Ph.D.
Deputy Director,
Bureau of Justice Statistics