NSIDS Attachments with Table of Contents

2013 National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems – Table of Contents
Attachment 1 - Title 42 Authorization ............................................................................................. 2
Attachment 2 - Certification Statement ........................................................................................... 7
Attachment 3 - NSIDS Questionnaire – Web Version (screen shots).............................................. 8
Attachment 4 - Pre-notification letter ............................................................................................ 11
Attachment 5 - NSIDS brochure .................................................................................................... 12
Attachment 6 - Letters of Support.................................................................................................. 14
Attachment 7 - Survey invitation letter .......................................................................................... 19
Attachment 8 - Postcard text .......................................................................................................... 20
Attachment 9 - Replacement letter................................................................................................. 21
Attachment 10 - Telephone Scripts for NORC .............................................................................. 22

1

DERIVATION
Title I
THE OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS ACT OF 1968
(Public Law 90-351)
42 U.S.C. § 3711, et seq.
AN ACT to assist State and local governments in reducing the incidence of crime, to increase the effectiveness,
fairness, and coordination of law enforcement and criminal justice systems at all levels of government, and for other
purposes.
As Amended By
THE OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1970
(Public Law 91-644)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1973
(Public Law 93-83)
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT OF 1974
(Public Law 93-415)
THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ BENEFITS ACT OF 1976
(Public Law 94-430)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1976
(Public Law 94-503)
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1979
(Public Law 96-157)
THE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1984
(Public Law 98-473)
STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1986
(Public Law 99-570-Subtitle K)
THE ANTI-DRUG ABUSE ACT OF 1988
TITLE VI, SUBTITLE C - STATE AND LOCAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
AND JUSTICE ASSISTANCE IMPROVEMENTS
(Public Law 100-690)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1990
(Public Law 101-647)
BRADY HANDGUN VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT
(Public Law 103-159)
VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994
(Public Law 103-322)
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION ACT OF 1993, AS AMENDED
(Public Law 103-209)
and
CRIME IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1998
(Public Law 105-251)

2

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
CHAPTER 46 - SUBCHAPTER III
[TITLE I - PART C]
42 USC § 3731

[Sec. 301.] Statement of purpose

It is the purpose of this subchapter [part] to provide for and encourage the collection and
analysis of statistical information concerning crime, juvenile delinquency, and the
operation of the criminal justice system and related aspects of the civil justice system and
to support the development of information and statistical systems at the Federal, State,
and local levels to improve the efforts of these levels of government to measure and
understand the levels of crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal
justice system and related aspects of the civil justice system. The Bureau shall utilize to
the maximum extent feasible State governmental organizations and facilities responsible
for the collection and analysis of criminal justice data and statistics. In carrying out the
provisions of this subchapter [part], the Bureau shall give primary emphasis to the
problems of State and local justice systems.
42 USC § 3732

[Sec. 302.] Bureau of Justice Statistics

(a) Establishment. There is established within the Department of Justice, under the
general authority of the Attorney General, a Bureau of Justice Statistics (hereinafter
referred to in this subchapter [part] as “Bureau”).
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions. The Bureau shall be
headed by a Director appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate. The Director shall have had experience in statistical programs. The Director
shall have final authority for all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by
the Bureau. The Director shall report to the Attorney General through the Assistant
Attorney General. The Director shall not engage in any other employment than that of
serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any office in, or act in any capacity for,
any organization, agency, or institution with which the Bureau makes any contract or
other arrangement under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau. The Bureau is authorized to–
(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public
agencies, institutions of higher education, private organizations, or private
individuals for purposes related to this subchapter [part]; grants shall be made
subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set
forth in rules and regulations promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including
crimes against the elderly, and civil disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable
national social indication of the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution,
and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil disputes, and other statistical
factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support of
national, State, and local justice policy and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the
criminal justice system at the Federal, State, and local levels;
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(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence,
incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, and juvenile
delinquency, at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the
use of statistical information, about criminal and civil justice systems at the
Federal, State, and local levels, and about the extent, distribution and attributes of
crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the Federal, State, and local
levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics
concerning all aspects of criminal justice and related aspects of civil justice,
crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile delinquency, criminal
offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the
reliability and validity of justice statistics supplied pursuant to this chapter [title];
(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal and State
Governments in matters relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the
judicial branch in assuring as much uniformity as feasible in statistical systems of
the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State and
local governments, and the general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State and local
governments with access to Federal informational resources useful in the
planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing
justice statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and
assistance to the States and units of local government relating to collection,
analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection,
aggregation, analysis and dissemination of information on the incidence of crime
and the operation of the criminal justice system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction
statistics (including statistics on issues of Federal justice interest such as public
fraud and high technology crime) and to provide technical assistance to and work
jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of
Federal justice data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and
dissemination of information and statistics about the prevalence, incidence, rates,
extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug related offenses and drug
dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national
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clearinghouse to maintain and update a comprehensive and timely data base on all
criminal justice aspects of the drug crisis and to disseminate such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of
statistics on the condition and progress of drug control activities at the Federal,
State and local levels with particular attention to programs and intervention
efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti- drug strategy and
to provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse for the gathering of
data generated by Federal, State, and local criminal justice agencies on their drug
enforcement activities;
(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State and local criminal
justice information systems, and the standardization of data reporting relating to
the collection, analysis or dissemination of data and statistics about drug offenses,
drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;
(19) provide for research and improvements in the accuracy, completeness, and
inclusiveness of criminal history record information, information systems, arrest
warrant, and stolen vehicle record information and information systems and
support research concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of
other criminal justice record information;
(20) maintain liaison with State and local governments and governments of other
nations concerning justice statistics;
(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in
the development of uniform justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 3789g
of this title and identify, analyze, and participate in the development and
implementation of privacy, security and information policies which impact on
Federal and State criminal justice operations and related statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VIII [part H] of this
chapter [title].
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination. To insure that all justice
statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated manner,
the Director is authorized to–
(1) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel,
information, and facilities of other Federal, State, local, and private agencies and
instrumentalities with or without reimbursement therefor, and to enter into
agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data
collection and analysis;
(2) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(3) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be
required to carry out the purposes of this chapter [title];
(4) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in
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gathering data from criminal justice records; and
(5) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies
regarding information systems, information policy, and data.
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies. Federal agencies
requested to furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(3) of this
section shall provide such information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the
purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation with representatives of State and local government and judiciary. In
recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director
shall consult with representatives of State and local government, including, where
appropriate, representatives of the judiciary.
42 USC § 3733

[Sec. 303.] Authority for 100 per centum grants

A grant authorized under this subchapter [part] may be up to 100 per centum of the total
cost of each project for which such grant is made. The Bureau shall require, whenever
feasible as a condition of approval of a grant under this subchapter [part] , that the
recipient contribute money, facilities, or services to carry out the purposes for which the
grant is sought.
42 USC § 3735

[Sec. 304.] Use of data

Data collected by the Bureau shall be used only for statistical or research purposes, and
shall be gathered in a manner that precludes their use for law enforcement or any purpose
relating to a particular individual other than statistical or research purposes.

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PAPERWORK CERTIFICATION

In submitting this request for OMB approval, I certify that the requirements of the
Privacy Act and OMB directives have been complied with including paperwork regulations,
statistical standards for directives, and any other information policy directives promulgated under
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

_____________________________________
William J. Sabol, Acting Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics

________________
Date

7

8

9

10

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

<><> <> <>
<>
<>, <>
<>
Dear <> <>:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistic (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice, NORC at
the University of Chicago is conducting the 2013 National Survey of Indigent Defense
Systems (NSIDS). In approximately 1-2 weeks, you should receive an invitation to
participate in the 2013 NSIDS. The 2013 NSIDS will be a census of the nation’s indigent
defense systems. The questionnaire requests much needed information on the operations,
staffing, caseloads, and funding for agencies that provide indigent defense services.
For your convenience, you can also respond to the 2013 NSIDS via the web. To access
the web survey, please use this link: <>.
For security purposes, we have assigned you a unique Personal Identification Number
(PIN) and password. Please use the PIN and password below to access the web survey:
PIN: <>

Password: <>

The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA), the National Association
of Counties (NACo), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL),
and the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent
Defendants (ABA SCLAID) have expressed their support for this survey. BJS and NORC
have worked closely the NLADA to ensure that data collected is useful to the indigent
defense community. Findings will be available from the BJS website
(www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs) in 20XX.
If you need assistance with the questionnaire, contact NORC at 1-877-346-5354, or email them at [email protected]. Although this survey is voluntary, we urgently need and
appreciate your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate and timely.
Sincerely,
William Sabol, PhD
BJS Acting Director

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• How many personnel were paid by your
indigent defense system in 2013?
• What were your system’s salary ranges at
the end of fiscal year 2013 for the following
positions.
Managing Attorney
Supervisory Attorney
Line Attorney, entry level
Line attorney, with 5 years or less experience
Line attorney, with 6 years or more of experience

• Does your indigent defense system conduct
regular attorney performance reviews?
• Are attorneys reimbursed for case related outof-pocket expenses?

Section E – Indigency Determinations
• Do you have formally established guidelines
defining when a person is indigent (i.e.,
financially eligible to receive publicly financed
counsel)?
• What criteria are used to determine whether a
potential client is indigent?

Section F – Professional Development
• Are attorneys in your system required to
obtain Continuing Legal Education (CLE) in
the areas of law in which they provide indigent
defense representation?
• During fiscal year 2013, in which of the following areas did your system provide opportunities for professional development?
Criminal law or procedure
Motion practice
Ethics
Trial skills
Death penalty trial defense
Juvenile delinquency
Mental illness cases
Dependency cases
Appellate cases
Civil
Other

• Does your indigent defense system require
that a minimum number of CLE hours or other
professional training be related to criminal
defense or other related indigent defense
practice areas

Section G – Information Technology
• Does your indigent defense system operate
its own automated case management/
tracking system, also known as an electronic
Management Information System (MIS)?
• Are any of the following types of information
available to system attorneys through your MIS?
Attorney time & billing
Court information
Conflicts checking
New case assignment notification and Attorney
schedule/calendar
Client contact and billing information
Client case charging information
Client case defense investigation information

Section H – Standards & Guidelines
• How long after client arrest, detention or
request for a lawyer is an attorney provided
according to your indigent defense system’s
formal standards and guidelines?
• How long after arrest, detention or request for
an attorney is permanent counsel assigned
according to your indigent defense system’s
formal standards and guidelines?
• Does your indigent defense system have
formal standards or guidelines requiring any of
the following?
Vertical representation (same attorney represents
client from appointment through all stages of the
proceedings)
Attorney present at juvenile detention hearing(s)
Attorney present at bail setting proceeding(s) or
arraignment on the charges
Attorneys advise defendants on whether to accept
a plea bargain at all stages of prosecution
Attorney present at juvenile adjudication hearing(s)

Section I – Board or Commission
• Does your indigent defense system have an
advisory board or commission?
• Who appoints the members of the board/
commission?
• What does your board/commission
have the
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authority to do?

2013 National
Survey of Indigent
Defense Systems
Reference List of
Questions

General Information
The National Survey of Indigent
Defense Systems (NSIDS) is a
nationwide survey intended to gather
information on the caseload, staffing,
and budget for every state and
county’s s indigent defense system
(IDS). For purposes of this survey,
the IDS is responsible for the delivery
of constitutionally mandated legal
services including but not limited to:
adult criminal, trial and appellate,
juvenile and some civil matters. The
configurations of IDSs vary from state
to state and from county to county. The
recipient of this survey is the public
defender, county administrator or other
knowledgeable person within the IDS.
This brochure is intended to give you a
brief glimpse of the types of questions
that are contained in the actual survey
and to help you gather the proper
information so that you can complete
the survey quickly and efficiently
on-line. The majority of questions can
be answered by simply clicking on one
or more of the pre-defined response
categories (i.e., multiple choice).
If you have questions regarding the
survey, please feel free to contact us at
1-877-346-5354 or at [email protected].

Section A – General Information
• What was your indigent defense system’s
fiscal year for 2013?
• What is the geographic jurisdiction served by
your indigent defense system?
• Your indigent defense system is part of which
branch of government?
• Which delivery methods does your indigent
defense system utilize?

Section B – Fiscal Information
• How much did your indigent defense system
spend on total operating expenditures?
• How much did your indigent defense system
spend on personnel costs?
• How much did your indigent defense system
receive in total revenue from all sources?
• How much revenue did your indigent defense
system receive from each of the following
sources?
State
County
City or town
Federal government (including Byrne Justice
Assistance Grants)
Grants from private funders
Application fees paid
Assessments paid by clients, also known as
recoupment
Other

• Excluding application fees, are clients required
to pay for legal and support services?
• What is the amount of the application fee that
clients are asked to pay?
• Are clients asked to pay an application fee in
order to receive a publicly financed attorney?

Section C – Case Types,
Caseloads, and Conflicts
• What types of cases does your indigent
defense system provide counsel for?
• How many cases did 13
your indigent defense
system close in 2013?

• How many of the following types of cases did
your indigent defense system close in 2013
Capital
Felony (non-capital)
Misdemeanor
Probation/Parole Revocation/Violation
Appeals
Total Juvenile-Related
Total Civil Proceedings
Other Criminal Proceedings
Other, cannot classify

• Do you have formally established caseload or
workload limits for attorneys?
• Are attorneys allowed to refuse appointment to
additional cases due to case overload?
• Do you monitor the number of outside cases
handled by attorneys each year?
• Do you have formally established guidelines
defining when an attorney cannot provide
representation due to a conflict of interest?
• If an attorney cannot provide representation
due to a conflict of interest, how is a conflict
attorney obtained?

Section D – Personnel & Compensation
• How many of the following types of personnel
were paid by your indigent defense system in
2013?
Chief Executive(s)
Managing Attorney(s)
Supervisory Attorney(s)
Line Attorney(s)
Attorneys paid under contract(s) to represent clients
Attorneys paid under assignment(s)/appointment(s)
to represent individual clients
Investigator(s)
Social Workers/Mitigation Specialists/Sentencing
Advocates
Paralegal(s)
Intern(s)/Law Clerks
Training personnel
Indigency Screener(s)/Analyst(s)
Clerical staff
Administrative staff
Other (all personnel not accounted for above)

May 20, 2011
Mr. David Herda, Senior Survey Director II
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at
The University of Chicago
55 East Monroe Street, 30th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(312) 759-5086
Dear Mr. Herda,
I write today on behalf of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) to
support the application of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) to conduct the
2011 National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS) on behalf of the United
States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) under grant solicitation
number 2011-BJS-2994. NLADA is a national, non-profit membership association
dedicated to quality legal representation for people of insufficient means. Created in
1911, NLADA has been a leader in supporting equal justice for nearly 100 years. NLADA
has the time, substantive knowledge and qualified staff to partner with NORC on this
important endeavor.
NLADA brings two critical capacities to the project. Since 2002, NLADA’s Justice
Standards, Evaluation and Research Initiative (JSERI) has been the nation’s recognized
leader in the development of assessment protocols by which to judge a jurisdiction’s
compliance with national standards for right to counsel services. JSERI staff has
travelled to 47 of the 50 states to study indigent defense services and/or provide
technical assistance to state and local policy-makers on the need to meet basic
foundational criminal justice standards. JSERI has extensive knowledge about how
services are provided in many of the nation’s 3,143 counties or county-equivalents.
NLADA’s American Council of Chief Defenders (ACCD) is a national community of public
defense leaders dedicated to securing a fair justice system and ensuring high quality
legal representation for people facing loss of life, freedom or family. The mission of the
ACCD is to provide tools, strategies, mutual support, training and information to chief
defenders; to speak as a national voice for public defense; to promote best practices in
the leadership, management, and administration of justice; and to support development
and reform of public defense systems. To the extent that many public defender leaders
will be involved in filling out the NSIDS questionnaire, their support for this project is
critical.
A successful NSIDS is critical step on the path toward one day ensuring that every
person charge with a crime and facing jail time that lacks the resources to retain private
counsel receives a constitutionally-adequate lawyer. Today, public defense delivery
systems lag far behind the other components of the criminal justice system when it

14

comes to data collection, analysis, and the ability to form policy based on objective
information. With scarce resources and ever-growing caseloads most right-to-counsel
systems dedicate almost every available funding dollar to direct client services, rather
than infrastructure, leaving most unable to build case-tracking management systems
that could produce data to inform criminal justice decision-making. In many
jurisdictions, almost no data is collected at all.
The lack of objective public defense data and information perpetuates poor decisionmaking about the right to counsel. Without accurate, verifiable, objective data readily
available to them, decision-makers are left to form criminal justice policy based solely
on anecdotal information, and public attitudes are consigned to speculation, intuition,
presumption, and even bias. With access to the timely, accurate and complete
information, policymakers can fulfill their duty to continually evaluate the efficacy of
their criminal justice policy decisions, thereby assuring victims, the accused and the
general public that our courts’ resulting verdicts are fair, correct, swift and final.
The National Opinion Research Center proved their technical capabilities with the 2007
Public Defender Census, widely regarded as the moist comprehensive and detailed
survey on public defender systems in the country ever. NLADA, and in particular the
ACCD, appreciated that NORC took the time to listen to the concerns of people in the
field in the development of the census instrument. The successful response rate is
indicative of the trust the indigent defense community has with NORC. We look forward
to partnering with you on this most needed project.
Sincerely,
David J. Carroll, Director of Research
National Legal Aid & Defender Association
1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
202-329-1318

15

May 26, 2011
Mr. David Herda, Senior Survey Director II
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at
The University of Chicago
55 East Monroe Street, 30th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(312) 759-5086
Dear Mr. Herda,
The N ational A ssociation of C ounties ( NACo), t hrough i ts 501( c)(3) s ubsidiary, t he
National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACoRF), is pleased to be able to
support the application of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) to conduct the
2011 N ational S urvey o f Indigent D efense S ystems ( NSIDS) on be half of t he U nited
States D epartment o f J ustice, B ureau o f J ustice S tatistics ( BJS) u nder g rant s olicitation
number 2011 -BJS-2994. The N ational O pinion R esearch C enter p roved their t echnical
capabilities w ith th e 2 007 P ublic D efender C ensus, w idely regarded a s t he m ost
comprehensive and detailed survey on public defender systems.
Established in 1935, NACo is the only organization that represents the interests of the
nation’s 3,068 counties and their locally elected officials. Given their roles and
responsibilities in the criminal justice system, counties are significant partners in efforts
to ensure policymakers have access to critical information to address issues and make
informed decisions.
As a partner in the proposed effort, NACoRF will provide assistance to meeting the
project goals as outlined in the proposal by providing assistance in the design and
development of the survey and assisting with county responses. NACoRF looks forward
to the opportunity to work in partnership with NORC on this important project.
Sincerely,

Edward E. Ferguson
Deputy Executive Director
NACo

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17

18

U. S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Washington, D.C. 20531

Dear <> <>:

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice, is conducting the National
Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS) and has selected your indigent defense system
to participate. The goal of the NSIDS is to obtain information on the operations, staffing,
caseloads, and funding on all indigent defense systems in the United States. NORC at the
University of Chicago is the data collection agent for the NSIDS. The National Legal Aid and
Defender Association (NLADA), is also assisting us with this important study.
You can participate in the NSIDS by accessing and completing the web survey available at:
<>.

For security purposes, we have assigned your agency a unique Personal Identification
Number (PIN) and password to access the web survey:
PIN: <>

Password: <>

In order to complete the NSIDS in a timely manner, we ask that you complete the survey by
XX XX, 2014.

We hope that you will be able to help us with this review. If you need assistance with the
questionnaire or would prefer a hard copy version to fill out, please contact Rachel LeClere
of NORC toll-free at 1-877-346-5354 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Also, please feel free
to contact Erinn Herberman, the BJS Project Manager, at [email protected]
should you have any questions about the NSIDS.
Sincerely,

BJS Director

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THANK YOU REMINDER POSTCARD TEXT
We recently sent you the 2013 National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems
(NSIDS)!
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is conducting a census of indigent defense systems
throughout the United States and we need your help!
This data collection effort will provide much needed information on the current status of
the indigent defense system. It is extremely important that your office responds so that
the data is complete.
If you have already completed and returned the 2013 NSIDS survey to us, please accept
our sincere thanks. If not, please do so today. If you did not receive a survey or it is was
misplaced, please call NORC toll-free at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or via e-mail at
[email protected]. Again, thank you for your help.
William Sabol, Ph.D.
Director

LAST CHANCE POSTCARD TEXT
Data collection for the 2013 National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS) is
scheduled to end XXX XX, 2013!
We have not yet received a response from you!
We have been in contact with your agency and hope that you are able to participate in the
Census. With ever increasing caseloads and reduced resources, it is extremely important
that we have empirical data to document the current circumstances of indigent defense
systems nationwide.
If you did not receive a questionnaire, or if it was misplaced, please contact NORC
(acting as a data collection agent for the Bureau of Justice Statistics) toll-free at 1-XXXXXX-XXXX or by e-mail at [email protected]. We will be happy to assist you with
completing the questionnaire over the phone or via the internet.
Thank you for your help with this important survey!
David Herda
Senior Survey Director, NORC

20

[Date]

[SUID]

(PNAME)
(PTITLE)
(PADDR)
(PCITY), (PSTATE) (PZIP)
Dear (PNAME),
About a month ago we sent you the 2013 National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS). According to our records, we
have not yet received a completed questionnaire from your office.
We are writing again because, in order to ensure a complete accounting of the nation’s indigent defense systems, we need your
office to respond. The data collected will provide not only a benchmark against which future changes can be measured, but also a
dataset that allows individuals to compare delivery models and variations in ways to meet national standards for the provision of
indigent defense.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring the census. NORC at the University of Chicago
has been engaged as the data collection agent. The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA), the National
Association of Counties (NACo), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and the American Bar
Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (ABA SCLAID) have expressed their support for this
survey. Findings will be available from the BJS website (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs) in 20XX.
For your convenience, you can respond to the 2013 NSIDS in one of two ways:
Web: Please visit this user-friendly website to access the questionnaire: <>
For security purposes, use the Personal Identification Number (PIN) and password printed below to access the web
questionnaire:
PIN:

Password:

Paper: If you prefer to complete a paper version of the census, complete and return the enclosed questionnaire in the postagepaid envelope or fax each page toll-free to 1-888-836-7983. Please retain a photocopy of your responses for your records.
We ask that you respond to the questionnaire as soon as possible so that we can complete the data collection and publish the
results in a timely manner. If you recently completed and returned the 2013 NSIDS questionnaire to us, please accept our sincere
thanks. If not, please do so today.
Although this survey is voluntary, we need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. If you
need assistance with the questionnaire, please call NORC at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or via e-mail at [email protected]
Sincerely,
David Herda
Senior Survey Director
Enclosures

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NSIDS: Draft Phone Follow Up Script
Hello, may I please speak with [INSERT CONTACT NAME].
IWER: IF R NO LONGER WORKS THERE, ASK FOR PERSON WHO CURRENTLY HOLDS R’s
POSITION. RECORD UPDATED INFORMATION IN SYSTEM, THEN PROMPT NEW R TO COMPLET
ONLINE , ATTEMPT TO SCHEDULE INTERVIEW OR BEGIN TO COMPLETE ITEMS OVER THE
PHONE.
OPTION 1: My name is [IWER NAME]. I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics
regarding the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems. About a week ago, we sent you a
copy of the survey along with a postage-paid return envelope. Have you received this package?
OR
OPTION 2: My name is [IWER NAME]. I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics
regarding the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems. About a week ago, we sent you an
e-mail with information about the survey.

NO, did not receive
package/e-mail:

YES, did receive
package/email:
Good! Do you have any questions
about the NSIDS survey or who should complete
it? You may complete the survey online (or by
completing and returning the survey.) If you prefer,
we can also schedule an appointment to complete
the form over the phone.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics is
inviting all indigent defense systems in the country
to participate in a survey called the National
Survey of Indigent Defense Systems or NSIDS.
The NSIDS will provide the indigent defense
community with information about number of
persons served, budgets and staffing. We invite a
representative from [SYSTEM NAME] to
participate. You or your designate can complete
online. If you have an e-mail address, I can send
you information about the study including your PIN
and password.

If you have any questions, please call us toll-free at: 1-800-XXX-XXXX. This number can
also be found on the questionnaire. Please remember to complete the questionnaire
and return it within the next week. Thank you in advance for your participation.

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NSIDS Draft Data Retrieval Contacting Script
Hello, may I please speak with [INSERT CONTACT NAME].
My name is [INSERT IWER NAME]. I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics
regarding the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems. We recently received a completed
questionnaire from your indigent defense system. Thank you for sending in your completed
questionnaire. There were a few items that I wanted to confirm with you to ensure that we
have the correct answer recorded correctly. It is very important that we have complete data
from each system to ensure an accurate accounting of our nation’s indigent defense system.
This should only take a few minutes of your time.
BEGIN READING QUESTIONS THAT ARE MISSING, HAVE INCONSISTENT INFORMATION OR
APPEAR OUT OF RANGE.

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