SJIC Survey Invitation Letter

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

«Date»

«Salutation» «ContactFirstName» «ContactLastName»

«Agency Name»

«ContactAddress1» «ContactAddress2»

«ContactCity», «ContactState», «ContactZip»

Dear «Salutation»«ContactLastName»,

I am 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 2020 survey. Since 1998, the SJIC has been one of the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) core data collections on jail populations. Westat will continue to be the BJS collection agent for the SJIC.

This year’s survey, covering the 12 months ending on June 30, 2020, represents a continued commitment by BJS to include jails in Indian country in its reports on correctional populations. Your participation in the program is vital in allowing BJS to identify critical changes in jail populations and to track these changes over time. The survey will include a new question on inmate counts by age category, and a special addendum on the coronavirus (COVID-19), designed to understand how the pandemic affected jails in the first half of 2020. The addendum will ask about your jail’s monthly population from January 2020 through May 2020, the impact of the coronavirus on inmate releases from your jail, the numbers of inmates and staff testing positive for the coronavirus, and resulting deaths from the coronavirus. Due to the urgent nature of this pandemic crisis, I encourage you to complete the survey promptly for the timely dissemination of this critical information.

Participation in the 2020 survey is voluntary; however, we ask for your assistance in conducting this survey. BJS is authorized to conduct this data collection under 34 U.S.C. § 10132. Its employees and contractors will use the information you provide only for statistical or research purposes pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10134, and will protect it to the fullest extent under federal law. For more information on how BJS will use and protect your information, go to https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/BJS_Data_Protection_Guidelines.pdf.

Please complete your questionnaire and fax the form to DATA COLLECTION AGENT at 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx by August 3, 2020. If you need assistance in completing the survey, please contact NAME of DATA COLLECTION AGENT at 1-888-xxx-xxxx or EMAIL, or BJS CONTACT, one of my program managers, at xxx-xxx-xxxx or EMAL.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey H. Anderson

Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics

U.S. Department of Justice