NCRP Appendices

Table of Contents: Supplementary Materials
Appendix A: The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968

Page 2

Appendix B: List of publications using NCRP data, 2015-2018

Page 7

Appendix C: Comments in response to the 60-day Federal Register Notice

Page 12

Appendix D: BJS Data Protection Guidelines

Page 30

Appendix E: Phone script to introduce reporting year 2018 NCRP data collection

Page 41

Appendix F: Introductory letter from BJS to data respondents for collection of 2018
NCRP data

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Appendix G: Introductory letter from data collection agent to data respondents for
collection of 2018 NCRP data

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Appendix H: Instructions for NCRP data submission, reporting year 2018

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Appendix I: NCRP frequently asked questions fact sheet

Page 119

Appendix J: Item response rates for 2016 NCRP, and use of NCRP variables by
researchers, 2015-2018

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Appendix K: Letter from Congresspersons Gowdy and Moulton

Page 144

Appendix L: Examples of follow‐up emails to 5 states seeking clarification on
NCRP data submitted in 2018 (2017 data year)

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Appendix A
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968

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)

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 decision making;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice
system at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(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 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 therefore, 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 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.

Appendix B
List of publications using NCRP data, 2015-2018

1. Austin, James, Eisen, Lauren-Brooke, Cullen, James, Frank, Jonathan (2016) How Many Americans are
Unnecessarily Incarcerated? Brennan Center for Justice. New York, NY: Brennan Center for
Justice at New York University School of Law.
2. Austin, James, Eisen, Lauren-Brooke. (2016) How many Americans are unnecessarily incarcerated?
Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
http://www.antoniocasella.eu/nume/Austin_Eisen_2016.pdf.
3. Barger, Stephanie G. (2016) Aging American prisons: Length of stay, dying behind bars, and
implications for public health. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Sociology and Criminal Justice
Undergraduate Honors Thesis,
http://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=sociuht.
4. Beckett, Katherine, Knaphus, Emily, Resoti, Anna. (2016) The end of mass incarceration? Mapping the
contradictions of criminal justice policy and practice. SSRN, https://ssrn.com/abstract=2714615.
5. Bjerk, David J., Helland, Eric. (2017) Using a ratio test to estimate racial differences in wrongful
conviction rates, IZA Discussion Papers, No. 10631, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn.
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/161254/1/dp10631.pdf.
6. Boppre, Breanna, Harmon, Mark G. (2017) The unintended consequences of sentencing reforms:
using social chain theory to examine racial disparities in female imprisonment. Journal of
Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 15(4):394-423.
7. Bradley, Mindy S., Engen, Rodney L. (2016) Leaving prison: A multilevel investigation of racial, ethnic,
and gender disproportionality in correctional release. Crime and Delinquency 62(2): 253-279.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0011128714557023.
8. Campbell, W., Kling R., Lewenstein, A., Gaes, G. (2018) Interstate Heterogeneity in Neighborhood
Correlates of Imprisonment: An Examination of Last Known Addresses for Prisoners across the
U.S. Presentation at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference. February 15,
2018.
9. Cutler, C., Shively, M., Kling, R. (2017) Exploring Cross-State Differences in Sex Offender Recidivism
Using Longitudinal Data from the National Corrections Reporting Program. BJS Working Paper
Series (under review).
10. Durante, Katherine A. (2017) Racial and ethnic disparities in prison admissions across counties: An
evaluation of racial/ethnic threat, socioeconomic inequality, and political climate explanations.
Race and Justice, http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2153368717738038.
11. Evan, William N., Garthwaite, Craig, Moore, Timothy J. (2016) The white/black educational gap,
stalled progress, and the long-term consequences of the emergence of crack cocaine markets.
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 98(5): 832-847.
https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1162/REST_a_00635.
12. Gaes, G, Luallen, J., Rhodes W., Edgerton, J (2016) Classifying Prisoner Returns: A Research Note.
Justice Research and Policy. Vol 17, pp. 48-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525107116675322.
13. Glaston, William A., McElvein, Elizabeth H. (2016) Framing the debate on criminal justice reform:
What citizens and policymakers should know. Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution,
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Criminal-Justice-Statistics-1.pdf.
14. Harmon, Mark G., Boppre, Breanna. (2016) Women of color and the war on crime: an explanation
for the rise in Black female imprisonment. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice.
15. Helms, Ronald, Costanza, S.E., Gutierrez, Ricky S. (2016) Social inequality and county-level correlates
of state prison releases and releases from community supervision. International Journal of Social

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.
22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

Science Research 4(1): 167-194.
http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijssr/article/viewFile/8215/7445.
Keller, Josh, Pearce, Adam. (2016) Rural Divide on Jail Time: Less Leniency The New York Times,
page A1, September 2, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/upshot/new-geography-ofprisons.html.
Kling, R., Radakrishnan, S. (2017) Returns to State Prison in Light of Ban the Box Policies.
Presentation at the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Annual Meeting,
November 4, 2017.
Luallen, J. & Cutler C. (2015) Exploring the link between the baby boom and aging prisoners. Atlas of
Science. http://atlasofscience.org/exploring-the-link-between-the-baby-boom-and-agingprisoners/.
Luallen, J., Cutler C., & Litwok, D (2017) New Explorations of Data on Prison and Post-Confinement
Supervision Experiences. Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2017.1357057.
Luallen, J., Edgerton, J, Rabideau D. (2017) A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of the Impact of Public
Assistance on Prisoner Recidivism. Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10940-017-9353-x.
Luallen, J., Gaes G., Cutler, C. (2018) Estimating Prison Stays Among Current Prison Populations.
Criminal Justice Review. In press.
Luallen, Jeremy & Christopher Cutler (2015) The Growth of Older Inmate Populations: How
Population Aging Explains Rising Age at Admission. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B,
Volume 72, Issue 5, 1 September 2017, Pages 888–900, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbv069.
Luallen, Jeremy, Corry, Nida (2015) On the prevalence of veteran deaths in state prisons. Criminal
Justice Policy Review. Vol 28, Issue 4, pp. 394 – 411.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403415583994.
Luallen, Jeremy, Kling, Ryan (2014) A method of analyzing changing prison populations: Explaining
the growth of the elderly in prison. Evaluation Review. 68, (6), 459-486.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X14541657.
Mechoulan, Stephane, Sahuguet, Nicholas. (2015) Assessing racial disparities in parole release. The
Journal of Legal Studies, 44(1): 39-74.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.820.9511&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Montague, Brian T., Betsey, John, Sammartino, Cara, Costa, Michael, Fukuda, Dawn, Solomon, Liza,
Rich, Josiah. (2018) Use of viral load surveillance data to assess linkage to care for persons with
HIV released from corrections. PLOS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192074.
Montague, Brian T., Rosen, David L., Sammartino, Cara, Costa, Michael, Gutman, Roee, Solomon,
Liza, Rich, Josiah. (2016) Systematic assessment of linkage to care for persons with HIV released
from corrections facilities using existing datasets. AIDS Patient Care and STDs 30(2): 84-91,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4753628/.
Muller, Christopher, Wildeman, Christopher. (2016) Geographic variation in the cumulative risk of
imprisonment and parental imprisonment in the United States. Demography 53:1499-1509.
https://cloudfront.escholarship.org/dist/prd/content/qt0kd718ct/qt0kd718ct.pdf.
Neal, Derek, Armin, Rick. (2016) The prison boom and sentencing policy. Journal of Legal Studies,
45(1): 1-41, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/684310.

30. Noonan, Margaret E., Ginder, Scott. (2015) Understanding mortality in state prison: Do male
prisoners have an elevated risk of death? Justice Research and Policy 15(1): 65-80.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1525107115587902.
31. Oliver, Pamela. (2016) Trends in Wisconsin imprisonment 2000-2014: Net growth by offense group
and admission types. OSF.IO working paper, https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/f69vy.
32. Oliver, Pamela. (2018) Education and poverty as factors in white and black rural and urban prison
admission rates. OSF.IO working paper, https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/xzq7w/.
33. Patterson, Evelyn J. (2015) Hidden disparities: Decomposing inequalities in time served in California,
1985-2009. Law and Society Review 49(2): 467-498.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/lasr.12139.
34. Patterson, Evelyn J. (2017) The strategies, complexities, and realities of zero prison population
growth. Social Sciences 6(2): 60-73. http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/2/60/htm.
35. Patterson, Evelyn J., Wildeman, Christopher. (2015) Mass imprisonment and the life course
revisited: Cumulative years spent imprisoned and marked for working-age black and white men.
Social Science Research 53:325-337.
36. Pew Charitable Trusts: Public Safety Performance Project (2018) More Imprisonment Does Not
Reduce State Drug Problems. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issuebriefs/2018/03/more-imprisonment-does-not-reduce-state-drug-problems.
37. Pfaff, John (2018) Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real
Reform. New York, NY: Basic Books.
38. Radakrishnan, S., Olsho, L. (2017) Early evidence on the impact of the affordable care act on
prisoner recidivism. 6th Biennial Conference. Philadelphia, PA.
39. Rhodes, W., Gaes, G., Cutler, C., Luallen, J., Kling, R., Rich, T., Shively, M. (2017) Studying Recidivism
Using the National Corrections Reporting Program. Draft BJS Sponsored Research Working
Paper.
40. Rhodes, W., Gaes, G., Luallen, J., Kling, R., Rich, T., & Cutler, C. (2017) Incidence and Cumulative
Incidence as Supplemental Measures of the Scale of Imprisonment. Crime and Delinquency.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0011128717731998.
41. Rhodes, W., Gaes, G., Luallen, J., Kling, R., Rich, T., Shively, M. (2016) Following incarceration, most
released offenders never return to prison. Crime and Delinquency. 62, (8), 1003-1025.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128714549655.
42. Rydberg, Jason, Clark, Kyleigh (2016) Variation in the incarceration length-recidivism dose-response
relationship. Journal of Criminal Justice. 46, 118-128.
43. Shannon, Sarah K.S., Uggen, Christopher, Schnittker, Jason, Thompson, Melissa, Wakefield, Sara,
Massoglia, Michael. (2017) The growth, scope, and spatial distribution of people with felony
records in the United States, 1948-2010.
44. Stringer, Richard J., Holland, Melanie M. (2016) It's not all black and white: A propensity score
matched, multilevel examination of racial drug sentencing disparities. Journal of Ethnicity in
Criminal Justice. 14, (4), 327-347.
45. Vera Institute of Justice. (2018) Incarceration Trends webtool, “trends.vera.org”.
46. Vogel, Matt, Porter, Lauren C. (2016) Toward a demographic understanding of incarceration
disparities: race, ethnicity, and age structure. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 32:515-530.
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10940-015-9265-6.pdf.

47. Whitaker, Wesley, Bessette, Joseph, Corrigan, Lane. (2017) Time served: A historical analysis of the
severity of punishment by crime. Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research.
https://www.sccur.org/sccur/fall_2017_conference/poster_3/136/.
48. Wildeman, Christopher, Carson, E. Ann, Golinelli, Daniela, Noonan, Margaret E., Emanuel, Natalia.
(2016) Mortality among white, black, and Hispanic male and female state prisoners, 2001-2009.
SSM-Population Health 2:10-13.
49. Wildeman, Christopher, Noonan, Margaret E., Golinelli, Daniela, Carson, E. Ann, Emanuel, Natalia.
(2016) State-level variation in the imprisonment-mortality relationship, 2001-2010.
Demographic Research 34 (12): 359-372. https://www.demographicresearch.org/volumes/vol34/12/34-12.pdf.
50. Wildeman, Christopher, Noonan, Margaret E., Golinelli, Daniela, Carson, Elizabeth A., Emanuel,
Natalia (2016) State-level variation in the imprisonment-mortality relationship, 2001-2010.
Demographic Research. 34, (12), 359-372.
51. Williams, Geoffrey, Bartley, William A. (2016) The Role of Gun Supply in 1980s and 1990s Urban
Violence. 2016 American Economic Association Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA.
52. Yang, Crystal S. (2016) Local labor markets and criminal recidivism. Journal of Public Economics.
http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/cyang/files/labor_recidivism_may2016.pdf.
53. Yang, Crystal S. (2017) Does public assistance reduce recidivism? American Economic Review:
Papers and Proceedings, 107(5): 551-555.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/olin_center/papers/pdf/Yang_920.pdf.

Appendix C
Comments in response to the 60-day Federal Register Notice

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September 7, 2018
Melody Braswell
Department Clearance Officer
United States Department of Justice
145 N St. NE, 3E.405B
Washington, DC 20530
Re: 83 FR 31778, Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection
eComments Requested; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection: National
Corrections Reporting Program
Dear Ms. Braswell,
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law (the Shriver Center) respectfully
submits the following comments on the proposed changes to information collection practices
by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) through the National Corrections Reporting
Program (NCRP). The Shriver Center provides national leadership in advancing laws and
policies that secure justice to improve the lives and opportunities of people living in
poverty. The Shriver Center frequently uses federal statistical data to identify systemic
challenges facing people living in poverty and experiencing the adverse effects of racism,
and to assist communities in creating legal and policy solutions advancing race equity and
justice in the United States.
We write you to express our firm opposition to the addition of questions
concerning U.S. citizenship, country of citizenship, and country of birth to the
NCRP. These questions will not produce information that serves the purposes of the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, will undoubtedly yield unreliable information, and can be
gathered elsewhere by interested parties. Instead, the inaccurate data that would be
produced were the questions added to the survey of prisons would be likely be used lend
false support to long debunked theories of criminality among immigrants, which serves no
legitimate function germane to the goals of BJS.
Additionally, we oppose the removal of questions producing data reflecting the
following elements of the lives of incarcerated people:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Prior prison time served by the offender
Additional offenses since admission date
Additional sentence time since admission date
Whether the offender was on AWOL or escape while serving sentences
Whether the offender was serving time concurrently on community release prior to
prison release
The number of days on community release prior to prison release served by the
offender
Agencies assuming custody at the time of prison release
Offender's supervision status prior to release from post-custody community
supervision
Whether the offender's maximum sentence includes a mandatory minimum sentence

•
•

Whether the offender's maximum sentence includes a Truth in Sentencing Law
restriction
The length of court-imposed sentence to community service for the offender

1. Pro po sed Additio n o f Citizenship Questions
The proposed additions do not present a benefit to the mission of BJS: 1 None of the
purposes listed can be portrayed as germane, given the availability of the data elsewhere,
near certain inaccuracies in collecting the data, and likely motivations for collecting the
data, all of which are unrelated to BJS’s mission. Additionally, data collection for federal
statistical programs should serve purposes related to the issuing agency’s purpose and
follow the relevant scientific standards. There are no indications that BJS’s proposed
collection of citizenship information follows those guides.
Data on immigration status, country of origin, and nationality is available elsewhere,
meaning duplicative collection would be a poor use of BJS’s time. The data is already being
collected pursuant to Executive Order 13768, signed on January 25, 2017, requiring the
Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to “collect relevant data and
provide quarterly reports on . . . the immigration status of all convicted aliens incarcerated
in State prisons and local detention centers throughout the United States.”2 Citizenship
data is also already collected by the American Community Survey, the National Prisoner
Statistics Program, the Census Bureau, and other programs. BJS has no compelling need
for requesting duplicative data that has historically been omitted from the NCRP.
Additionally, there is an overwhelming likelihood that the data obtained in response to
questions of immigration status, country of citizenship, and country of origin will be
inaccurate. BJS and National Prisoner Survey reports indicate that jurisdictions tend to
respond to requests for citizenship information through self-reporting by people in their
prisons. Self-reporting, without external verification is a notoriously inaccurate way to
collect information on citizenship status. BJS itself notes that unverified, self-reported
citizenship data is “of [] lower quality,” and that “the lowest quality data on current
citizenship are those derived from self-reported country of birth.” Absent mandated changes
to reporting requirements for department of corrections (DOCs) ─ something the proposed
changes do not anticipate ─ BJS’s proposed additions will flood researchers and
policymakers with unreliable information, yielding false conclusions and hindering sound
research and policy choices.
While the motivations behind the duplicative collection of citizenship and immigration data
by BJS are not entirely clear, they run the risk of resurrecting settled conversations

Bureau of Justice Statistics, About the Bureau of Justice Statistics (accessed June 1, 2018)“To
collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime,
and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal,
state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and
evenhanded and that all policy changes are evidence based.”) available at
https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=abu
2 Exec. Order No. 13768, 82 Fed. Reg. 8799 (Jan. 25, 2017).
1

regarding criminality within immigrant communities, 3 which is not a legitimate use of the
data gathered for the NCRP. Several studies have shown that non-native United States
residents are anywhere between two and five-times less likely to be incarcerated than
native born populations. 4 Where non-citizens are incarcerated, it tends to be for
immigration offenses, as federal offenses for which immigrants are likely to be incarcerated
involve efforts to earn money or admission into the country and have no relationship to
public safety.
In short, the questions appear to be a fishing expedition for problems that we know are
minimal. The academic research establishing a negative relationship between immigration
status and likelihood of incarceration establishes both the availability of data showing the
immigration status of incarcerated people and that any putative research purpose has been
thoroughly investigated. There is little reason to suggest that the proposed serves a
productive end for BJS.
2. Pro po sed Remo val o f Current Survey Items
Several of the questions recommended for removal will impact the Shriver Center’s ability
to responsibly propose or oppose criminal legislation and/or policies that will impact
communities and the people living in them. Detailed data showing these aspects of the
prison system are useful to policymakers, advocates, and the public in assessing trends
among the prison population The report “made available to the U.S. Congress, Executive
Office of the President, practitioners, researchers, students, the media, others interested in
criminal justice statistics, and the general public via the BJS website,” per information in
the Proposed Rule, is a valuable tool, and efforts to reduce relevant data are antithetical to
its purpose.
In general, the Shriver Center, government officials, advocacy organizations, and
community partners all benefit from full, nuanced information about who makes up the
prison population in each state. Similarly, data on mandatory minimums helps us
understand the role that sentencing plays in the makeup of America’s prison population.
Additionally, the NCRP is one of a limited number of resources whose national data allows
for State-to-state comparisons to be made, deriving parallel comparisons using criminal
justice policy is a critical way of understanding best practices and recommending solutiondriven reform. Data showing national trends across departments of corrections is either
unavailable or scattered across several different state agencies. This makes finding
information much more difficult. Also, where information can be gleaned from several
different sources, inconsistencies in identification, collection, and maintenance of data can
lead to inaccuracies.
Daniel Mears, Immigration and Crime: What’s the Connection?, 14 FED. SENTENCING REP. 284
(2002) (showing absence of published studies contradicting evidence that foreign-born residents
commit fewer crimes than native-born residents).
4 Walter Ewing, Daniel E. Martínez, and Rubén G. Rumbaut, American Immigration Council, The
Criminalization of Immigration in the United States (July 13, 2015) available at
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/criminalization-immigration-united-states.
3

As to the specific questions that BJS has proposed removing, several are of interest to the
Shriver Center and would hinder our research and advocacy if they become unavailable.
For example, questions regarding sentencing enhancement. Those questions are
particularly helpful when trying to assess sentencing disparities and conditions within
prisons. Removing questions concerning prior prison time served by inmates could
eliminate the ability to monitor recidivism. In general, absence of data makes necessary
steps in research such as identifying outliers, spotting trends, narrowing potential reasons
for problems, and crafting targeted solutions significantly more difficult. If policy-makers
and influencers aren’t provided or given access to information to understand who makes up
the prison population, it will become near impossible to offer evidence-based reforms that
will ultimately aid in public safety.
Removal of data detailing these issues will obscure elements of the prison system and the
experiences of incarcerated people that were previously available, making investigation and
beneficial changes to prison policy by the Shriver Centers and its partner organizations
more difficult. Furthermore, the purported justification of “insufficient response rate” is not
reason to suspend the collection of this data by BJS, especially when considering the
complexity of the prison system. Certainly, incomplete data is better than no data at all.
The proposed additions to and deletions of information collected by BJS in 83 FR 31778 are
not necessary ─ and are in fact counterproductive ─ to the proper performance of the
functions of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Any additional data produced by the addition
of citizenship questions will be devoid of practical utility to agencies, advocates, and
interested members of the public because it is unlikely to be accurate and is available from
other sources. Deleted questions will hinder research and policy development by depriving
interested parties like the Shriver Center of useful information.
Thank you for your consideration of these comments and the opportunity to share our
perspective. For questions, please contact Kevin Herrera, Staff Attorney at the Sargent
Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, [email protected].
Sincerely,
Kevin Herrera
Legal Impact Network Staff Attorney
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
67 E. Madison St., Ste 2000
Chicago, IL 60603
Tel: 312-549-9877
E-mail: [email protected]

September 7, 2018
E. Ann Carson, PhD
Acting Chief, Corrections Unit
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
Re: 83 FR 31778, Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed
eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Currently Approved
Collection: National Corrections Reporting Program
Dear Dr. Carson:
I am writing on behalf of the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) to comment on proposed
changes to a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data collection critical to the field of
criminal justice: the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP). NCRP provides
criminal justice practitioners and researchers with key data—unavailable from other
sources—on the flow of individuals through correctional systems. While we appreciate
the need to revisit data collection activities periodically to ensure they are meeting the
needs of the field, Vera urges the Department of Justice not to pursue the proposed
changes to NCRP.
Vera’s mission is to drive change and to urgently build and improve justice systems that
ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen communities. Research stands central to
our organization’s mission and daily operations, and we maintain robust collaborations
with many other organizations, corrections and law enforcement agencies, individual
researchers, and those directly affected by the criminal justice system. From our work
with these partners on the full range of key criminal justice issues of the day, we are
confident in saying that it would be detrimental to the field at-large and to justiceinvolved individuals to remove existing items from the NCRP data collection and add
others related to citizenship and national origin.
We believe that there is substantial research value in continued collection of
the variables proposed for elimination.1
The stated criteria for variable removal is less than 50 percent of states reporting and/or
more than 30 percent missing data for states that do report. Based on the 2014 NCRP
data, one variable proposed for deletion, “Agencies assuming custody at the time of
prison release”, does not meet this criteria. Fifty-four percent of states reported this
variable, and in these states, data were 77 percent complete.

Summary statistics for the variables that are proposed to be removed, based on the 2014 NCRP
data, are listed as an enclosure.
1

While all but one of the variables that are proposed for removal meet the stated criteria
for removal, the removal criteria are arbitrary, and we believe there is still substantial
research value in these variables for the states that do report them adequately. For
example, for ten of the 12 states that reported “Prior prison time served,” data was
greater than 80 percent complete, with eight states over 90 percent. Important
criminological research can be conducted using a cohort of this size.
In addition, there is reason to believe that reporting will increase over time. If we
examine just 2014 prison admissions, states that reported whether there was a
mandatory minimum sentence (13 states) or truth in sentencing statute applicable (14
states) reported these variables at a rate of 99 percent. As more attention is focused on
sentencing reform, more states are likely to track shifts in the use of such statutes, which
will be invaluable in determining the effects of such reforms.
Adding questionnaire items about citizenship and national origin would be
unlikely to yield accurate data useful for criminal justice research, policy,
and practice and may run counter to other stated goals of BJS.
The affected public (i.e., state departments of corrections (DOCs) and participating
parole boards) are unlikely to provide reliable data in response to the citizenship and
national origin questions proposed for inclusion in the NCRP collection. BJS has noted
that a number of jurisdictions only report data on the national origin of incarcerated
people; as nearly half of foreign-born U.S. residents are naturalized citizens, data on
their country of birth is essentially useless in comparing U.S. citizens and non-citizens.
Additionally, BJS has reported that most state DOCs obtain citizenship data by selfreport of individuals at admission and that few jurisdictions seek verification from other
sources. The agency has cast doubt on the quality of such data. Finally, we believe some
states—including California, which has very large prison and immigrant populations
compared to other states—are likely to decline responding to these new items, as they
currently decline responding to similar questions for BJS’s National Prisoner Statistics
Program.
This last point also raises a strong possibility that BJS would not meet certain other goals
outlined in the Federal Register notice or its own criteria for including items in the NCRP
on citizenship and national origin. The Federal Register notice states that BJS intends to
increase participation and data completeness in NCRP; however, we believe that states,
particularly California, will not respond to these added items. This also raises a strong
possibility of the new items not meeting criteria established in BJS’s December 2017
clearance request for including new NCRP items on citizenship and national origin.
These criteria include strong standards for response rate and reliability. Questions about
California’s participation and reporting on these items, as well as issues about reliability
outlined above, raise serious concerns that BJS’s own criteria for the inclusion of these
items cannot be met.
Again, we appreciate the need to revisit agency data collection and reporting activities, to
ensure investments align with the agency’s mission and the needs of parties the agency
serves. From this perspective, the continued collection of NCRP data elements proposed

for elimination is critical, and the inclusion of new items on the questionnaire regarding
citizenship and national origin cannot be justified. If we can provide additional
information or address any questions or concerns, please contact Micah Haskell-Hoehl
at [email protected] or 202-465-8209.
Sincerely,

Nicholas Turner
President, Vera Institute of Justice
Enclosure:
Summary statistics for the variables proposed for removal

Summary statistics for the variables that are proposed to be removed, based on the 2014
NCRP data.
PRIOR_PRISON_TIME:
total % reported: 37% (4,109,894 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 32% (16 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 68% (4,109,894 / 5,968,294)
ADDED_OFFENSE_1:
total % reported: 4% (500,310 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 30% (15 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 7% (500,310 / 6,261,965)
ADDED_OFFENSE_2:
total % reported: 2% (237,061 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 28% (14 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 4% (237,061 / 5,911,249)
ADDED_OFFENSE_SENTENCE:
total % reported: 19% (2,159,689 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 22% (11 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 43% (2,159,689 / 5,000,323)
AWOL:
total % reported: 54% (5,943,418 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 52% (26 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 69% (5,943,418 / 8,534,945)
PRIOR_COMMUNITY_RELEASE:
total % reported: 55% (6,030,003 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 42% (21 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 75% (6,030,003 / 7,959,143)
PRIOR_COMMUNITY_RELEASE_DAYS:
total % reported: 23% (2,588,608 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 32% (16 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 41% (2,588,608 / 6,232,123)
PRISON_RELEASE_TO_1:
total % reported: 61% (6,677,269 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 54% (27 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 77% (6,677,269 / 8,648,858)
PRISON_RELEASE_TO_2:
total % reported: 6% (749,711 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 16% (8 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 16% (749,711 / 4,624,237)
PRISON_RELEASE_TO_3:
total % reported: 5% (633,736 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 12% (6 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 33% (633,736 / 1,890,476)
SENT_MANDATORY_MINIMUM:
total % reported: 34% (3,737,392 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 40% (20 / 50)

% reported in reporting states: 82% (3,737,392 / 4,532,999)
SENT_TRUTH_IN_SENTENCING:
total % reported: 46% (5,108,300 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 44% (22 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 60% (5,108,300 / 8,501,330)
SENTENCE_LENGTH_SUPERVISION:
total % reported: 28% (3,154,319 / 10,913,067)
states reported : 28% (14 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 47% (3,154,319 / 6,664,885)
Of people admitted to prison in 2014:
SENT_MANDATORY_MINIMUM:
total % reported: 45% (200,657 / 442,387)
states reported : 26% (13 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 99% (200,657 / 202,082)
SENT_TRUTH_IN_SENTENCING:
total % reported: 54% (240,920 / 442,387)
states reported : 28% (14 / 50)
% reported in reporting states: 99% (240,920 / 242,429)

Appendix D
BJS Data Protection Guidelines

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

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
DATA PROTECTION GUIDELINES
OVERVIEW
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is a federal statistical agency 1 and the nation’s primary
source for criminal justice data. 2 BJS is a component of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in
the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). BJS’s mission is to collect, analyze, publish, and
disseminate statistical information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the
operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state,
and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and
evenhanded.
The BJS Data Protection Guidelines, developed in coordination with OJP’s Office of the General
Counsel and Office of the Chief Information Officer, are intended to provide a summary of the
many federal statutes, regulations, and other authorities that govern BJS. 3 As discussed in greater
detail below, the guidelines require BJS to: adhere to strict confidentiality requirements
regarding data collected at BJS’s direction; ensure that the collected data be used only for
statistical purposes; commit to wide dissemination of BJS data for public benefit; and strive to
maximize the utility, objectivity, and integrity of the information BJS disseminates and archives
for public use.

I.

DATA PROTECTIONS IN FEDERAL STATUTES

Pursuant to its statutory responsibilities, BJS must maintain the confidentiality of all personally
identifiable information it collects. Specifically, in accordance with BJS’s authorizing statute, the
Director of BJS “shall be responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect
against improper or illegal use or disclosure.” 34 U.S.C. § 10132(b).
1

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recognizes BJS as one of thirteen principal federal statistical
agencies that have statistical work as their principal mission.
2
For the purpose of this document, “information” and “data” are used synonymously.
3
This document is intended to provide a general overview of the statutory, regulatory, and policy framework under
which the employees and contractors of BJS operate. Nothing herein is intended to, or does, create any rights,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any matter civil or criminal. Any specific questions
regarding the application of these statutes, regulations, policies, and guidelines should be addressed in writing to
BJS directly. The BJS Data Protection Guidelines will be updated to reflect changes to current or newly
implemented statutes, regulations, and other authorities and the most current version will be available on the BJS
website - https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/BJS_Data_Protection_Guidelines.pdf.
1

Further, under 34 U.S.C. § 10231(a), no officer or employee of the federal government,
including BJS employees or its data collection agents, 4 may use or reveal any research or
statistical information furnished in connection with a BJS data collection, including data
identifiable to any specific private person, by any person for any purpose other than the purpose
for which it was furnished.
Additionally, under that statute, statistical information provided to BJS that is identifiable to a
private person is immune from legal process, and may not, without the consent of the person
furnishing such information, be admitted as evidence or be used for any purpose in any action,
suit, or other judicial, legislative, or administrative proceedings. Any person violating these
confidentiality provisions may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000 in addition to any
other penalty imposed by law.
Further confidentiality protections for statistical data are contained in 18 U.S.C § 1905.
Penalties for violating this statue include mandatory termination from employment, as well as a
fine, term of imprisonment of not more than one year, or both.
II.

DATA USE RESTRICTIONS IN FEDERAL STATUTES AND REGULATIONS

BJS operates under a statute which specifically states that it may only use the data it collects for
statistical or research purposes. Title 34 U.S.C. § 10134, states that “[d]ata 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 private person 5 or public
agency other than statistical or research purposes.” The term “statistical purpose,” as defined in
Section 502(9)(A) of the E-Government Act of 2002, means “the description, estimation, or
analysis of the characteristics of groups, without identifying the individuals or organizations that
comprise such groups.” 6 Statistical purposes exclude “any administrative, regulatory, law
enforcement, adjudicatory, or other purpose that affects the rights, privileges, or benefits of a
particular identifiable respondent.” Id. at 502(5)(A).
All BJS data collection agents working with identifiable information collected or maintained at
BJS’s direction are required to comply with all confidentiality requirements of 34 U.S.C. §
10231, the privacy certification requirements of 28 C.F.R. § 22.23, and the requirement to
destroy identifiable data as set forth in 28 C.F.R. § 22.25.

4

For the purpose of these guidelines, the term “data collection agent” refers to an individual who works under BJS’s
authority through a cooperative agreement, grant, contract, subaward, or subcontract to perform exclusively research
or statistical activities (e.g., collecting, receiving, handling, maintaining, transferring, processing, storing, or
disseminating data).
5
The term “private person” means “any individual (including an individual acting in his official capacity) and any
private partnership, corporation, association, organization, or entity (or any combination thereof)." 34 U.S.C. §
10251(a)(27).
6
Section V of the E-Government Act of 2002 is also known as the “Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002,” (CIPSEA). See, 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note.
2

III.

FOIA REQUESTS AND FEDERAL CONFIDENTIALITY PROTECTIONS

BJS data collections also have protections under a broader federal statute that affects the
confidentiality of information in the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552. Although FOIA is generally cited as establishing the public’s right of
access to federal records and information, there are nine established FOIA exemptions which
permit executive branch agencies to withhold certain types of information from release. For
example, one such exemption may allow BJS to withhold information when public release would
reveal information accusing a person of a crime. 7 Another example may allow BJS to refuse to
disclose information if the information sought would “disclose investigatory records compiled
for law enforcement purposes, or if the disclosure might have similar implications.” 8

IV. FEDERAL REGULATIONS ON THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF IDENTIFIABLE
DATA
Data collected by BJS and BJS data collection agents are maintained under the confidentiality
provisions outlined in 28 C.F.R. Part 22. 9 Relevant provisions include −
•

Data identifiable to a private person may be used or revealed only for research or statistical
purposes, or where prior consent is obtained from an individual

•

Identifiable information will be used or revealed only to employees on a need-to-know basis,
and only if the recipient is legally bound to use it solely for research and statistical purposes
and to take adequate administrative and physical precautions to ensure confidentiality

•

BJS award recipients are required by federal law, as a condition of funding, to submit a
Privacy Certificate that describes the precautions in place to adequately safeguard the
administrative and physical security of identifiable data, as applicable

•

Individuals, including BJS data collection agents, with access to data on a need-to-know
basis are advised in writing of the confidentiality requirements and must certify in writing to
abide by these requirements.

V.

INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY AND PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS

BJS/OJP maintains a robust IT security program in compliance with the DOJ Cybersecurity

7

5 U.S.C. § 552b(b)(5).
5 U.S.C. § 552b(b)(7).
9
While the confidentiality provisions of Part 22 discussed herein are extensive, these regulations do not apply to any
records from which identifiable research or statistical information was originally obtained; or to any records which
are designated under existing statutes as public; or to any information extracted from any records designated as
public.
8

3

Program 10 and the DOJ IT Security Rules of Behavior (ROB) for General Users 11 to facilitate the
privacy, security, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of BJS/OJP’s computer systems,
networks, and data in accordance with applicable federal and Department policies, procedures,
and guidelines. BJS award recipients are similarly required to maintain the appropriate
administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect identifiable data and ensure that
information systems are adequately secured and protected against unauthorized disclosure.
Specifically, BJS and its award recipients are required to, where applicable −
•

Assess and secure information systems in accordance with the Federal Information Security
Modernization Act (FISMA), which appears as Title III of the E-Government Act of 2002
(Pub. L. No. 107-347)

•

Adhere to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines to categorize
the sensitivity of all information collected or maintained on behalf of BJS

•

Once the system has been categorized, secure data in accordance with the Risk Management
Framework specified in NIST SP 800-37 rev. 1

•

Employ adequate controls to ensure data are not comingled with any other dataset or product
without the express written consent of BJS (applicable to BJS data collection agents)

•

Reduce the volume of personally identifiable information collected, used, or retained to the
minimum necessary

•

Limit access to identifiable data to only those individuals who must have such access,
including requisite IT security administrators

•

Limit the use of identifiable data to only the purposes for which its use was approved

•

Ensure all cooperative agreements and contracts involving the processing and storage of
personally identifiable information comply with DOJ policies on remote access and security
incident reporting

•

Employ formal sanctions for anyone failing to comply with DOJ policies and procedures, in
accordance with applicable laws and regulations

10

The provisions of DOJ Order 0904, Cybersecurity Program, apply to all DOJ components, personnel, and IT
systems used to process, store, or transmit Departmental information, as well as to contractors and other users of IT
systems supporting the operations and assets of DOJ. The provisions discussed herein provide a summary of DOJ’s
information technology security requirements and policies.
11
The DOJ IT Security ROB for General Users apply to all DOJ components, personnel, and contractors and pertain
to the use, security, and acceptable level of risk for DOJ systems and applications. The provisions discussed herein
provide an overview of DOJ’s information technology security requirements and policies. For a more extensive
description of specific DOJ policies, requirements, roles, and responsibilities, consult the DOJ IT Security ROB for
General Users in full.
4

•

Complete data security and confidentiality trainings.

All on-site BJS data are stored in a secure building in Washington, D.C. which houses only OJP
(including BJS) and is staffed by armed guards 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Federal
employees and contractors must pass through an electronic badge swipe to verify their identity,
and non-federal visitors must be sponsored by DOJ employees, pass through a metal detector,
record information in a central log book, and wear a visitor's badge. Onsite servers containing
BJS data are stored in a locked room with access limited only to OJP IT personnel, and require a
badge swipe to enter. Data stored on CD-ROMs reside in a locked office with limited key access
to authorized individuals, and all data use in this room is logged.
Technical control of BJS data is maintained through a system of firewalls and encryption. OJP
employs an Intrusion Detection System at the perimeter of the network to supplement its
defense-in-depth approach to security. BJS maintains data on a secure hard drive behind the
DOJ firewall, and the data are encrypted to meet Federal Information Process Standard (FIPS)
Publication 140-2 requirements. Access to this drive and its files require username and password
verification. Access to individual files is restricted to the BJS statisticians who work on the
project, their direct supervisors, and the requisite OJP IT security administrators.
Furthermore, OJP is required to periodically assess its security controls to determine their
effectiveness, monitor and correct deficiencies, reduce or eliminate vulnerabilities in IT systems,
and monitor IT system security controls.
BJS award recipients must employ similar administrative, physical, and technical controls to
adequately secure their FISMA-defined information systems from unauthorized disclosure. OJP
also reserves the right to audit during the project period any FISMA-defined information system
used by BJS data collection agents to collect, receive, handle, maintain, transfer, process, store,
or disseminate data products in support of the project to assess compliance with federal laws and
regulations related to data management and security.
The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (codified in relevant part at 6 U.S.C. §
151) requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide cybersecurity protection
for federal civilian agency information technology systems and to conduct cybersecurity
screening of the Internet traffic going in and out of these systems to look for viruses, malware,
and other cybersecurity threats. DHS has implemented this requirement by instituting procedures
such that, if a potentially malicious malware signature were found, the Internet packets that
contain the malware signature would be further inspected, pursuant to any required legal process,
to identify and mitigate the cybersecurity threat. In accordance with the Act’s provisions, DHS
conducts these cybersecurity screening activities solely to protect federal information and
information systems from cybersecurity risks. To comply with the Act’s requirements and to
increase the protection of information from cybersecurity threats, OJP facilitates, through the
DOJ Trusted Internet Connection and DHS’s EINSTEIN 3A system, the inspection of all
information transmitted to and from OJP systems including, but not limited to, respondent data
collected and maintained at BJS’s direction.

5

VI.

DISSEMINATION OF DATA

The BJS authorizing statute reads, in relevant part, that BJS is authorized to “provide information
to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, state, tribal, and local governments, and the general
public on justice statistics.” 12 A robust dissemination program is essential to the execution of this
statutory mandate. BJS uses its website for data dissemination, including public access to data
releases of aggregate statistics in the form of updated time series, cross-tabulations of aggregated
characteristics of respondents, analytic reports, briefs of key findings, and technical reports.
Aggregated data are typically made available in spreadsheet format and through online tabulation
tools. 13
All micro (raw) data published under BJS’s authority and the related study documentation are
made available to external parties at the University of Michigan’s National Archive of Criminal
Justice Data (NACJD) for statistical and research purposes, though the level and format of access
depends on the type of data being requested (see Section VII).
BJS follows established information dissemination practices, including those outlined in OMB’s
Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of
Information Disseminated by Federal Agencies 14 as well as those outlined in BJS’s Data Quality
Guidelines.
BJS also adheres to OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No. 4, Release and Dissemination of
Statistical Products Produced by Federal Statistical Agencies, and standards on dissemination of
information products set forth in OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No. 2, Standards and
Guidelines for Statistical Surveys.

VII. DATA ARCHIVAL PRACTICES
To encourage and support the facilitation of research in the field of criminal justice, BJS archives
data at the NACJD. To the extent practical, BJS removes, masks, or collapses direct and indirect
identifiers prior to sending data to NACJD to protect respondent confidentiality. In consultation
with BJS, NACJD takes additional precautions to mitigate compromising the confidentiality of
data, including conducting a comprehensive disclosure risk review to determine the appropriate
level of security that should be applied to the data. In addition to the NACJD disclosure risk
review, BJS may also request to suppress additional variables due to the sensitive nature of the
data and/or to further protect confidentiality, if appropriate. Data that do not contain personally
identifiable information are available for public access download. Prior to public release,
NACJD routinely checks all data collections for conditions that could violate the confidentiality
of data. NACJD protects respondent confidentiality by removing, masking, blanking, or
collapsing direct or indirect variables and records within public-use versions of the dataset.

12

34 U.S.C. § 10132(c)(10).
Some older publications that are not machine readable may only be available on the BJS website via scanned pdf
files.
14
67 Fed. Reg. 8,452 (February 22, 2002).
13

6

NACJD applies stringent security to restricted data where some risk of respondents’ identity
disclosure remains (e.g., variables used in conjunction with one another or linking to other data
files) and provides four access options for these types of data: restricted access; physical data
enclave; online analysis; virtual data enclave. 15 Prospective users of such data must follow
NACJD’s application and approval processes, including the submission of a research proposal
and additional measures as required such as IRB approval or waiver, information about users of
the data, a restricted data use agreement, and a data security plan. Additionally, users of data in
the physical enclave must travel to the University of Michigan to analyze data on a NACJD
computer in a secure room without internet and printer capabilities, and output is screened to
ensure results are aggregated to a level that prevents individual identification.
BJS datasets stored at OJP and archived at the NACJD are periodically audited to determine if
their security profiles have changed and protections need to be updated based on changes in
policy, updates to OJP systems, or the availability of other linked data.

VIII. DATA DESTRUCTION PRACTICES
BJS and its data collection agents follow federal regulations requiring the destruction of data
containing identifiable information. 16 Where applicable, BJS complies with all federal
government data destruction guidelines regarding the technical and physical wiping of data from
servers and destruction of existing CD-ROMs or paper documents. BJS data collection agents
are required to return or completely destroy any identifiable data collected on behalf of BJS upon
delivery of the data to BJS and project completion.

IX.

INCIDENT RESPONSE PROCEDURES

DOJ has established incident response plans and notification procedures in the event of an actual
or suspected data breach involving known loss of sensitive data and/or loss of any devices
containing these data. These procedures apply to all BJS employees and its data collection
agents, and all personally identifiable information PII regardless of format (e.g., paper,
electronic, etc.).
In the event of a real or suspected data security incident by BJS or its data collection agents, BJS
shall be required to −
•

Notify, within one hour of discovery, the Justice Security Operations Center (JSOC) and
appropriate DOJ officials. 17 The JSOC shall then report confirmed major incidents within
one hour to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

15

The NACJD website provides specific details about its processes and requirements related to receiving and
handling restricted data, including types of access and application requirements.
16
28 C.F.R. § 22.25.
17
BJS contractors would be required to notify BJS within one hour of any security incidents that impact the FISMAdefined information systems that are used to collect, receive, handle, maintain, transfer, process, store, or
disseminate data products in support of the project, including data files, reports, or working papers.
7

•

Provide DOJ forensics and law enforcement personnel, including the DOJ Inspector
General, access to media and devices required for investigation, as appropriate

•

Assist with digital forensic and other investigations on electronic devices and/or
associated media, as required

•

Record the handling and transfer of media and devices to support forensic and other
investigations.

In addition to establishing internal and external notification processes, the DOJ incident response
procedures outline steps that BJS and its data collection agents can take to mitigate the potential risk
from loss of personally identifiable information and actions individuals can routinely take to mitigate
their risk. In the event of an incident by BJS involving such information, BJS may consult with the
DOJ Core Management Team in developing appropriate mitigation options, including assessing the
need to provide two additional measures of protection: an analysis to determine whether a particular
data loss appears to be resulting in identify theft; and the provision of credit monitoring services to
those impacted by the data incident.

The DOJ incident response procedures follow the requirements set forth in applicable federal
statutes, policies, and regulations and DOJ orders, including: DOJ Order 0904, Cybersecurity
Program; DOJ Order 2880.1C, Information Resources Management Program; DOJ Order
0900.00.01, Incident Response Procedures for Data Breaches; and OMB Memorandum M-0716 Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information.
These procedures supplement the security and privacy requirements contained in the: DOJ
Security Program Operating Manual; the DOJ Computer System Incident Response Plan; the
Privacy Act of 1974; DOJ Order 3011.1A, Compliance with the Privacy Requirements of the
Privacy Act, the E-Government Act of 2002; and the FISMA. DOJ is currently working to
implement the requirements of OMB Memorandum M-17-12, Preparing for and Responding to
a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information.

X.

INDEMNIFICATION

Any person who unlawfully discloses personally identifiable information collected or maintained
under BJS’s authority shall be in violation of, and punished under the provisions of, the
confidentiality statutes referenced above in Section I. “Data Protections in Federal Statutes.”
BJS will not agree to insure, defend, or indemnify the data provider. BJS will, consistent with
DOJ authorities, cooperate with the other party in the investigation and resolution of
administrative claims and/or litigation arising from conduct related to the provisions of the
separate data use agreement.

XI.

BJS STATISTICAL STANDARDS AND PRACTICES

Among BJS’s fundamental responsibilities as a statistical agency is its duty to protect the trust of
information providers by ensuring the confidentiality and exclusive statistical use of their

8

responses. 18 As the nation’s premier source of reliable criminal justice data, BJS is committed to
employing robust data security protocols and data stewardship practices to protect the privacy
and confidentiality of the data collected and maintained.
To uphold public trust in the integrity of the data and ensure continued cooperation from data
providers, BJS adheres to a set of statistical principles and practices 19 that guide its mission to
compile, analyze, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime,
and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government, including the −
•

Commitment to quality and professional standards of practice

•

Timely and wide dissemination of data

•

Transparency about the sources of data and their limitations

•

Coordination and cooperation with other statistical agencies

•

Cooperation with data users

•

Fair treatment of individuals, businesses, and institutions providing the data.

XI.

BJS DATA QUALITY GUIDELINES

BJS has implemented and published the BJS Data Quality Guidelines that govern all justice data
that BJS produces and disseminates for the general public in accordance with the provisions of
the DOJ Information Quality Guidelines and OMB government-wide guidance for information
dissemination, including the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. § 3501 et seq.). The BJS Data
Quality Guidelines apply to a wide variety of substantive information and dissemination
activities and topics, including −
•

Privacy and maintaining confidentiality of data

•

Initiating surveys, censuses, and other data collections

•

Survey design and data collections

•

Data transparency, analysis, and processing

•

Content and verification of BJS data

18
See, also, OMB M-15-03 Statistical Policy Directive No. 1: Fundamental Responsibilities of Federal Statistical
Agencies and Recognized Statistical Units.
19
The BJS Statistical Principles and Practices were informed by Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical
Agency, 5th edition, National Research Council (2013), issued by the National Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences, which has guided managerial and technical decisions made by national and international
statistical agencies for decades.

9

•

Dissemination.

The BJS Data Quality Guidelines were established to ensure and maximize the utility,
objectivity, and integrity of the information BJS disseminates and to provide a framework under
which BJS will provide persons an opportunity to seek and obtain correction of information
maintained and disseminated by BJS that does not comply with these guidelines.

Issue Date: May 20, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2018

10

Appendix E
Phone script to introduce reporting year 2018 NCRP data collection

NCRP 2018 Data Collection Protocol and Interview Guide – CURRENTLY CONTRIBUTING
STATES
Prior to initial conversation with state:








Get background information:
o Review prior conversations with state (to re-familiarize yourself)
o Get 2017 submission date (to identify target date for 2018 data)
o Find out the NPS and APS contacts for the state
o Look up what we are thanking them for (see NCRP points of contact.xls)
o review Fact Sheet, to re-familiarize yourself with the state
o Review data quality issues Jeremy and Ryan identified (see K:\Projects\NCRP\State
Folders)
o Significant, unexplained differences between NCRP and NPS or DOC annual report
Determine what we need to ask them for
o 2018 NCRP data
o Other NCRP data: D records, ABD from prior years, additional ABD data elements, EF
records
o Approve/review Fact Sheet
Email the primary contact to set up a time to talk. The purpose of the call will be to:
o Talk about the 2018 data request.
o Talk about improvements we have made to NCRP
o Get your ideas on other improvements we can make to NCRP
Record initial and follow-up attempts to reach POC on your tracking sheet.

General outline conversation with primary point of contact (will vary depending on your relationship
with the POC and the POC’s familiarity with NCRP and our project)








Confirm this is a good time to talk
Thank them for what they did in 2018 (2017 data request, have list ready)
Indicate we have made a number of improvements to NCRP over the past year. For example:
o Construction of EF term records
o More states are participating
o New data quality controls; ABD term records
Discuss the 2018 data request
o Highlight what has changed for 2018 – request country of current citizenship and country
of birth – reiterate that these items (as with all variables) are VOLUNTARY.
o Confirm that they’ll be able to submit 2018 data (e.g., not transitioning to a new system)
 Set a target date for submission, based on what they did last year
o If a new state, indicate that the includes and excludes are in the FAQ.
In addition to getting 2018 data, we have other initiatives planned for 2019 and beyond that will
improve the NCRP
o [as appropriate] data linkage to external federal sources if permitted by the states
o [as appropriate] want to fill in the holes from prior years – see if they can submit old data
o [as appropriate] want to get additional data elements – see if they can do this
o [as appropriate] want to get EF records – see if they can submit EF records for the first
time.
1







o [as appropriate] want to re-design of how NCRP does parole/PCCS – as appropriate, ask
parole/PCCS questions, identify who to talk with, or set up time to talk with the POC about
this
Ask them if they have any questions about NCRP.
Confirm next steps for them (e.g., submit 2018 data, then submit old data)
Indicate what you will be sending to them (see list below)
o Ask them if they prefer the materials mailed or emailed
o Ask them what pieces of the mailing should be sent to others (above or below them) –
confirm contact information. Ask about other persons in our state contact list.
Thank them for participating in NCRP

After the initial conversation








Record the date of the conversation on your tracking sheet
Within 2 days of the call, prepare the materials to be mailed (or emailed) to them
o Data request materials
 BJS cover letter: add POC name and address, save in K:\Projects\NCRP\2018 Data
Collection\Materials sent to states\[state name], print on BJS letterhead
 Abt cover letter: add POC name and address, customize depending on what they
did last year and what they agreed to do in 2019, save in K:\Projects\NCRP\2018
Data Collection\Materials sent to states\[state name], print on Abt letterhead
 FAQ
o Use hand-addressed Abt (9x12) envelope, if mailing
Tom reviews the materials before sending
Mail (1st class) or email
Record date of mailing on your tracking sheet
Send NCRP Newsletter to other state contacts, as appropriate

If data are not received by March 31, 2019
 Check tracking sheet to see whether they previously said they would be late submitting data (e.g.,
because of legislative session work)
 Email point of contact (customize this email depending on your relationship with the contact):
o “We are checking back with you on the status of our request for 2018 NCRP data. You
had earlier indicated to us that you would be able to submit these data by March 31, 2019.
Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you again for participating in NCRP.”
 Record email on tracking sheet
 Follow-up if no response in 2-3 days
 Record response on tracking sheet

2

Appendix F
Introductory letter from BJS to data respondents for collection of 2018 NCRP data

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Washington, D.C. 20531
DATE
Name
Agency
Address
City
State, zip
Dear _____:
I am writing to request your continued participation in the National Corrections Reporting
Program (NCRP). Data are now being collected for the 2018 reporting year by Abt Associates,
our data collection agent. We ask that if possible, states submit data by March 31, 2019. The
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) very much appreciates your past participation in NCRP.
BJS will maintain the confidentiality of your personally identifiable information, and will protect
it to the fullest extent under federal law. BJS, BJS employees, and BJS data collection agents
will use the information for statistical purposes only, and will not disclose the information in
identifiable form to anyone outside of the BJS project team without your consent. All data
collected under BJS’s authority are protected under the confidentiality provisions of 34 U.S.C. §
10132, and any person who violates these provisions may be punished by a fine up to $10,000, in
addition to any other penalties imposed by law. Further, per the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act
of 2015 (codified in relevant part at 6 U.S.C. § 151), federal information systems are protected
from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data. For more
information on the federal statutes, regulations, and other authorities that govern how BJS, BJS
employees, and data collection agents use, handle, and protect your information, see the BJS
Data Protection Guidelines at
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/BJS_Data_Protection_Guidelines.pdf.
The NCRP collection underwent its 3-year clearance review by the Office of Management and
Budget in 2018 and was approved (OMB Control No: 1121-0065; Expiration Date: 10/31/2021).
You may read the application and review comments at the NCRP page at the OMB website
(https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=1121-0065).
To meet a Department of Justice request that BJS provide more statistics on citizenship status of
prisoners, BJS received OMB clearance to add the following variables for the 2018 data year:
country of current citizenship, country of birth, and whether the prisoner is currently a U.S.
citizen. As always, submission of these items is voluntary. If your DOC does not feel
comfortable providing these items, or provision of these items would cause undue burden, please
feel free to not submit them.

In addition, BJS is removing 7 variables from the NCRP collection due to recent poor response
rates and/or high levels of missing data. If it would be overly burdensome to remove these
variables from your extract program, you may continue to submit them with your NCRP data,
but BJS will not use the information. These variables are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Prior prison time served by the offender
Additional offenses since admission date
Additional sentence time since admission date
Whether the offender was on AWOL or escape while serving sentences
Whether the offender was serving time concurrently on community release prior
to prison release
The number of days on community release prior to prison release served by the
offender
Offender’s supervision status prior to release from post-custody community
supervision

Again this year BJS intends to extend the utility of NCRP data by linking it to other federal and
state datasets to produce national estimates of prisoner and former prisoner economic, social, and
health characteristics. If you provide prisoner names and/or social security information, BJS will
transfer the data to the Census Bureau’s Center for Administrative Records Research and
Applications (CARRA; https://www.census.gov/ces/researchprograms/workingatcarra.html) for
linkage. The attached FAQ describes the linkage process and destruction of personally
identifiable information (PII). Statistics generated from these linked records may include
estimates of post-prison mortality, employment and wages, government benefits and health
insurance enrollment, or residential mobility. BJS does not intend to publish estimates of these
measures at the state level or call out individual states, although in some cases BJS may group
several states by population size, sentencing statutes, whether the state can impose the death
penalty, etc. No other federal agency or individual will have access to NCRP data while they
are at CARRA without written BJS approval and only after passing a background
investigation and extensive training on data security and confidentiality.
If you do not wish for your data to be linked, please inform the BJS Corrections Unit Chief, Ann
Carson ([email protected], (202) 616-3496), by January 31, 2019.
Finally, we would like to remind you that if you are the respondent for other annual BJS data
collections, you will receive separate cover letters for these collections, which may include the
National Prisoner Statistics (NPS), Annual Probation and Parole Surveys (APS), Capital
Punishment, and Mortality in Correctional Institutions (MCI; formerly the Deaths in Custody
Reporting Program).
We truly appreciate the amount of time and energy that you expend in providing us these data.
Without your assistance, BJS would not be able to provide comprehensive and accurate statistics
on the correctional populations in the United States.

If you have any questions about the NCRP or this data request, please feel free to contact the Abt
Project Director, Tom Rich, at (617) 349-2753 or [email protected] or the BJS
Corrections Unit Chief, Ann Carson at (202) 616-3496 or [email protected]. Once
again, many thanks for your participation in BJS’s NCRP program.
Sincerely,

Jeri M. Mulrow
Principal Deputy Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Appendix G
Introductory letter from data collection agent to data respondents for collection of 2018 NCRP data

January 3, 2019
Dr. ____
_____ Department of Corrections
Dear _____:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), I want to thank you for participating in the
National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP).
[In last year’s submission, you provided a new NCRP variable – the Offender’s Last Known
Address. Thank you very much for doing this. We were able to geocode the addresses, and are
happy to provide the geo-coordinates back to you so that you can do your own geographic
analyses. Please see the attached sheet for more information.]
This year, we are requesting that you submit 2018 Parts _______. Data request instructions and
submission procedures are attached. Please note that BJS is requesting new variables this year:
country of prisoner’s birth, country of prisoner’s current citizenship, and if the prisoner is
currently a U.S. citizen (yes/no). As always, BJS stresses that the submission of these items,
along with all variables on NCRP, is voluntary. If your DOC does not feel comfortable providing
these items, or provision of these items would cause undue burden, please feel free to not submit
them.
BJS has also decided to remove 7 variables that have been collected for a number of years, but
which have high rates of missing data. These variables are listed in BJS’s letter, as well as in the
data request instructions attached.
If possible, we would appreciate receiving these data by March 31, 2019.
I also want to call your attention to the attached BJS letter and BJS Data Protection Guidelines.
The BJS letter contains some important information about BJS’s plans to link NCRP data to other
federal administrative data sets, via the Census Bureau’s CARRA system. The Data Protection
Guidelines describe the federal statutes and regulations that govern how BJS and Abt use, handle,
and protect your NCRP data.
If you have any questions about NCRP or this data request, please contact me at your phone
number or your email. Again, we greatly appreciate your efforts.
Sincerely,

Tom Rich
NCRP Site Liaison

55 Wheeler Street

Cambridge, MA 02138

Office 617.492.7100

abtassociates.com

Appendix H
Instructions for NCRP data submission, reporting year 2018

2018 NCRP
Data Request
Instructions
Prison and Post
Confinement
Community
Supervision Records
(Parts A, B, D, E, and
F)

OMB Control No: 1121-0065
Expiration Date: 10/31/2021

June 2018

Contacts:
Tom Rich
NCRP Project Director
and Site Liaison
617-349-2753
[email protected]
Michael Shively
NCRP Site Liaison
617-520-3562
[email protected]
Abt Associates Inc.
10 Fawcett St.
Cambridge, MA 02138

2018 NCRP Data Request Instructions
Table of Contents
Overview................................................................................................................................................ 1
What’s New for 2018 ....................................................................................................................... 1
General Data Submission Instructions ............................................................................................. 2
Part A (Prison Admissions) Instructions ............................................................................................ 4
Part B (Prison Releases) Instructions ................................................................................................. 8
Part D (Prison Custody) Instructions ............................................................................................... 13
Part E (Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions) Instructions ............................ 17
Part F (Post-Confinement Community Supervision Releases) Instructions ................................. 21
Appendix.

Additional Information on NCRP Variables .................................................... 25

Variable 1: County in Which Sentence Was Imposed ................................................................... 25
Variable 2: Inmate ID Number ...................................................................................................... 25
Variable 3: Date of Birth................................................................................................................ 26
Variable 4: Sex............................................................................................................................... 26
Variable 5: Race............................................................................................................................. 26
Variable 6: Hispanic Origin ........................................................................................................... 27
Variable 7: Highest Grade Completed ........................................................................................... 28
Variable 8: Date of Admission to Prison ....................................................................................... 29
Variable 9: Type of Admission to Prison....................................................................................... 30
Variable 10: Jurisdiction on Date of Admission ............................................................................ 34
Variable 11: Prior Jail Time ........................................................................................................... 35
Variable 12: Prior Prison Time REMOVED FOR RY2018 ........................................................ 35
Variable 13: Offenses .................................................................................................................... 35
Variable 14a: Offense with Longest Maximum Sentence ............................................................. 36
Variable 14b: Sentence Length for Variable 14a Offense ............................................................. 36
Variable 15: Total Maximum Sentence Length ............................................................................. 37

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. i

Variable 17: Location Where Inmate is to Serve Sentence............................................................ 39
Variable 18: Additional Offenses since Admission Date REMOVED FOR RY2018 ................ 40
Variable 19: Additional Sentence Time since Admission REMOVED FOR RY2018 ............... 40
Variable 20: Prior Felony Incarcerations ....................................................................................... 40
Variable 21: AWOL or Escape REMOVED FOR RY2018 ........................................................ 41
Variable 22a: Community Release Prior to Prison Release REMOVED FOR RY2018 ............. 41
Variable 22b: Number of Days on Community Release REMOVED FOR RY2018 .................. 41
Variable 23a: Date of Release from Prison.................................................................................... 41
Variable 23b: Location at Time of Prison Release ........................................................................ 41
Variable 24: Agencies Assuming Custody at Time of Prison Release .......................................... 42
Variable 25: Type of Release From Prison .................................................................................... 43
Variable 26: Date of Release from Post Confinement Community Supervision ........................... 46
Variable 27: Type of Release from Post Confinement Community Supervision .......................... 47
Variable 28: Supervision Status Just Prior to Release REMOVED FOR RY2018 ..................... 49
Variable 30: Inmate State ID Number ........................................................................................... 50
Variable 31a: Indeterminate Sentence ........................................................................................... 50
Variable 31b: Determinate Sentence.............................................................................................. 51
Variable 31c: Mandatory Minimum Sentence REMOVED FOR RY2018 ................................. 52
Variable 31d: Truth in Sentencing Restriction REMOVED FOR RY2018 ................................ 52
Variable 32: Length of Court-Imposed Sentence to Community Supervision .............................. 53
Variable 33: Parole Hearing / Eligibility Date ............................................................................... 53
Variable 34: Projected Release Date.............................................................................................. 54
Variable 35: Mandatory Release Date ........................................................................................... 55
Variable 36: First Name ................................................................................................................. 56
Variable 37: Last Name ................................................................................................................. 57
Variable 38: Facility Name ............................................................................................................ 57
Variable 39: FBI Number .............................................................................................................. 57
Variable 40: Prior Military Service................................................................................................ 58

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. ii

Variable 41: Date of Last Military Discharge ................................................................................ 58
Variable 42: Type of Last Military Discharge ............................................................................... 59
Variable 43: Date of Admission to Post Confinement Community Supervision........................... 59
Variable 44: Type of Admission to Post Confinement Community Supervision .......................... 60
Variable 45: County Where Offender was Released / County Where PCCS Office is Located ... 60
Variable 46: Social Security Number ............................................................................................ 61
Variable 47: Last Known Address Prior to Incarceration .............................................................. 62
Variable 48: Offender Custody Level ............................................................................................ 62
Variable 49: US Citizen NEW VARIABLE FOR RY 2018 ....................................................... 63
Variable 50: Country of Citizenship NEW VARIABLE FOR RY 2018 .................................... 64
Variable 51: Country of Birth NEW VARIABLE FOR RY 2018 .............................................. 64

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. iii

Overview
The National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) collects offender-level information from state
departments of correction and community supervision on admissions to and releases from prisons and
post confinement community supervision. Abt Associates is the NCRP data collection agent for the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, the federal agency that administers NCRP. BJS has administered NCRP
since 1983. Contact your NCRP site liaison (Tom Rich, at [email protected] or 617-349-2753
or Mike Shively, at [email protected] or 617-520-3562) for more information. Or visit
the NCRP website at www.ncrp.info.
For 2018, states are asked to submit three prison files:
•

Prison Admissions (Part A): one record for each admission of a sentenced offender to the state’s
prison system during calendar year 2018.

•

Prison Releases (Part B): one record for each release of a sentenced offender from the state’s
prison system during calendar year 2018.

•

Prison Custody (Part D): one record for each sentenced offender in the physical custody of the
state’s prison system on December 31, 2018.

For 2018, states are also asked to submit two post-confinement community supervision (PCCS)
files:
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision 1 Admissions (Part E): one record for each admission
to a post-confinement community supervision program during calendar year 2018.

•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F): one record for each release from a
post-confinement community supervision program during calendar year 2018.

The detailed instructions below for Parts A, B, D, E, and F include the NCRP definitions of
admissions, releases, and other terminology. The NCRP definitions may vary from the definitions
your state uses.

What’s New for 2018
There are three new variables in the 2018 request:
•

Whether the offender is a citizen of the United States (prison admission and stock records).

•

The offender’s country of current citizenship (prison admission and stock records).

•

The offender’s country of birth (prison admission and stock records).

The US Department of Justice has made the citizenship of prisoners a priority item for data collection.
As with all other BJS data, these data will not be used for enforcement purposes, but rather to better
describe the state prison population. While country of birth does not necessarily match current

1

Post Confinement Community Supervision means sentenced offenders serving a period of community
supervision immediately after release from prison.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 1

citizenship, collection of this element will allow BJS to better understand whether country of birth is a
good proxy for citizenship. As with all NCRP variables, states may decide not to include these three
new variables in their NCRP submission.
BJS has also decided to remove 7 variables that have had poor response rates in the past. If you have
been providing these data and it is too burdensome to modify your data extraction programs to
remove them, you may continue to provide them, however, BJS will not explicitly request them in
this document. These variables are:
•

Prior prison time served by the offender (Variable 12; Parts A, B, and D).

•

Additional offenses since admission date committed by the offender (Variable 18; Parts B and
D)

•

Additional sentence time since admission date to be served by the offender (Variable 19; Parts
B and D)

•

Whether the offender was on AWOL or Escape while serving sentences (Variable 21; Part B).

•

Whether the offender was serving time concurrently on community release prior to prison
release (Variable 22a; Part B).

•

The number of days on community release prior to prison release served by the offender
(Variable 22b; Part B).

•

Offender’s supervision status prior to release from PCCS (Variable 28; Part F).

In addition, if you were not able to include in your 2017 submission any of the new variables from
2015, please try to include them in your 2018 submission. The new variables from the 2015 request
were:
•

The offender’s Social Security Number (all five Parts).

•

The offender’s last known address prior to incarceration (Parts A and E).

•

The offender’s custody level at year-end (Part D).

If your agency requires additional information or a signed Data Use Agreement before including
SSNs or the last known address in your NCRP submission, please contact your Abt Associates site
liaison.

General Data Submission Instructions
Is there a required format or coding scheme for the data?
•

There is no required format or file type for the data you submit; use whatever is most convenient
for you.

•

There is no required set of codes for the categorical NCRP variables (e.g., race, prison admission
type). The documentation in this manual includes suggested “NCRP format” codes, but you can

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 2

use whatever internal codes your agency uses. As necessary, Abt will re-code your internal
agency codes into the standardized NCRP codes.
What if I am unable to provide all the requested data?
•

If your agency does not collect one or more of the requested data elements or providing them
would be an excessive burden (or is not allowed under agency policy), those data elements do not
have to be included in the data submission. The instructions for each Part also highlight the
“core” data elements that are most important to NCRP.

When is the data submission due?
•

The target date for submitting NCRP data is March 31st, but we understand that agency
constraints in many states preclude meeting that target date. The Abt site liaison will work with
each state to set a realistic target date.

How do I send the data to Abt Associates?
•

The preferred method for submitting data is via the NCRP data transfer site
(transfer.abtassoc.com). This site is compliant with FIPS (Federal Information Processing
Standard) 140-2 and meets all the requirements of the Federal Information Security Management
Act (FISMA) and the Privacy Act. The data are automatically encrypted during transit.

•

When you are ready to submit data, contact your NCRP site liaison2 to obtain a unique username
and password for the transfer portal, or to make other submission arrangements. Please protect
your transfer portal username and password. Instructions on how to use the transfer site are
available from your Abt site liaison.

What happens after we submit data?
•

2

Abt will verify the contents of the data files and conduct a series of validity checks on the data
(including comparing the submitted data to your submissions from prior years). Typically, this
will be accomplished within 1-3 weeks of receipt of your data. Your Abt site liaison will then
contact you to review the findings. Having a thorough understanding of what data you submit is
necessary in order to construct valid and reliable national NCRP datasets.

Tom Rich, at [email protected] or 617-349-2753, or Mike Shively, at
[email protected] or 617-520-3562

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 3

Part A (Prison Admissions) Instructions
The data file you produce for Part A should contain one data record for each admission of a
sentenced inmate to your prison system during 2018, regardless of sentence length or
jurisdiction.
NCRP defines admissions as including:
•

new court commitments;

•

revocations from probation, parole, or other types of post-confinement community supervision;

•

transfers from other jurisdictions;

•

escape or AWOL returns;

•

returns from appeal or bond.

Include in Part A:
•

Admissions of sentenced inmates to your prison facilities. 3

•

Admissions of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction to county or local jails.

•

Admissions of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction to in-state private prisons, including
both privately owned facilities and facilities operated by a private entity under contract to the
state.

Exclude from Part A:
•

Admissions of sentenced inmates to one of your prison facilities who are being transferred from
another one of your prison facilities.

•

Inmates re-entering a prison facility after a temporary leave of 30 days or less (e.g., for a court
appearance, funeral furlough, or medical care).

•

Admissions of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction to Federal facilities, another state’s
facilities, or out-of-state private facilities.

•

Admissions of unsentenced inmates to your prison facilities (e.g., inmates awaiting trial, civil
commitments)

The variables requested in the Part A data set are listed on the next page. Most of these variables are
also in the Part B and D requests. Refer to the Appendix for additional information on these variables.

3

Prison facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, and correctional institutions; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers; release centers, halfway houses, and road camps; forestry
and conservation camps; vocational training facilities; prison hospitals; and drug and alcohol treatment
facilities for prisoners. For inmates under home confinement, a private residence is not considered a prison
facility.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 4

The Part A (Prison Admissions) variables are listed below in the table. If you have limited resources for responding to this data request, please
focus on the core variables. Additional information on the variables is in the Appendix.
Category
Offender

#
2

Name
Inmate ID Number

30
39

State ID Number
FBI Number

36
37
3
4
5
6
7

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Race
Hispanic Origin
Highest Grade
Completed
Prior Military Service
Date of Last Military
Discharge
Type of Last Military
Discharge
SSN
Last Known Address
US Citizen
Country of
citizenship
Country of birth
County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed
Prior Jail Time

40
41
42
46
47
49
50

Sentence

51
1

11

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
A unique number that identifies an offender within the agency for this
admission and all subsequent admissions.
The offender’s unique, fingerprint-supported state identification number
The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation/ Interstate Identification Index to each offender
The offender’s first name
The offender’s last name
The offender’s date of birth
The offender’s biological sex
The offender’s race
Is the offender of Hispanic origin?
The highest academic grade level the offender completed prior to
admission to prison on the current sentence
Did the offender ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces?
The date the offender was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces for the
final time
The type of discharge the inmate received from the U.S. Armed Forces
The offender’s Social Security Number
The offender’s last known address prior to incarceration
Whether the offender is a citizen of the US
The offender’s current country of citizenship

Core
Variable
















The offender’s country of birth
The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located

The length of time served in jail prior to the date of admission (Variable 8)
and credited to prison service for the current sentence

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 5

Category

#
13

Name
Offenses

14a

Offense with
Longest Maximum
Sentence
Sentence Length for
Variable 14a
Offense
Total Maximum
Sentence Length
Indeterminate
Sentence
Determinant
Sentence
Mandatory Minimum
Sentence
Truth in Sentencing
Law Restriction

14b

15
31a
31b
31c
31d

32

Prison
Admission

8
9

10

Length of CourtImposed Sentence
to Community
Supervision
Date of Admission to
Prison
Type of Admission
to Prison
Jurisdiction on Date
of Admission

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current
sentence(s), including the number of counts for each offense.
Of the crimes coded in Variable 13, the ONE crime for which the inmate
received the longest sentence
The maximum sentence as stated by the court that the offender is required
to serve for the offense listed in Variable 14a

Core
Variable





The longest length of time as stated by the court that the offender could be
required to serve for all offenses specified in Variable 13 (Offenses)
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include an indeterminate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a determinate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a mandatory
minimum sentence?
Is the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) restricted by a Truth in
Sentencing Law mandating that a certain percentage of the court- imposed
sentence be served in prison?
The amount of time which the court states that the offender is required to
serve under community supervision after release from prison



The most recent date the offender was admitted into the custody of the
state prison system on the current sentence
The reason an offender entered into the physical custody of a correctional
facility on the date provided in Variable 8 (Admission Date) of the current
record
The state with the legal authority to enforce the prison sentence



Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 6




Category

#
17

Anticipated
Release
from Prison

33

34
35

Name
Location where
Offender is to Serve
Sentence
Parole
Hearing/Eligibility
Date
Projected Release
Date
Mandatory Release
Date

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The type of facility in which the offender will be incarcerated to serve time
for his/her crime.
The date the offender is eligible for review by an administrative agency
such as a parole board, to determine whether he or she will be released
from prison
The projected date on which the offender will be released from prison
The date the offender by law must be conditionally released from prison

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 7

Core
Variable

Part B (Prison Releases) Instructions
The data file you produce for Part B should contain one data record for each release of a sentenced
inmate from your prison system during 2018, regardless of sentence length or jurisdiction.
NCRP defines releases as including:
•

conditional releases from prison to parole, probation, or other forms of post-confinement
community supervision;

•

unconditional releases;

•

releases or transfers to other authorities;

•

deaths;

•

releases on appeal or bond if credit for time served is not given while on release;

•

escapes from custody.

Include in Part B:
•

Releases of sentenced inmates from your prison facilities 4, regardless of jurisdiction or sentence
length.

•

Releases of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction from county or local jails.

•

Releases of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction from in-state private prisons, including
both privately owned facilities and facilities operated by a private entity under contract to the
state.

Exclude from Part B:
•

Sentenced inmates who are being transferred from one of your facilities to another one of your
prison facilities.

•

Temporary releases of sentenced inmates of 30 days or less (e.g., for a court appearance, funeral
furlough, or medical care).

•

Releases of sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction from Federal facilities, another state’s
facilities, or out-of-state private facilities.

•

Releases of unsentenced inmates from your prison facilities (e.g., inmates awaiting trial, civil
commitments)

4

Prison facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, and correctional institutions; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers; release centers, halfway houses, and road camps; forestry
and conservation camps; vocational training facilities; prison hospitals; and drug and alcohol treatment
facilities for prisoners. For inmates under home confinement, a private residence is not considered a prison
facility.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 8

The variables requested in the Part B data set are listed on the next page. Most of these variables are
also in the Part A and D requests. Refer to the Appendix for additional information on these variables.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 9

The Part B (Prison Releases) variables are listed below in the table. If you have limited resources for responding to this data request, please
focus on the core variables. Additional information on the variables is in the Appendix.
Category
Offender

#
2

Name
Inmate ID Number

30
39

State ID Number
FBI Number

36
37
3
4
5
6
7

11

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Race
Hispanic Origin
Highest Grade
Completed
Prior Military Service
Date of Last Military
Discharge
Type of Last Military
Discharge
Prior Felony
Incarcerations
SSN
County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed
Prior Jail Time

13

Offenses

40
41
42
20

Sentence

46
1

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
A unique number that identifies an offender within the agency for this
admission and all subsequent admissions.
The offender’s unique, fingerprint-supported state identification number
The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation/ Interstate Identification Index to each offender
The offender’s first name
The offender’s last name
The offender’s date of birth
The offender’s biological sex
The offender’s race
Is the offender of Hispanic origin?
The highest academic grade level the offender completed prior to
admission to prison on the current sentence
Did the offender ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces?
The date the offender was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces for the
final time
The type of discharge the inmate received from the U.S. Armed Forces
Was the offender ever sentenced to confinement for a felony as a juvenile
or adult prior to his/her current prison admission?
The offender’s Social Security Number
The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located

Core
Variable

















The length of time served in jail prior to the date of admission (Variable 8)
and credited to prison service for the current sentence
Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current
sentence(s), including the number of counts for each offense.

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 10



Category

#
14a

14b

15
31a
31b
31c
31d

32

Admission
to Prison

8
9

10
17

Name
Offense with
Longest Maximum
Sentence
Sentence Length for
Variable 14a
Offense
Total Maximum
Sentence Length
Indeterminate
Sentence
Determinant
Sentence
Mandatory Minimum
Sentence
Truth in Sentencing
Law Restriction
Length of CourtImposed Sentence
to Community
Supervision
Date of Admission to
Prison
Type of Admission
to Prison
Jurisdiction on Date
of Admission
Location where
Offender is to Serve
Sentence

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
Of the crimes coded in Variable 13, the ONE crime for which the inmate
received the longest sentence
The maximum sentence as stated by the court that the offender is required
to serve for the offense listed in Variable 14a

Core
Variable




The longest length of time as stated by the court that the offender could be
required to serve for all offenses specified in Variable 13 (Offenses)
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include an indeterminate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a determinate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a mandatory
minimum sentence?
Is the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) restricted by a Truth in
Sentencing Law mandating that a certain percentage of the court- imposed
sentence be served in prison?
The amount of time which the court states that the offender is required to
serve under community supervision after release from prison



The most recent date the offender was admitted into the custody of the
state prison system on the current sentence
The reason an offender entered into the physical custody of a correctional
facility on the date provided in Variable 8 (Admission Date) of the current
record
The state with the legal authority to enforce the prison sentence



The type of facility in which the offender will be incarcerated to serve time
for his/her crime.

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 11




Category
Release
from prison

#
23a
25
23b
24

Name
Date of Release
from Prison
Type of Release
from Prison
Location at Time of
Prison Release
Agencies Assuming
Custody at Time of
Prison Release

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The most recent calendar date that the state's prison custody terminated
The method of, or reason for, departure from the custody of your prison
system on the reported date of release
The type of facility that had been used for the custody or care of the
offender just prior to release
The type and location of agency that assumes custody (physical or
supervisory) over an inmate's freedom at the time of prison release

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 12

Core
Variable



Part D (Prison Custody) Instructions
The data file you produce for Part D should contain one data record for each sentenced inmate
under physical custody, regardless of sentence length or jurisdiction, on December 31, 2018.
Include in Part D:
•

Sentenced inmates in your prison facilities 5, regardless of jurisdiction or sentence length.

•

Sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction held in county or local jails.

•

Sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction held in in-state or out-of-state private prisons,
including both privately owned facilities and facilities operated by a private entity under contract
to the state.

•

Any inmate in the above categories who was temporarily released (less than 30 days) from a
facility.

Exclude from Part D:
•

Sentenced inmates under your jurisdiction held in Federal facilities or another state’s facilities.

•

Unsentenced inmates held in your prison facilities (e.g., civil commitments, inmates awaiting
trial).

•

Inmates who have escaped and are not in custody.

The variables requested in the Part D data set are listed on the next page. Most of these variables are
also in the Part A and B requests. Refer to the Appendix for additional information on these variables.

5

Prison facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, and correctional institutions; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers; release centers, halfway houses, and road camps; forestry
and conservation camps; vocational training facilities; prison hospitals; and drug and alcohol treatment
facilities for prisoners. For inmates under home confinement, a private residence is not considered a prison
facility.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 13

The Part D (Prison Custody) variables are listed below in the table. If you have limited resources for responding to this data request, please
focus on the core variables. Additional information on the variables is in the Appendix.
Category
Offender

#
2

Name
Inmate ID Number

30
39

State ID Number
FBI Number

36
37
3
4
5
6
7

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Race
Hispanic Origin
Highest Grade
Completed
Prior Military Service
Date of Last Military
Discharge
Type of Last Military
Discharge
Prior Felony
Incarcerations
SSN
US Citizen
Country of
citizenship
Country of birth
County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed

40
41
42
20
46
49
50

Sentence

51
1

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
A unique number that identifies an offender within the agency for this
admission and all subsequent admissions.
The offender’s unique, fingerprint-supported state identification number
The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation/ Interstate Identification Index to each offender
The offender’s first name
The offender’s last name
The offender’s date of birth
The offender’s biological sex
The offender’s race
Is the offender of Hispanic origin?
The highest academic grade level the offender completed prior to
admission to prison on the current sentence
Did the offender ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces?
The date the offender was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces for the
final time
The type of discharge the inmate received from the U.S. Armed Forces
Was the offender ever sentenced to confinement for a felony as a juvenile
or adult prior to his/her current prison admission?
The offender’s Social Security Number
Whether the offender is a citizen of the US
The offender’s current country of citizenship

Core
Variable
















The offender’s country of birth
The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located

Abt Associates Inc.



Contents ▌pg. 14

Category

#
11

Name
Prior Jail Time

13

Offenses

14a

Offense with
Longest Maximum
Sentence
Sentence Length for
Variable 14a
Offense
Total Maximum
Sentence Length
Indeterminate
Sentence
Determinant
Sentence
Mandatory Minimum
Sentence
Truth in Sentencing
Law Restriction

14b

15
31a
31b
31c
31d

32

Prison
Admission

8
9

10

Length of CourtImposed Sentence
to Community
Supervision
Date of Admission to
Prison
Type of Admission
to Prison
Jurisdiction on Date
of Admission

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The length of time served in jail prior to the date of admission (Variable 8)
and credited to prison service for the current sentence
Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current
sentence(s), including the number of counts for each offense.
Of the crimes coded in Variable 13, the ONE crime for which the inmate
received the longest sentence
The maximum sentence as stated by the court that the offender is required
to serve for the offense listed in Variable 14a

Core
Variable






The longest length of time as stated by the court that the offender could be
required to serve for all offenses specified in Variable 13 (Offenses)
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include an indeterminate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a determinate
sentence?
Does the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) include a mandatory
minimum sentence?
Is the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) restricted by a Truth in
Sentencing Law mandating that a certain percentage of the court- imposed
sentence be served in prison?
The amount of time which the court states that the offender is required to
serve under community supervision after release from prison



The most recent date the offender was admitted into the custody of the
state prison system on the current sentence
The reason an offender entered into the physical custody of a correctional
facility on the date provided in Variable 8 (Admission Date) of the current
record
The state with the legal authority to enforce the prison sentence



Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 15




Category

#
17

Anticipated
Release
from Prison

33

34
35
Facility

38
48

Name
Location where
Offender is to Serve
Sentence
Parole
Hearing/Eligibility
Date
Projected Release
Date
Mandatory Release
Date
Facility Name
Custody Level

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The type of facility in which the offender will be incarcerated to serve time
for his/her crime.

Core
Variable

The date the offender is eligible for review by an administrative agency
such as a parole board, to determine whether he or she will be released
from prison
The projected date on which the offender will be released from prison
The date the offender by law must be conditionally released from prison
Name of the facility holding the offender at year-end
The custody level to which the offender is assigned at year-end

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 16




Part E (Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions)
Instructions
The data file you produce for Part E should contain one data record for each admission of an
offender to a term of post-confinement community supervision (PCCS) to your state during
2018. PCCS means sentenced offenders serving a period of community supervision immediately after
release from prison. Only include admissions to PCCS of offenders under the legal authority of your
state; do not include interstate compact cases in which only supervisory responsibility is transferred to
your state but legal authority is retained by another state.
Include in Part E:
•

•

Admissions to community supervision for the purpose of completing a prison term in the
community. Most states refer to this as parole; your state may use other terminology. Examples
include:
−

An offender is released from a prison facility by the decision of a parole board or other
authority to the caseload of a community supervision authority (e.g., parole agency,
probation agency, corrections department). Most states call this a discretionary prison
release.

−

An offender has a mandatory release from prison to the caseload of a community
supervision authority (e.g., parole agency, probation agency, corrections department).

Admissions to community supervision resulting from a community supervision sentence that
begins immediately upon release from prison. This includes what some states refer to as a split
sentence or shock probation. Examples include:
−

An offender begins serving a court-imposed sentence of community supervision
following release from prison.

•

Re-admissions to community supervision following a revocation from community supervision
and a subsequent release from prison to complete the sentence in the community.

•

Admissions of offenders to community supervision in your state following a term of confinement
in another state when that state transfers legal authority of the offender to your state.

Exclude from Part E:
•

Admissions to community supervision that are not immediately preceded by a term of
confinement.

•

Admissions to prison facilities.6

6

Prison facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, and correctional institutions; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers; release centers, halfway houses, and road camps; forestry
and conservation camps; vocational training facilities; prison hospitals; and drug and alcohol treatment
facilities for prisoners.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 17

•

Inmates re-entering parole or supervised release after a leave that was NOT a revocation.
−

•

Example: An offender serving a term of supervision is picked up on a technical violation
and sent back to prison for a “shock” term. The offender is never released from
supervision and the supervising agency has jurisdiction over the offender the entire time.

Interstate compact cases where only supervisory responsibility is transferred to your state but
legal jurisdiction is retained by another state.

The variables requested in the Part E data set are listed below. Refer to the Appendix for additional
information on these variables.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 18

The Part E (Post-Confinement Community Supervision Admissions) variables are listed below in the table. If you have limited resources for
responding to this data request, please focus on the core variables. Additional information on the variables is in the Appendix.
Category
Offender

#
2

Name
Inmate ID Number

30
39

State ID Number
FBI Number

36
37
3
4
5
6
7

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Race
Hispanic Origin
Highest Grade
Completed
Prior Military Service
Date of Last Military
Discharge
Type of Last Military
Discharge
SSN
Last Known Address
US Citizen
Country of
citizenship
Country of birth
County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed
Offenses

40
41
42
46
47
49
50

Sentence

51
1

13

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
A unique number that identifies an offender within the agency for this
admission and all subsequent admissions.
The offender’s unique, fingerprint-supported state identification number
The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation/ Interstate Identification Index to each offender
The offender’s first name
The offender’s last name
The offender’s date of birth
The offender’s biological sex
The offender’s race
Is the offender of Hispanic origin?
The highest academic grade level the offender completed prior to
admission to prison on the current sentence
Did the offender ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces?
The date the offender was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces for the
final time
The type of discharge the inmate received from the U.S. Armed Forces
The offender’s Social Security Number
The offender’s last known address prior to incarceration
Whether the offender is a citizen of the US
The offender’s current country of citizenship

Core
Variable
















The offender’s country of birth
The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located

Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current
sentence(s)

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 19



Category
Release
from Prison

#
23a
25
24

Admission
to PCCS

43

44

Name
Date of Release
from Prison
Type of Release
from Prison
Agencies Assuming
Custody at Time of
Prison Release
Date of Admission to
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision
Type of Admission
to Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The most recent calendar date that the state's prison custody terminated
The method of, or reason for, departure from the custody of your prison
system on the reported date of release
The type and location of the agency that assumes custody (physical or
supervisory) over an inmate's freedom at the time of prison release

Core
Variable



The date an offender entered into post-confinement community supervision

The reason an offender entered into post-confinement community
supervision on the date provided in Variable 43 (Date of Admission to PostConfinement Community Supervision) of the current record

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 20



Part F (Post-Confinement Community Supervision Releases)
Instructions
The data file you produce for Part F should contain one data record for each release of an offender
serving a term of post-confinement community supervision (PCCS) during 2018. PCCS means
sentenced offenders serving a period of community supervision immediately after release from
prison. Only include releases from PCCS of offenders under the legal jurisdiction of your state; do not
include interstate compact cases in which your state only had supervisory responsibility and another
state retained legal jurisdiction over the offender.
NCRP defines PCCS releases as including:
•

Discharges

•

Returns to prison or jail resulting from a revocation, pending revocation, or a new sentence

•

Transfer of legal authority over an offender from your state to another state

•

Deaths

Include in Part F:
•

•

•

Releases from community supervision when the offender was completing his prison sentence.
Examples include:
−

An offender is returned to prison while on parole, supervised release, mandatory
supervised release, or other types of post-confinement community supervision.

−

An offender is discharged after completing parole, supervised release, mandatory
supervised release, or other types of conditional release.

−

An offender is discharged after completing parole, supervised release, mandatory
supervised release, or other types of conditional release, but then begins serving a courtimposed sentence of community supervision.

Releases from community supervision that resulted from a separate sentence that began following
release from prison. Examples include:
−

An offender completes a court-imposed term of probation after serving a term of
incarceration.

−

An offender is returned to prison while serving a court-imposed term of probation after
serving a prison term.

Transfer of legal authority from your state to another state of an offender on community
supervision following a prison term.

Exclude from Part F:
•

Releases from community supervision when the offender did not serve a term of incarceration
immediately preceding the term of community supervision.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 21

•

Releases from prison facilities. 7

•

Temporary revocations where the inmate is not removed from supervision, and not re-admitted
into a facility.
−

Example: An offender serving a term of supervision is picked up on a technical violation
and sent back to prison for a “shock” term. The offender is never released from
supervision and the supervising agency has jurisdiction over the offender the entire time.

•

Releases of un-sentenced inmates who are being supervised in the community but who have not
served a sentenced term of incarceration.

•

Interstate compact cases in which your state only had supervisory responsibility and another state
retained legal jurisdiction over the offender.

The variables requested in the Part F data set are listed below. Refer to the Appendix for additional
information on these variables.

7

Prison facilities include prisons, penitentiaries, and correctional institutions; boot camps; prison farms;
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers; release centers, halfway houses, and road camps; forestry
and conservation camps; vocational training facilities; prison hospitals; and drug and alcohol treatment
facilities for prisoners.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 22

The Part F (Post-Confinement Community Supervision Releases) variables are listed below in the table. If you have limited resources for
responding to this data request, please focus on the core variables. Additional information on the variables is in the Appendix.
Category
Offender

#
2

Name
Inmate ID Number

30
39

State ID Number
FBI Number

36
37
3
4
5
6
7

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Race
Hispanic Origin
Highest Grade
Completed
Prior Military Service
Date of Last Military
Discharge
Type of Last Military
Discharge
SSN
County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed
Offenses

40
41
42

Sentence

46
1

13
Release
from Prison

23a
25

Date of Release
from Prison
Type of Release
from Prison

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
A unique number that identifies an offender within the agency for this
admission and all subsequent admissions.
The offender’s unique, fingerprint-supported state identification number
The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation/ Interstate Identification Index to each offender
The offender’s first name
The offender’s last name
The offender’s date of birth
The offender’s biological sex
The offender’s race
Is the offender of Hispanic origin?
The highest academic grade level the offender completed prior to
admission to prison on the current sentence
Did the offender ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces?
The date the offender was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces for the
final time
The type of discharge the inmate received from the U.S. Armed Forces
The offender’s Social Security Number
The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located

Core
Variable
















Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current
sentence(s)
The most recent calendar date that the state's prison custody terminated.



The method of, or reason for, departure from the custody of your prison
system on the reported date of release



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Contents ▌pg. 23



Category

#
24

Admission
to PCCS

43

44

Release
from PCCS

26

27

45

Name
Agencies Assuming
Custody at Time of
Prison Release
Date of Admission to
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision
Type of Admission
to Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision
Date of Release
from PostConfinement
Community
Supervision
Type of Release
from PostConfinement
Community
Supervision
County Where
Offender was
Released / County
Where PCCS Office
is Located

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Definition
The type and location of the agency that assumes custody (physical or
supervisory) over an inmate's freedom at the time of prison release

Core
Variable

The date an offender entered into post-confinement community supervision.

The reason an offender entered into post-confinement community
supervision on the date provided in Variable 43 (Date of Admission to PostConfinement Community Supervision) of the current record
The date of discharge or termination from post-confinement community
supervision jurisdiction for any reason, including returning the offender to
prison





The reason for the termination of post-confinement community supervision
jurisdiction that occurred on the date provided in Variable 26


The county where the offender was released from post-confinement
community supervision on the date in Variable 26. If not available, report
the county where the PCCS office to which the offender reported before exit
is located.

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Contents ▌pg. 24



Appendix.

Additional Information on NCRP Variables

Variable 1: County in Which Sentence Was Imposed
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The county where the court imposing the current sentence is located. If there are multiple
counties of commitment, use the one which corresponds with the offense for which the person
received the longest maximum sentence.

Codes / Coding Information
•

If possible, use either the name of the county or the 5-digit county FIPS code (available at
https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html).

Variable 2: Inmate ID Number
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•
•

A unique number that identifies an offender within the state department of corrections.
Parole or other community supervision agencies that do not have access to the department of
corrections inmate identification number can provide their own agency’s unique identification
number for the offender.

Additional Information
•

Do not use sequence numbers for identification numbers unless you can identify each inmate by
the sequence number and use the same sequence number for the inmate's every movement into or
out of the corrections system.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 25

•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by Abt Associates
and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, per the requirements of Title 34, United States Code, Sections
10134 and 10231.

Variable 3: Date of Birth
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•
•

The offender’s date of birth
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Variable 4: Sex
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The offender’s biological sex

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Male
Female
Not known

Variable 5: Race
Applies To
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 26

•
•
•

Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The offender’s race

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(3)

(4)

(5)
(6)
(7)
(9)

White. A person having origins in any of the original people of Europe, North Africa, or
the Middle East.
Black. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
American Indian / Alaskan Native. A person having origins in any of the original people
of North America and South America (including Central America), and who maintains
tribal affiliations or community attachment.
Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast
Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original
peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
Other categories in your information system. Other single-race categories not listed
above which are in your information system.
Two or more races. A person who identifies with more than one racial category and/or a
person who identifies as multi-racial.
Not known. Racial category is not known.

Additional Information
•

•

Hispanic origin is a cultural characteristic rather than racial characteristic (see Variable 6).
Persons of Hispanic origin can be black, white or some other racial group. When the information
is available, please code the racial characteristic of persons of Hispanic origin.
If the inmate’s race can be determined but does not fit one of the above categories, then code as
“other categories in your information system.”

Variable 6: Hispanic Origin
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 27

Definition
•

Whether the offender is of Hispanic origin

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Hispanic or Latino origin. A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American,
South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Not of Hispanic origin.
Not known (Hispanic origin is not known).

Variable 7: Highest Grade Completed
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The highest academic grade level completed by the offender before being admitted to prison on
the current sentence.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)

(99)

8th Grade or Less (level of education did not exceed 8th grade, including having never
attended school).
Some High School (grade unspecified or grade completed is not available but it is known
that the inmate entered high school or started 9th grade).
9th Grade
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade or GED
Some College (any person who attended college but did not graduate).
College Degree (any person who completed college or had some post-graduate
education).
Special/Ungraded (including Special education, vocational education/rehabilitation,
occupational education/rehabilitation, academic in an ungraded system, technical
training, or education in an ungraded system).
Not known (level of education is not known).

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 28

Additional Information
•
•

Do not report any educational work completed during incarceration on the current sentence.
Do not report competency level.

Variable 8: Date of Admission to Prison
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•
•

The most recent date the inmate was admitted into the custody of the state prison system on the
current sentence.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Additional Information
•
•

•

Do not provide the sentencing date as the date of admission unless correctional custody began
immediately after sentencing. Admission date should never be prior to the sentencing date.
Offenders exiting from post confinement community supervision and returning to prison as
violators should be included in both the Part A (prison admission) and Part F (post confinement
community supervision release) files.
Prisoner admission data should be provided for sentenced state prisoners housed in local jails.
The date of admission for prison inmates housed in local jails is the date on which the prison
system assumed jurisdiction, often the date of sentencing. Once you submit an admission record
to NCRP for a sentenced state prisoner who is housed in a local jail, do not later report his/her
transfer from jail to prison as an admission.

Examples
•

•

•

A person held in a local jail is sentenced on April 3, 2009. Due to prison overcrowding, he begins
serving his sentence in the local jail immediately after sentencing. The date of admission to prison
is reported as April 3, 2009.
A prisoner held in a local jail is sentenced on April 3, 2009. Due to prison overcrowding, she
begins serving her sentence in a local jail immediately after sentencing. She is transferred and
physically enters prison on October 28, 2009. No record of any kind is created for the October
transfer. Instead, a Part A record is created with April 3, 2009 as the date of admission.
A person was admitted originally on June 11, 2003. He was released to parole supervision in
2005 and readmitted to prison August 7, 2009 as the result of a parole revocation. For the Part A
(prison admission) record, the date of admission is August 7, 2009.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 29

Variable 9: Type of Admission to Prison
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

The reason an offender entered into the physical custody of a correctional facility on the date
provided in Variable 8 of the current record.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(10)
Court Commitment. A person being admitted to prison on one or more new sentences; the
person is being confined for the first time on this/these particular sentence(s) and is not
being re-admitted on any previous sentences still in effect.
(20)

Returned from Appeal or Bond. An offender's re-entry into prison after an absence on
appeal bond during which his/her sentence time was not running. Do not create a new
admission record upon an inmate's return if the inmate's sentence time continued to run
while he/she was on appeal bond.

(30)

Transfer. The admission of a person from the custody of another detaining authority to
continue serving the same sentence.

(46)

Discretionary Release Revocation, New Sentence. Discretionary release occurs when an
inmate is conditionally released by the decision of a parole board or other authority.
Revocation is the administrative action of a supervising agency removing a person from
supervision status in response to a violation of conditions of supervision. If
discretionary release is revoked because of a new sentence, use code 46.
Discretionary Release Revocation, No New Sentence. Discretionary release occurs when
an inmate is conditionally released by the decision of a parole board or other authority.
Revocation is the administrative action of a supervising agency removing a person from
supervision status in response to a violation of conditions of supervision. If
discretionary release is revoked because of a technical violation, use code 47.
Discretionary Release Revocation, No Information. Discretionary release occurs when an
inmate is conditionally released by the decision of a parole board or other authority.
Revocation is the administrative action of a supervising agency removing a person from
supervision status in response to a violation of conditions of supervision. If
discretionary release has been revoked and the reason is not known, use code 49.

(47)

(49)

(56)

Mandatory Conditional Release Revocation, New Sentence. Mandatory conditional
release occurs when an inmate must, by law, be conditionally released from prison to
serve the remainder of their sentence in the community. Revocation is the administrative

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 30

(57)

(59)

action of a supervising agency removing a person from supervision status in response to a
violation of conditions of supervision. This type of release may also be called "mandatory
parole" or "supervised mandatory release." Use code 56 if mandatory conditional
release is revoked because of a new sentence.
Mandatory Conditional Release Revocation, No New Sentence. Mandatory conditional
release occurs when an inmate must, by law, be conditionally released from prison to
serve the remainder of their sentence in the community. Revocation is the administrative
action of a supervising agency removing a person from supervision status in response to a
violation of conditions of supervision. This type of release may also be called "mandatory
parole" or "supervised mandatory release." Use code 57 if mandatory conditional is
revoked because of a technical violation.
Mandatory Conditional Release Revocation, No Information. Mandatory conditional
release occurs when an inmate must, by law, be conditionally released from prison to
serve the remainder of their sentence in the community. Revocation is the administrative
action of a supervising agency removing a person from supervision status in response to a
violation of conditions of supervision. This type of release may also be called "mandatory
parole" or "supervised mandatory release. Use code 59 if mandatory conditional
release is revoked and the reason is not known.

(65)

Court Commitment/Suspended Sentence Imposed. Use this code if the admission is the
result of the court's imposition of a previously suspended sentence.

(66)

Escapee/AWOL Returned, New Sentence. Use this code if an escaped inmate is returned
with a new sentence. The new sentence may be for escaping or another offense.
Escapee/AWOL Returned, No New Sentence. Use this code if an escaped inmate is
returned and there is no new sentence.
Escapee/AWOL Returned, No Information. Use this code if an escaped inmate is returned
and it is not known if there is a new sentence.

(67)
(69)

(70)

(80)

(90)

(86)

(87)

Court Commitment/Discretionary Release Status, Pending Revocation. Use this code if
the inmate has violated the conditions of discretionary release supervision but his/her
discretionary release has not been formally revoked.
Court Commitment/Mandatory Conditional Release Status, Pending Revocation. Use this
code if the inmate has violated the conditions of mandatory conditional release
supervision, but his/her conditional release has not been formally revoked.
Court Commitment/Probation Status, Pending Revocation. Use this code if the inmate
has violated the conditions of probation, but his/her probation has not been formally
revoked.
Probation Revocation, New Sentence. Probation Revocation is a court order taking away
a person's probationary status in response to a violation of conditions of probation. Use
this code if the probation was revoked as a result of a new sentence.
Probation Revocation, No New Sentence. Probation Revocation is a court order taking
away a person's probationary status in response to a violation of conditions of probation.
Use this code if probation is revoked due to a technical violation.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 31

(89)

Probation Revocation, No Information. Probation Revocation is a court order taking
away a person's probationary status in response to a violation of conditions of probation.
Use this code if the probation was revoked and the reason is not known.

(88)

Other. If a unique code cannot be assigned, use code 88 and document the types of
admission included in this category.

(92)

Unsentenced Commitment.

(99)

Not Known. Use this code if the type of admission is Not Known.

Additional Information
•

•

•
•

For Code 10 (Court Commitment):
− Include as a court commitment inmates sentenced to prison for brief periods of time,
usually 90-180 days, after which they are either released to probation or remain in prison.
If, at the end of the "shock" period, the court commits the offender to prison to continue
serving sentence, do not report him/her again as an admission.
− Exclude from the court commitment category: all revocations of probation, parole or
other conditional release with or without a new sentence for a new offense; all transfers
unless the inmate has completed all previous sentences and is beginning to serve time on
a new sentence; and all returns from escape or unauthorized departures.
For Code 30 (Transfer):
− Include inmates admitted from a long term stay in a hospital, mental health facility or
another state or federal prison.
− Do not provide records for movements from prison facility to prison facility within your
state.
− Do not report the return of an inmate sent temporarily to another state to stand trial.
− Do not include inmates who have completed a sentence in another state and are
transferred to your state to begin serving a different sentence. Code them as court
commitments, post-confinement community release revocations or other, as appropriate.
Codes 46, 47, and 49 (Discretionary Release Revocation) are limited to those cases where
revocation proceedings have been completed.
Codes 56, 57, and 59 (Mandatory Conditional Release) also are only applicable to those cases
where revocation proceedings have been completed.

Examples
•

Court Commitment (Code 10)
− A person is sentenced by the court for murder and transported to a state correctional
institution to begin serving her sentence. The correct code is "10" court commitment.
− A person is sentenced by the court for murder and transported to a state correctional
facility to begin serving his/her sentence. This person is still on parole for a robbery he
committed four years ago but his parole revocation hearing has not been held yet. This
admission is not a court commitment. Use code 70 or 80 to report admission type for this
inmate.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 32

−

•

•

•

A person is sentenced in 2011 to serve three years for burglary. She is conditionally
released after one year and completes her time on parole. She is now being incarcerated
for a burglary for which she has never served a sentence. The correct code is 10, "court
commitment."
− An offender receives a sentence of five years, the first 120 days to be served in prison,
the remainder on probation. A Prison Admission record should be created and Variable 9
coded as 10, "court commitment."
Returned from Appeal or Bond (Code 20)
− An inmate in prison is granted an appeal and released on bond. His sentence time is not
running. His guilt and sentence are later reaffirmed and he returns to prison to resume
serving his sentence. The admission type is code 20, "return from appeal bond."
Transfer (Code 30)
− An inmate serving a prison sentence was declared insane and surrendered to the custody
of the State Department of Mental Health. This movement constituted a transfer release.
This year the inmate is found sane and returns to prison to resume serving the sentence. A
Prison Admission record should be created and the type of admission coded as 30,
"Transfer."
− An inmate is sentenced in California to serve 5 years for burglary and enters a California
prison to begin serving her sentence. During the report year, she is transferred to a
Nevada prison for protective custody. This movement is a prison release type, "Transfer"
for California. Nevada would report this inmate's admission as code 30, "Transfer."
− An inmate serving a prison sentence in Rhode Island is temporarily released to Vermont
to stand trial for charges in that state. The inmate is found guilty and returned one week
later to Rhode Island to continue serving his/her time. No admission or release record is
created by either state.
− A Rhode Island inmate is serving a two-year sentence. After serving one year of his
sentence, he is sent to Vermont to serve the balance of his sentence. The correct response
for each state is as follows:
 Rhode Island creates a prison release record - Variable 25 (type of prison release)
is coded as 15, "Transfer."
 Vermont creates a prison admission record - Variable 9 is coded 30, "Transfer."
− In February of the report year, an inmate is admitted to a Maryland State prison to begin
serving a three year sentence for armed robbery. In June of the same year, he is
transferred to a county detention facility for safekeeping. An admission record is created
when the inmate is admitted in February. No admission or release record is created when
the inmate is transferred to the county facility because he is still serving the state sentence
at the county facility and he is still in the state of Maryland.
− A Maine inmate is transferred during the report year from the Maine Correctional Center
(a state facility) to the Maine State Prison. The correct response is to create no admission
or release record for inmates that are transferred among state facilities within your state.
Discretionary Release Revocations (Codes 46, 47, 49)
− While on discretionary release, the offender commits an armed robbery and is sentenced
to serve time for that offense. His discretionary release is revoked, and he enters prison to
begin serving time on the new sentence. Code 46, "discretionary release revocation, new
sentence" is the correct code.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 33

•

•

•

Mandatory Conditional Release Revocations(Codes 56, 57, 59):
− While on mandatory conditional release, an offender fails to report to his/her supervising
authority. Her conditional release is revoked and she returns to prison to continue serving
time on the original sentence. Code 57, "mandatory conditional release revocation, no
new sentence" is the correct code to use in this instance.
Escape/AWOL Return (Codes 66, 67, 69):
− An inmate escaped from prison in December, last year. A release record was created for
that calendar year. He was located and returned to prison in June this year with no new
sentence. An admission record is created and the admission type is coded 67, "escapee
returned, no new sentence."
− An inmate escaped from prison in June. While on escape status, he commits a burglary
and is arrested and placed in jail. He is found guilty of burglary, sentenced, and returned
to prison in December. His admission type is code 66, "escapee returned, new sentence."
Court Commitment/Discretionary Release Status, Pending Revocation (Code 70)
− An offender violates the conditions of his discretionary release and is accused of
committing a new offense. He is returned to prison. The new charges are pending. The
discretionary release revocation hearing has not been held yet. The correct code is 70,
"discretionary release status, pending revocation."

Variable 10: Jurisdiction on Date of Admission
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition:
•

The state with the legal authority to enforce the prison sentence on the date of admission in
Variable 8.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
• State FIPS Codes (available at http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip5-2.htm)
(52)
Jurisdiction is shared between states
(57)
Federal Prison System has jurisdiction
(60)
State not known
(99)
Not known
Examples
•

An inmate is convicted of murder in Maryland and sentenced to a 10-year prison term. He begins
serving his sentence in a Virginia prison to ensure protective custody. Maryland is the correct
value.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 34

Variable 11: Prior Jail Time
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

The length of time served in jail prior to the date of admission (provided in Variable 8) and
credited to prison service for the current sentence.

Additional Information
•

If it is known that some prior time had been served but prior jail time cannot be distinguished
from prior prison time, include all prior time in the prior prison time category (see Variable 12).

Examples
•

•

•

A man was arrested and charged with burglary on January 1 of this year. He spent two months in
jail awaiting trial. He was convicted on March 1 and was sentenced to serve two years in prison.
The judge allows his time in jail to be credited toward his total sentence. The correct value for
Variable 11 is two months.
A man was arrested and charged with burglary on January 1 of this year. He spent two months in
jail awaiting trial. He was convicted and sentenced on March 1. The judge states that his prison
time begins running as of his date of sentencing. The correct code for Variable 11 is zero days,
because no time in jail was credited toward his sentence.
On July 1, 2005 an inmate was admitted to a local jail, due to overcrowding, to begin serving a
5-year sentence for drug trafficking. He was released to post-confinement community supervision
(PCCS) on December 15, 2006. He is now being admitted to prison on a PCCS revocation and
must serve the remainder of his drug trafficking sentence in prison. The time he served in jail for
this offense, prior to his release to PCCS, counts toward his total time incarcerated on the current
sentence and must be reported. The correct value to report is one year, five months, and 15 days.

Variable 12: Prior Prison Time

REMOVED AS OF REPORTING YEAR 2018

Variable 13: Offenses
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 35

Definition
•
•

Crime(s) for which the offender was admitted to prison on the current sentence(s).
Include the number of counts of each offense.

Codes / Coding Information
•

Use your state's own offense codes. NCRP staff will re-code your state’s offense codes into the
NCRP offense codes (available at https://www.ncrp.info/SitePages/FAQs.aspx).

Additional Information
•
•

Please submit offense code documentation along with data submission. This documentation
should include all of your states' offense codes and a description of each offense.
For persons readmitted to prison, the original crime(s) in addition to any new crime(s) resulting in
the current sentence(s) should be indicated.

Variable 14a: Offense with Longest Maximum Sentence
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Of the crimes reported in Variable 13, this is the ONE crime for which the inmate received the
longest sentence.

Additional Information
•

If the inmate received the same maximum sentence length for two different offenses, provide the
one your state would designate as the "controlling," "driving," or "most serious" offense.

Variable 14b: Sentence Length for Variable 14a Offense
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

The maximum sentence as stated by the court, that the offender is required to serve for the
offense listed in Variable 14a.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 36

Codes / Coding Information
Report a life or a death sentence using either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes.
(99996)
(99997)
(99994)
(99993)

Maximum sentence is Life.
Maximum sentence is Death.
Maximum sentence is Life plus additional years.
Maximum sentence is Life without discretionary release.

Additional Information
•
•

•

•

This is the maximum sentence imposed by the court for one specific offense and should not
reflect any statutory or administrative sentence reductions.
If the inmate has more than one sentence for the same type of offense, such as 2 years for one
burglary (or one count of burglary) and 3 years for another burglary (on another count of
burglary), the 3-year sentence would be reported for Variable 14b.
If the offense reported in Variable 14a is one for which the inmate was previously placed on postconfinement community supervision (e.g. parole or probation), provide the original maximum
sentence not the part of the sentence remaining to be served.
Please document any other code for life or death sentences that may appear on your file.

Examples
•

•

•

A man enters prison to begin serving time for three sentences. He received 5 years for burglary, 3
years for auto theft, and 1 year for a minor drug violation. The sentences are to be served
consecutively and result in a TOTAL maximum sentence of 9 years. However, for Variable 14a
and 14b, you need to indicate the one specific offense with the longest sentence. The correct
response for Variable 14a is your state code for burglary, and for 5 years for Variable 14b.
A man enters prison to begin serving time for two sentences. He received 5 years for burglary and
5 years for drug trafficking, both sentences to be served concurrently. In your state, burglary is
considered more serious and to be the "controlling" offense. Therefore, for Variable 14a, you
would provide your state code for burglary, and 5 years for Variable 14b.
A woman enters prison to begin serving time for three counts of burglary. She received 6 years
for the first count, 6 years for the second, and 4 years for the third, all to be served consecutively.
In Variable 14a, would be your state code for burglary, and 6 years for Variable 14b. Each count
is to be considered separately when it carries its own sentence length.

Variable 15: Total Maximum Sentence Length
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

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Contents ▌pg. 37

Definition
•

The longest length of time as stated by the court that the offender could be required to serve for
all offenses.

Codes / Coding Information
Report a life or a death sentence using either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes.
(99996)
(99997)
(99994)
(99993)

Maximum sentence is Life.
Maximum sentence is Death.
Maximum sentence is Life plus additional years.
Maximum sentence is Life without discretionary release.

Additional Information
•
•
•

•
•

•
•

This is the maximum sentence imposed by the court and should not reflect any statutory or
administrative sentence reductions.
Do not subtract time credits or prior jail or prison time.
If all or a portion of a maximum sentence has been conditionally suspended (that is, the sentenced
person may in the future be required to serve the suspended sentence or only a portion under
certain circumstances), set the "Maximum Sentence" to the sum of the unsuspended and
suspended portions of the maximum sentence of each offense for which the inmate is currently in
prison.
Do not report unconditionally suspended sentences.
If all or a portion of a maximum sentence has been unconditionally suspended (that is, the person
cannot be required to serve the suspended sentence or any portion under any circumstances), use
as the "Maximum Sentence" only the unsuspended portions of the sentences.
For a split sentence or shock probation, set the maximum sentence to the sum of the prison and
probation segments of the sentence(s).
Provide the sum of sentences to be served consecutively. Do not add sentences to be served
concurrently.

Examples
•

•

•

•

An inmate receives a sentence of 3 years for possession of marijuana, 2 years conditionally
suspended. He will be released to post-confinement community supervision after being
imprisoned for one year. The correct value for Variable 15 is 3 years; that is, if his behavior is not
satisfactory, he will serve 3 years in prison.
A person receives a sentence of 5 years for burglary, one year unconditionally suspended. He will
receive no supervision during the one year regardless of his behavior. The correct value for
Variable 15 is 4 years.
A person receives a 10-year sentence for armed robbery, is paroled after 3 years, but returns to
prison on a technical violation 6 months later. The correct value for Variable 15 is 10 years,
reflecting his original maximum sentence.
A first offender receives a 5-year sentence for manslaughter, 90 days to be served in prison and
the remainder on probation. The correct value for Variable 15 is 5 years.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 38

•

•

An offender enters prison to serve 6 years on a burglary conviction and 5 years on a drug
conviction. The two sentences are to be served consecutively. The correct value for Variable 15 is
11 years.
An offender enters prison to serve 6 years on a burglary conviction and 5 years on a drug
conviction. The two sentences are to be served concurrently. The correct value for Variable 15 is
6 years.

(There is no Variable 16)

Variable 17: Location Where Inmate is to Serve Sentence
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•
•

The type of facility in which the offender will be incarcerated to serve time for his crime.
The name of the facility can be provided instead. In this case, provide information in a separate
file that will enable NCRP staff to re-code the name of facility into the NCRP facility type
categories listed below.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)

(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(57)
(99)

State Prison Facility. A state administered confinement facility having custodial
authority over persons sentenced to confinement.
Local Jail. A confinement facility administered by an agency of the local government
intended for adults but sometimes also houses juveniles, which holds persons detained
pending adjudication and persons committed after adjudication usually with sentences of
a year or less.
Other Specify. All other facilities except those specified above which house sentenced
prisoners. Provide documentation for the type of facility included in this category.
Mental Hospital. A confinement facility for the diagnosis or treatment of mentally ill
patients.
Medical Hospital. A facility designed for the treatment of persons with illnesses other
than mental disorders.
Rehabilitation Unit. A residential treatment facility designed for the care of patients with
drug or alcohol problems.
Federal Prison. A confinement facility administered by the Federal government having
custodial authority over persons sentenced to confinement.
Not Known. Location where the inmate is to serve his/her sentence is not known.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 39

Examples
•
•

•

An offender is sentenced to serve 5 years for a possession of marijuana conviction. Due to prison
overcrowding he is to be housed in the local jail. The correct code is "local jail."
An offender is admitted to prison to serve 5 years for a possession of marijuana conviction. She is
then placed in a drug treatment facility and will stay there through the completion of the program
- a minimum of 1 year. The correct code is "Rehabilitation Unit."
An offender is sentenced to serve 5 years for a possession of marijuana conviction. He is to serve
his sentence in a Federal penitentiary. The correct code is "Federal Prison."

Variable 18: Additional Offenses since Admission Date REMOVED AS OF
REPORTING YEAR 2018

Variable 19: Additional Sentence Time since Admission REMOVED AS OF
REPORTING YEAR 2018

Variable 20: Prior Felony Incarcerations
Applies To
•
•

Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

An offender who has ever been sentenced to confinement for a felony as a juvenile or adult prior
to his/her current prison admission (Variable 8).

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Yes
No
Don’t Know

Additional Information
•
•

Do not include detention before trial or sentencing.
Do not report non-incarceration sentences such as probation, unless at some point prison time
occurred.

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Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 40

Examples
•

Ten years ago, a man served 3 years in prison for robbery and was released, having satisfied the
conditions of his sentence. He is once again being admitted to begin serving time on a new
sentence. The correct code is "Yes."

Variable 21: AWOL or Escape

REMOVED AS OF REPORTING YEAR 2018

Variable 22a: Community Release Prior to Prison Release
REPORTING YEAR 2018

Variable 22b: Number of Days on Community Release
REPORTING YEAR 2018

REMOVED AS OF

REMOVED AS OF

Variable 23a: Date of Release from Prison
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Releases (Part B)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•
•

The most recent calendar date that the state's prison custody terminated.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Additional Information
•

On post confinement community supervision release (Part F) records, “Date of Release from
Prison” is the most recent prison release date prior to the post confinement community
supervision release date.

Variable 23b: Location at Time of Prison Release
Applies To
•

Prison Releases (Part B)

Definition
•

The type of facility that had been used for the custody or care of the offender just prior to release.

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•

The name of the facility can be provided instead. In this case, provide information in a separate
file that will enable NCRP staff to re-code the name of facility into the NCRP facility type
categories listed below.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
State Prison Facility. A confinement facility administered by the state with custodial
authority over adults sentenced to confinement.
(2)
Local Jail. A confinement facility administered by an agency of the local government,
intended for adults but sometimes also containing juveniles (holds persons detained
pending adjudication and/or persons committed after adjudication, usually with sentences
of a year or less).
(3)
Other – Specify. All facilities except those listed above which house sentenced prisoners.
Provide documentation for the types of facilities you include in this category.
(4)
Halfway House. A long-term residential facility in which residents are allowed extensive
contact with the community (e.g., attending school).
(5)
Community Work Center or Work Release. A residential facility in which residents are
employed and allowed extensive contact with the community.
(6)
Pre-release Center. A residential facility in which inmates may be placed in order to seek
employment, housing, etc.
(12)
Federal Prison. A confinement facility administered by the Federal government with
custodial authority over persons sentenced to confinement.
(99)
Unknown. Information on the facility from which the inmate is released is not known.
Examples
•
•

An offender served a 2-year prison term for burglary in the local jail due to overcrowding at the
state penitentiary. This would be coded as Local Jail.
An offender was sentenced to 18 months for a drug offense. The first 12 months were served in a
drug rehabilitation program in a county hospital. The offender then served the rest of his sentence
in prison. This would be coded as State Prison Facility.

Variable 24: Agencies Assuming Custody at Time of Prison Release
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Releases (Part B)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

Type and location of the agency/agencies that assumes custody (physical or supervisory) over an
inmate at the time of prison release.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 42

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(00)
None
(01)
Other Prison Outside of State
(02)
Other Prison - Federal System
(03)
Parole Within State (Include Parole Agencies in DOC)
(04)
Parole Outside State
(05)
Parole - Federal System
(06)
Probation within State
(07)
Probation Outside State
(08)
Probation Federal System
(09)
Mental/Medical Facility within State
(10)
Mental/Medical Facility Outside of State
(11)
Mental/Medical Facility - Federal
(12)
Other Within State – Specify
(13)
Other Outside State – Specify
(14)
Other - Federal – Specify
(99)
Not Known
Examples
•
•

An inmate is released from a state prison to a detainer from Federal authorities. He is transported
to a Federal prison in another state. "Other Prison, Federal" is the correct value to report.
After serving two-thirds of his sentence, an offender is required by law to be placed on mandatory
conditional release. He will be supervised by the paroling authority of that state. "Parole, Within
State" is the correct value to report.

Variable 25: Type of Release From Prison
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Releases (Part B)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

Method of or reason for departure from the custody of your prison system on the reported date of
release (in Variable 23a of the current record).

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 43

(01)

(02)
(03)

(04)

(05)
(06)

(07)

(08)

(09)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)

(27)

Discretionary Release Decision. A conditional release granted by a parole board or other
agency that has the authority to release adult prisoners to post-confinement community
supervision.
Mandatory Conditional Release. A conditional release from prison which is mandated by
law rather than granted by a discretionary authority.
Probation Release. A conditional release to court supervision or supervision by a
probation authority after the inmate is confined usually for a brief period in a prison
facility. These cases are often called "Split Sentences" or "Shock Probation."
Other Conditional Releases – Specify. All other conditional releases not covered by the
preceding categories. Always describe the nature of the release in your documentation.
Expiration of Sentence. The termination of the period of time an offender has been
required to serve in a state prison.
Commutation/Pardon. A reduction of the term of confinement or an executive order
excusing the remainder of the sentence and pardon resulting in immediate unconditional
release.
Release to Custody, Detainer, or Warrant. Unconditionally releasing an inmate to
custody of another authority. The original prison authority relinquishes all claims upon
the inmate.
Other Unconditional Release – Specify. All unconditional releases not covered by the
preceding three categories. Always document the nature of the release.
Death by Natural Causes. Death due to illness, old age, AIDS, etc.
Death by Suicide.
Death by Homicide by Another Inmate.
Death by Other Homicide. The death of an inmate caused by a person who is not an
inmate that is not legally justifiable.
Death by Execution
Death by Other – Specify. All deaths not covered by the preceding six categories. Always
document the manner of death. Use code 14 "Other" to report an inmate's death which is
due to accidental injury caused by another person (whether the other person is an inmate
or not).
Death by Accidental Injury to Self. Death caused by the inmate accidentally injuring
himself.

(15)

Transfer. The movement of a person from the custody of your state's correctional system
to the custody of another authority while serving the same sentence. Transfers are
permanent or indefinite releases for such purposes as long-term mental health
commitment, safekeeping in another state, or housing in a Federal facility.

(16)

Release on Appeal or Bond. An offender is released to seek or participate in an appeal of
his case and is not receiving credit on his sentence while out of confinement. If the
inmate is being given credit on the remainder of his time while out of confinement or
bond, or appealing his case, do not report a release.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Contents ▌pg. 44

(25)

AWOL/Escape. An inmate who is absent from your state's custody without leave or has
escaped from state prison. If your state reports AWOLs and Escapes as releases, you
must report their recapture as admissions.

(17)

Other – Specify. All other releases not specifically defined in the above categories.
Specify in your documentation the type of releases included in this category.

(99)

Not Known. The type of release from prison is not known.

Additional Information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•

•

•

•

Verify that all releases included in the Other category are releases from the custody of this prison
system and releases of sentenced persons.
For Code 16 (Release on Appeal or Bond) do not include temporary movements to court (e.g., to
testify or appear at a brief hearing).
Do include transfers to other states to continue serving a sentence.
Do not include movements from prison facility to prison facility within your state.
Do not include movements of state prisoners to local jails because the prison is crowded or for
such reasons as overcrowding, safekeeping, etc.
State inmates housed in local jails are to be considered as state prison inmates.
Do not include temporary absences for such reasons as court appearances, training or medical
care.
A detainer is an official notice from one authority agency to another authority agency requesting
that a person wanted by them, but subject to the other agency's jurisdiction, not be released or
discharged without notification to the authority agency requesting the person.
The placing of a detainer is often, but not always, prior to the issuing of a warrant. Typical
reasons for the detainer are that the person is wanted for trial in the requesting jurisdiction or is
wanted to serve a sentence.
Conditional Release is the release from a federal or state correctional facility of a prisoner who
has not completed his/her sentence, and whose freedom is contingent upon obeying specified
rules of behavior while in the community. The offender can be re-incarcerated on current
sentence(s).
Persons on mandatory supervised release are usually subject to the same conditions as offenders
released to post-confinement community supervision via discretionary release, and can be
returned to prison for technical violations of release conditions. However, the difference is that
the release is not a discretionary decision of a parole board or other authority.
If you need to report a type of release not defined by one of the codes provided, assign a unique
code and define it in your documentation.

Examples
•

•

For Code 01 (Discretionary Release Decision),
− An inmate is granted a release by the Parole Board after serving 3 years of a 10 year
sentence. Use code "Discretionary Release Decision."
For Code 02 (Mandatory Conditional Release),

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Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 45

−

•

•

•

•

•

An inmate received a 3 year sentence for heroin possession. The law requires that the
inmate be released to post-confinement community supervision after serving a year. Use
code "Mandatory Conditional Release."
For Code 03 (Probation Release),
− An offender serves 180 days in prison and returns to court for a hearing. The judge
allows him to serve the remainder of his sentence on probation. The correct code is
"Probation Release."
For Code 05 (Expiration of Sentence),
− A person given a maximum sentence of 5 years for robbery is released, without parole
supervision, after serving 5 years. His release is code 05, "Expiration of Sentence."
− A person given a maximum sentence of 5 years for robbery is released without parole
supervision, after serving 3 1/2 years and receiving 1 1/2 years of irrevocable "Good
Time.” His release is "Expiration of Sentence."
For Code 06 (Commutation/Pardon),
− After the legislature reduced marijuana offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, the 15
year sentence of a person is reduced by the Governor to actual time served, 2 1/2 years,
and the inmate is unconditionally released. The correct code is "Commutation/Pardon."
For Code 07 (Release to Custody, Detainer, or Warrant),
− A man is serving three years for armed robbery in Maine. Extradition papers from Texas
on another armed robbery charge await him, however, so he is released to Texas custody.
The correct code is "Release to Custody, Detainer, or Warrant."
For Code 15 (Transfer),
− An inmate is threatened by other inmates. He is transferred to the custody of another state
to complete his sentence. Use code "Transfer."
− On June 10th of the report year, a Texas inmate is sent from the state prison to the
Department of Corrections training school. On June 24th of the report year, the training is
completed and the inmate is sent back to the state prison. No admission or release
movement should be reported.
− Due to crowding, a Maine inmate is transferred on June 6th of the report year from the
Maine State Correctional Center to the Maine State Prison. No admission or release
movement should be reported.
− An inmate is admitted to a Rhode Island prison on February 1st of the report year, to
begin serving a three year sentence for armed robbery. On June 5th of the report year, the
inmate is transferred to a county detention facility for safekeeping. No admission or
release movement should be reported.

Variable 26: Date of Release from Post Confinement Community Supervision
Applies To
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The date of discharge or termination from post-confinement community supervision for any
reason, including returning the offender to prison.

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•

Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Examples
•
•

An offender is discharged after completing his term of post-confinement community supervision
(PCCS) on August 1, 2008. The date of release from PCCS is August 1, 2008.
While on parole, an offender commits an armed robbery and is sentenced to serve time for that
offense. His parole is revoked, and he enters prison to begin serving time on the new sentence on
March 20, 2010. The date of release from PCCS is March 20, 2010.

Variable 27: Type of Release from Post Confinement Community Supervision
Applies To
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The reason for the termination of post-confinement community supervision that occurred on the
date provided in Variable 26.

Codes/Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(01)

(02)

(03)

(04)

(05)

(06)

Discharged, Completion of Term. The release of offenders on Post Confinement
Community Supervision (PCCS) who have served full-term sentences or who have been
released early due to a discretionary decision, commutation or pardon.
Discharged, Absconder. The release of offenders on PCCS while known to be on
absconder status, regardless of whether a warrant has been issued. Code 02 (Discharged,
Absconder) should be used only if the offender has been formally discharged by the
supervising agency or if PCCS jurisdiction has been relinquished.
Discharged to Custody, Detainer or Warrant. Your state supervising authority or agency
relinquishes its jurisdiction over the offender on PCCS. Another agency or authority (in
or out of your state) assumes jurisdiction and perhaps custody over the person. The
agency that assumes jurisdiction or jurisdiction and custody may be a non-correctional
agency, e.g., a mental hospital.
Returned to Prison or Jail, New Sentence. The re-admission of an offender on PCCS into
a prison or jail after receiving a sentence for a new offense(s). If PCCS has been revoked
and the person is admitted to prison or jail with a new sentence, the type of release is
code 04, "Returned to Prison or Jail, New Sentence."
Returned to Prison or Jail, PCCS Revocation. The re-admission of an offender on PCCS
into a prison or jail due to the violation of the conditions of supervision, and the PCCS
has been revoked.
Returned to Prison or Jail, PCCS Revocation Pending. The re-admission of an offender
on PCCS into a prison or jail for the alleged violation of the conditions of supervision. A

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Contents ▌pg. 47

(07)

revocation hearing will be held in the future and a decision to revoke or not revoke the
person's PCCS will be made.
Returned to Prison or Jail, Charges Pending. The re-admission of an offender on PCCS
into a prison or jail for an alleged new offense, pending trial, conviction, or sentence.

(08)

Transferred to Another Jurisdiction. Jurisdiction over the offender on PCCS is
transferred to another state from your authority.

(09)

Death

(10)

Other – Specify. For any other removal from PCCS not covered in the previous
categories, code as 10. Please provide documentation for all PCCS exits included in this
category.

(99)

Not Known. Information on type of release from PCCS is not available.

Additional Information
•

•
•

•
•

•
•
•
•

Do not include those interstate compact cases where only supervisory responsibility is transferred
but legal jurisdiction is retained by your state parole authority, i.e., parole termination is still
determined by your state.
If the supervising agency changes the absconder from active to inactive status without
relinquishing jurisdiction over the person, a PCCS release should not be reported in Code 02.
A detainer is an official notice from one authority agency to another authority agency requesting
that a person wanted by them, but subject to the other agency's jurisdiction, not be released or
discharged without notification to the authority agency requesting the person.
The placing of a detainer is often, but not always, prior to the issuance of a warrant. Typical
reasons for detainers are that the offender is wanted for trial in the requesting jurisdiction.
If an offender on PCCS has had his supervision status revoked because he violated conditions of
supervision but was not sentenced for another crime, code as 05, "Returned to Prison or Jail,
PCCS Revocation."
Count persons returned to prison or jail with revocation pending in Code 06 only if termination of
PCCS jurisdiction is pending in your state.
Use one of the codes 04-07 for absconders who have been released from PCCS because he was
returned to jail or prison.
For parolees who have already received new sentences at the time of release from PCCS, code as
04, "Returned to Prison or Jail, New Sentence."
Count persons returned to prison or jail with charges pending in Code 07.

Examples
•

For Code 01 (Discharged, Completion of Term),
− A parolee, released from prison, is required to serve three years on parole. He finishes the
three years and is discharged by the Adult Parole Authority. Use code 01, "Discharged,
Completion of Term."

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Contents ▌pg. 48

−

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

An offender, released from prison, is required to serve three years on mandatory
conditional release. He finishes two years and receives an early discharge by the
supervising agency. Use code 01, "Discharged, Completion of Term."
For Code 02 (Discharged, Absconder),
− Wyoming parolee moved to New Mexico last year without the permission of the
Wyoming Board of Parole. After six months, the Wyoming Parole Board relinquished
jurisdiction. Use code 02, "Discharged, Absconder."
− An offender on post-confinement community supervision in Nevada moved to New
Mexico last year without permission of the Nevada supervising agency. As of December
31 of the report year, the Nevada supervising agency had not relinquished jurisdiction.
Do not submit a PCCS exit record for this offender.
For Code 03 (Discharged to Custody, Detainer or Warrant),
− A Wisconsin probationer is discharged as a result of an extradition request from Texas.
He is released to Texas custody on a warrant. Use code 03, "Discharged to Custody,
Detainer or Warrant."
For Code 04 (Returned to Prison or Jail, New Sentence),
− While out on supervised release, an offender commits a crime and is sentenced to serve
two years in prison. PCCS is revoked. Use code 04, "Returned to Prison or Jail, New
Sentence."
For Code 05 (Returned to Prison or Jail, PCCS Revocation),
− A probationer in Wisconsin violates the conditions of his probation. The supervising
agency formally revokes his probation and the offender is returned to the county jail to
continue serving his sentence. Use code 05, "Returned to Prison or Jail, PCCS
Revocation."
For Code 06 (Returned to Prison or Jail, Revocation Pending),
− A parolee is accused of violating conditions of his parole. He is sent to the state prison to
await a decision from the Parole Authority concerning possible revocation. Use code 06,
"Returned to Prison or Jail, Revocation Pending."
For Code 07 (Returned to Prison or Jail, Charges Pending),
− An offender on supervised release is charged with committing a new offense. He is held
in the local jail to await trial on the new charge. Use code 07, "Returned to prison or jail,
charges pending."
For Code 08 (Transferred to Another Jurisdiction),
− A parolee in Mississippi finds a new job in Alabama. The Mississippi Parole Board
arranges for the parolee to be supervised in Alabama through an interstate compact
agreement. Your state parole authority has not relinquished jurisdiction; therefore no
parole exit has occurred. Use code 08, "Transferred to Another Jurisdiction."
− An offender on PCCS in Mississippi finds a new job in Alabama. The Alabama Board of
Pardons and Paroles agrees to assume jurisdiction over the parolee; Mississippi then
terminates jurisdiction. Use code 08, "Transferred to Another Jurisdiction."

Variable 28: Supervision Status Just Prior to Release REMOVED AS OF
REPORTING YEAR 2018

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Contents ▌pg. 49

(There is no Variable 29)

Variable 30: Inmate State ID Number
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The inmate's unique, fingerprint-supported State Identification (SID) Number assigned by the
state’s criminal history repository.

Additional Information
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics as required by Title 34, United States Code,
Sections 10134 and 10231.

Variable 31a: Indeterminate Sentence
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Report if any part of the total maximum sentence reported in Variable 15 an indeterminate
sentence (a sentence in which the judge specifies a minimum and maximum prison term)

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Yes, any part of the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) is an indeterminate sentence
No, no part of the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) is an indeterminate sentence
Don’t Know

Examples
•

An offender is serving a 10-year determinate sentence for robbery under a truth in sentencing law,
and a 5-year sentence for drug trafficking under a mandatory minimum law.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 50

•

− “No” for variable 31a (indeterminate sentence),
− “Yes” for variable 31b (determinate sentence),
An offender is serving a 10 to 15-year indeterminate sentence for vehicular homicide, a 5-year
determinate sentence for reckless endangerment, and a 3-year determinate sentence for driving
under the influence of drugs. The 10 to 15-year indeterminate sentence for vehicular homicide is
restricted by a truth in sentencing law. The vehicular homicide sentence is not a mandatory
minimum, nor is the 5-year sentence for reckless endangerment. It is not known whether the 3year sentence for driving under the influence of drugs is a mandatory minimum sentence. The
correct entry is:
− Variable 31a (indeterminate sentence) –Yes.
− Variable 31b (determinate sentence) –Yes.

Variable 31b: Determinate Sentence
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Report if any part of the total maximum sentence reported in variable 15 a determinate sentence
(a sentence in which the judge sets a fixed prison term). The sentence may be reduced by good
time credits or earned time.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Yes, any part of the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) is a determinate sentence
No, no part of the total maximum sentence (Variable 15) is a determinate sentence
Don’t Know

Examples
•

•

An offender is serving a 10-year determinate sentence for robbery under a truth in sentencing law,
and a 5-year sentence for drug trafficking under a mandatory minimum law.
− “No” for variable 31a (indeterminate sentence),
− “Yes” for variable 31b (determinate sentence),
An offender is serving a 10 to 15-year indeterminate sentence for vehicular homicide, a 5-year
determinate sentence for reckless endangerment, and a 3-year determinate sentence for driving
under the influence of drugs. The 10 to 15-year indeterminate sentence for vehicular homicide is
restricted by a truth in sentencing law. The vehicular homicide sentence is not a mandatory
minimum, nor is the 5-year sentence for reckless endangerment. It is not known whether the 3-

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 51

year sentence for driving under the influence of drugs is a mandatory minimum sentence. The
correct entry is:
− Variable 31a (indeterminate sentence) –Yes.
− Variable 31b (determinate sentence) –Yes.

Variable 31c: Mandatory Minimum Sentence
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Is any part of the total maximum sentence reported in variable 15 a mandatory minimum sentence
(a minimum sentence specified by statute for a particular crime)?

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
(2)
(9)

Yes
No
Don’t Know

Examples (see Variable 31a)

Variable 31d: Truth in Sentencing Restriction
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Is any part of the total maximum sentence reported in Variable 15 restricted by a Truth in
Sentencing Law (a statute which mandates that a certain percentage of the court-imposed
sentence be served in prison)?

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)
Yes
(2)
No

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 52

(9)

Don’t Know

Examples (see Variable 31a)

Variable 32: Length of Court-Imposed Sentence to Community Supervision
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

The amount of time which the court states that the offender is required to serve under community
supervision after release from prison.

Additional Information
•
•

This variable is applicable only if the court imposed a sentence to community supervision that is
separate from the sentence to prison.
The sentence to post-incarceration community supervision may be in the form of parole,
probation, or other supervision in the community, as ordered by the court.

Examples
•

•

The offender is sentenced by the court to serve a 5-year fixed prison term and an additional 2year term on community supervision after release from prison. The correct value to report is 2
years.
The offender is sentenced by the court to serve a 2 to 10-year sentence in prison. The court did
not sentence the offender to a separate term of community supervision. The term of community
supervision will be determined by an administrative agency, such as a parole board, when the
offender is approved for release from prison. The correct value to report is “not applicable.”

Variable 33: Parole Hearing / Eligibility Date
Applies To
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•
•

The date the offender is eligible for review by an administrative agency such as a parole board, to
determine whether he or she will be released from prison.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 53

Additional Information
•
•

This variable is applicable only if the decision to release an offender is controlled by an
administrative agency such as a parole board.
The parole hearing eligibility date should be calculated from the total maximum sentence
(variable 15) for all offenses. For the year-end custody record, report the next date the inmate will
be eligible for a parole hearing.

Examples
•

•

•

•

An offender was admitted to prison on January 1, 1999, with a 15 years to life sentence for
second degree murder. The law states the offender is eligible for parole board release after
serving 85% of the minimum 15-year sentence (or 12 years 9 months). The parole eligibility date
is calculated by adding 12 years 9 months to the date of admission. The offender will be eligible
for parole board release on October 1, 2011.
A judge sentences an offender to serve 2 to 4 years in prison for theft. The offender is eligible for
parole board release after the minimum 2-year sentence has been served. The offender was
admitted to prison on January 1, 2010, with 6 months in jail time credits. The parole eligibility
date is calculated by adding two years to the date of admission, and subtracting six months for
credited jail time. The parole eligibility date is July 1, 2010.
An offender is admitted to prison on January 1, 2005, with a 10-year sentence for aggravated
robbery. The law requires violent offenders to serve 50% of the sentence before they are eligible
for parole board release. Good time credits may be accrued only after 50% of the sentence has
been served. The parole eligibility date is 5 years from the date of admission, or January 1, 2010.
While on parole, an offender is arrested for aggravated assault and is sentenced to a 10-year
prison term for the new offense. At sentencing, the offender’s parole is revoked with 2 years
remaining on a previous robbery sentence. The offender is admitted to prison on January 1, 2004
as a parole violator, with a 12-year total maximum sentence for both convictions. Good time
credits may be accrued only after 50% of the sentence has been served. The parole eligibility date
is 6 years from the date of admission, or January 1, 2010.

Variable 34: Projected Release Date
Applies To
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•
•

The projected date on which the offender will be released from prison.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 54

Additional Information
•
•

Statutory requirements, good time credits, jail time credit, and any other factors which might
modify the prison release date should be included in this calculation.
If an offender is serving time for more than one offense, the projected release date should be
calculated from the total maximum sentence (variable 15) for all offenses.

Examples
•

•

•

•

•

An offender enters prison on January 1, 2002, with a 10-year sentence for armed robbery. At
sentencing, the offender received 6 months credit for time served in jail prior to being admitted to
prison. While in prison, the State allows inmate to earn one day work credit for every 3 days
served, not to exceed 15% of the sentence. The projected release date is calculated by subtracting
the 6 months jail credit and the 1 ½ years of available work credit from the 10-year prison
sentence. The offender’s projected release date is 8 years from the date of admission or January 1,
2010.
A judge sentences an offender to serve 10 years in prison for armed robbery. The offender is
admitted to prison on January 1, 2002, and is required by State law to serve 6/7 of the 10-year
sentence (8.57 years, or 8 years 6 months and 26 days). The offender’s projected release date is 8
years 6 months and 26 days from the date of admission or July 26, 2010.
A judge sentences an offender to serve 2 to 6 years in prison for theft. The offender is admitted to
prison on January 1, 2007, and is given 3 years of good time credit (one-half the maximum
sentence). Assuming the offender does not lose any good time while incarcerated, he or she is
projected to be released after serving the remaining 3 years of the maximum sentence. The
projected release date is calculated as January 1, 2010.
A judge sentences an offender to serve 5 to 10 years in prison for aggravated robbery. The
offender is admitted to prison on January 1, 2000, and given 5 years of good time credit (one-half
the maximum sentence). After serving 8 years the offender has lost all good time credits due to
disciplinary actions. The offender is expected to expire the sentence, or serve the entire 10-year
maximum sentence, and be released unconditionally from prison. The projected release date is 10
years from the date of admission or January 1, 2010.
While on parole, an offender is arrested and convicted for armed robbery and sentenced to a 10year prison term for the new offense. The offender’s parole is revoked with 2 years remaining on
a pervious robbery sentence. The offender is admitted to prison on January 1, 2004 as a parole
violator, with a 12-year total maximum sentence for both robbery convictions. The offender is
given 6 years of good time credit at admission (one-half the total maximum sentence). The
projected release date is 6 years from the date of admission, or January 1, 2010.

Variable 35: Mandatory Release Date
Applies To
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 55

Definition
•
•

The date the offender by law must be conditionally released from prison.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Additional Information
•
•
•
•

This date should reflect jail time credits and any statutory or administrative sentence reductions,
including good time.
The mandatory release date should be calculated from the total maximum sentence (variable 15)
for all offenses.
This variable is intended to capture mandatory conditional release policies structured around good
time and other administrative sentence reductions.
Do not set to the date the offender’s sentence will expire (serve the entire sentence and be
released unconditionally from prison).

Examples
•

An offender is admitted to prison on January 1, 2006, with a 5 to 10-year prison sentence for
fraud. The law requires mandatory release for non-violent offenders when good time credits plus
actual time served in prison equals the maximum sentence. The offender is allowed to earn a
maximum of 45 days good time credit for every 30 days served. The mandatory release date is
calculated by determining the date the offender’s actual time served plus good time will equal the
maximum sentence. After serving 4 years, the offender will have earned a maximum of 6 years in
good time credit. The mandatory release date is 4 years from the date of admission, or January 1,
2010.

Variable 36: First Name
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The first name of the offender.

Additional Information
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in accordance with Title 34, United States
Code, Sections 10134 and 10231.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 56

Variable 37: Last Name
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The last name of the offender.

Additional Information
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in accordance with Title 34, United States
Code, Sections 10134 and 10231.

•

Variable 38: Facility Name
Applies To
•

Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

Name of the facility in which the prisoner will be incarcerated at yearend.

Variable 39: FBI Number
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The unique identification number given by the Federal Bureau of Investigation/ Interstate
Identification Index to each offender.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 57

Codes / Coding Information
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics as required by Title 34, United States Code,
Sections 10134 and 10231.

Variable 40: Prior Military Service
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

Report if the inmate ever serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable.
(1)

(2)
(9)

Yes. Inmate served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Does not require that the inmate receive
veterans’ benefits, nor that the inmate served in a conflict situation. Includes all branches
of the military, including the Coast Guard.
No. Inmate never served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Don’t Know

Variable 41: Date of Last Military Discharge
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•
•

The date the inmate was discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces for the final time.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 58

Variable 42: Type of Last Military Discharge
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The type of discharge the offender received from the U.S. Armed Forces on the date in Variable
41.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable. If using your own
codes, please provide their definitions to the NCRP data collection agent.
(1)
(2)
(3)

(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(9)

Honorable. Offender received a rating from good to excellent for their service.
General (honorable conditions). Offender’s military performance was satisfactory.
General (not honorable conditions). Offender’s military performance was satisfactory but
marked by a considerable departure in duty performance and conduct expected of
military members.
Other than honorable. Offender’s military performance was a serious departure from the
conduct and performance expected of all military members.
Bad conduct. Only given by a court martial.
Dishonorable. May be rendered only by conviction at a general court-martial for serious
offenses that call for dishonorable discharge as part of the sentence.
Other.
Not Known.

Variable 43: Date of Admission to Post Confinement Community Supervision
Applies To
•
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•
•

The date the offender was most recently admitted to post-confinement community supervision on
the current sentence.
Report partial dates if the day or month is not known.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 59

Variable 44: Type of Admission to Post Confinement Community Supervision
Applies To
•
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

•

The reason an offender entered into post-confinement community supervision on the date
provided in Variable 43 (Date of Admission to Post-Confinement Community Supervision) of the
current record.
As necessary, provide information in a separate file that will enable Abt Associates to re-code
your agency’s PCCS admission type codes into the NCRP PCCS admission type categories listed
below.

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable. If using your own
codes, please provide their definitions to the NCRP data collection agent.
(1)

(2)
(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)
(9)

Discretionary release from prison. An offender being admitted to PCCS based on the
decision of the Governor, the department of correction, or parole board, or commutation
of sentence.
Mandatory conditional release from prison. An offender being admitted to PCCS based
on a determinate sentencing statute or good-time provision
Reinstatement of PCCS. Offenders returned to PCCS status, including discharged
absconders whose cases were reopened, revocations with immediate reinstatement, and
offenders re-admitted to PCCS at any time under the same sentence.
Court-imposed sentence to PCCS that begins upon release from prison. An offender
being admitted to PCCS based on a judicial sentence of a period of incarceration
immediately followed by a period of PCCS.
Transferred from another jurisdiction. An offender admitted following a term of
confinement or community supervision in another state when that state transfers legal
authority of the offender to your state.
Other.
Not known.

Variable 45: County Where Offender was Released / County Where PCCS
Office is Located
Applies To
•

Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 60

Definition
•
•

The county where the offender was released from post-confinement community supervision on
the date in Variable 26.
If this information is not available, please report the county where the post-confinement
community supervision (PCCS) office to which the offender reported before exit is located.

Codes / Coding Information
•

If possible, use either the name of the county or the 5-digit county FIPS code (available at
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/co-codes/states.txt).

Variable 46: Social Security Number
Applies To
•
•
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Releases (Part B)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F)

Definition
•

The offender’s nine-digit Social Security Number (SSN).

Codes / Coding Information
•

•
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, as required by Title 34, United States Code,
Sections 10134 and 10231.
If your agency can only provide the last four digits of the SSN, please submit the last four digits.
Contact your NCRP data collection agent site liaison if your agency requires additional
information or a signed Data Use Agreement before including SSNs in your NCRP submission.

•
Additional Information
•

SSNs allow BJS to link the NCRP data to a variety of Federal administrative datasets that contain
information on income, employment, mortality, and public assistance histories of prisoners and
their families before and after incarceration. This will enable researchers and policymakers to
broaden their understanding of the factors that contribute to recidivism or successful reentry into
society, and enable analysts to better understand the inter-relationship among poverty, health,
crime, and other social-economic indicia.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 61

Variable 47: Last Known Address Prior to Incarceration
Applies To
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)

Definition
•

The offender’s last known address prior to incarceration.

Codes / Coding Information
•

All information that can identify individuals will be held strictly confidential by the NCRP data
collection agent and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, as required by Title 34, United States Code,
Sections 10134 and 10231.
• Please provide the street address (number, name, and suffix), city, state, and zip code in separate
fields or delimit them in some way.
• If your agency does not allow release of the offender’s last known address, please consider
submitting less detailed geographic information, such as the zip code or the county where the
offender resided prior to incarceration.
Contact your NCRP data collection agent site liaison if your agency requires additional information
or a signed Data Use Agreement before including the offender’s last known address in your
NCRP submission.
Additional Information
•

This information allows BJS to produce more accurate imprisonment rates for areas smaller than
states and to link NCRP data to other Federal administrative records.

Variable 48: Offender Custody Level
Applies To
•

Prison Custody (Part D)

Definition
•

The offender’s custody level at yearend. Custody level is used to determine the types of facilities
where the offender can be assigned and whether the offender is available for work assignments
outside security fences (and, if so, under what circumstances).

Codes / Coding Information
Use either your agency’s custody level codes or the following NCRP codes for this variable. If using
your own codes, please provide their definitions to the NCRP data collection agent.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 62

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)
(9)

Community – is assigned to offenders posing the least threat to public safety. They
include offenders assigned to community or residential facilities outside institutional
perimeters and those who participate in work, education, or other activities in the
community. They are generally permitted to move unescorted for program and work
assignments.
Minimum – is assigned to offenders who are not eligible for placement at a community
residential facility and are typically housed in facilities characterized by a fenced or
"posted" perimeter. Normal entry and exit are under visual surveillance.
Medium – is assigned to offenders needing more supervision than what is provided in
minimum security prisons. They are typically housed in facilities characterized by a
single or double fenced perimeter with armed coverage by towers or patrols. Typically,
offenders’ inside movement and call-outs require passes and/or supervision, and
movement outside of institutional perimeters requires restraints and/or armed supervision
for work or program assignments.
Maximum, close, or high – is assigned to offenders requiring the highest degree of
supervision because they pose a danger to others and to the institution; or because their
well-being would be in jeopardy if they refused protective custody. These prisoners
cannot participate in activities requiring outside movement, and their inside movement is
closely observed.
Not classified. The offender has not yet been assigned a custody level.
Not known.

Variable 49: US Citizen
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)

Definition
•

Whether the offender is currently a citizen of the United States.

Codes / Coding Information
(1)
(2)
(3)

Yes. Inmate is currently a citizen of the United States.
No. Inmate is not currently a citizen of the United States.
Don’t know

Additional Information
•

If your offender management system does not have a US citizen Yes/No flag but has the
offender’s country of citizenship, include the country of current citizenship in your submission
and the NCRP data collection agent will derive the US Citizen variable from the country of
citizenship.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 63

•

Submission of this variable is voluntary.

Variable 50: Country of Citizenship
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)

Definition
•

The offender’s country of current citizenship

Codes / Coding Information
•

Include either the name of the country or a country code (and include the meaning of the country
codes with your submission).

Additional Information
•

Submission of this variable is voluntary.

Variable 51: Country of Birth
Applies To
•
•
•

Prison Admissions (Part A)
Prison Custody (Part D)
Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E)

Definition
•

The offender’s country of birth

Codes / Coding Information
•

Include either the name of the country or a country code (and include the meaning of the country
codes with your submission).

Additional Information
•

Submission of this variable is voluntary.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Abt Associates Inc.

Contents ▌pg. 64

Appendix I
NCRP frequently asked questions fact sheet

National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP) FAQs
January 2019

What is the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP)?
NCRP collects offender-level data on admissions to and releases from prisons and post-confinement community
supervision. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has administered the NCRP since 1983. State departments of correction
and community supervision provide these data, which are used at the federal and state levels to monitor correctional
populations and address policy questions related to recidivism, prisoner reentry, and trends in demographic
characteristics of the incarcerated and paroled populations.

What is the Bureau of Justice Statistics?
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of
Justice, is the United States' primary source for criminal justice statistics. BJS’s mission is to collect, analyze, publish,
and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all
levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring
that justice is both efficient and evenhanded.

What is Abt Associates’ role in NCRP?
Abt Associates has been collecting NCRP on behalf of BJS since 2010. Prior to then, the U.S. Census Bureau was
the NCRP data collection agent. Abt is responsible for collecting, processing and analyzing data submitted by state
departments of corrections and community supervision. Working with BJS, Abt has implemented BJS’s vision to
enhance and expand the NCRP system. Abt has over 40 years of experience working with the U.S. Department of
Justice and other criminal justice agencies across the country.

What data are collected under NCRP?
Most states submit NCRP data annually, for prisoners or individuals on community supervision during the previous
calendar year. State departments of correction are asked to provide three data files:
− Prison Admissions (Part A): one record for each admission of a sentenced offender to the state’s prison system.
− Prison Releases (Part B): one record for each release of a sentenced offender from the state’s prison system.
− Prison Custody (Part D): one record for each sentenced offender in the physical custody of the state’s prison
system at year end.
State agencies responsible for supervising offenders on a term of community supervision immediately after release
from prison are asked to provide two data files:
− Post Confinement Community Supervision Admissions (Part E): one record for each admission to a postconfinement community supervision program.
− Post Confinement Community Supervision Releases (Part F): one record for each release from a postconfinement community supervision program.
The NCRP data request documentation contains complete information on all the requested data elements. While the
data elements differ somewhat across the five data files, they generally include:
− Offender characteristics (e.g., unique agency identifier, name, last known address, SSN, date of birth, race, sex,
veteran status)
− Sentence characteristics (e.g., county where sentence imposed, offenses, sentence length)
− Date and type of admission to prison
− Date and type of release from prison
− Date and type of admission to post-confinement community supervision
− Date and type of release from post-confinement community supervision

What if all of the data can’t be provided?
BJS understands that the requested data elements may not be collected by all agencies or some agencies’ policies
may not allow sharing of certain data. You many provide a portion of the requested items. The data request
documentation also highlights the “core” data elements that are most important to NCRP.

How long will it take to respond to the NCRP?
The amount of time depends on the characteristics of your agency’s offender information system, the type of data
extraction tools available for the system, and the level of expertise agency staff have in using those tools. The biggest
time commitment is in the first year of participation, when data extract procedures must be developed. BJS estimates
the time needed to develop computer programs to extract data and to prepare a response to be 24 hours, on average,
per type of database containing the information needed for the first year of participation, and 8 hours, per type of
database, during the second and subsequent years. Feedback during data processing and review is estimated to
take 3 hours. Average total burden for reporting year 2019 is 29 hours per state. Send comments regarding this
burden estimate or any other aspects of the collection of this information, including suggestions for reducing this
burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531, and to the
Office of Management and Budget, OMB number 1121-0065, Washington, DC 20503. For more information on the
NCRP reporting burden (OMB No. 1121-0065 Exp. 10/31/2021), see the NCRP's OMB submission. 1

When is the data submission due?
The submission date for NCRP data is March 31 of each year. If it is not possible to meet this date, the Abt NCRP
site liaison assigned to your state will work with you to determine a submission date.

Is there a specific format or coding scheme for the data?
There is no required format or coding scheme for the data you submit. The codes provided in the NCRP Data Request
Instructions are suggested, but BJS and its data collection agent can convert state-specific codes to the standard
NCRP ones if you provide documentation for the codes you submit.

How are data submitted to the NCRP?
The preferred method for submitting data to Abt Associates is via the NCRP data transfer site (transfer.abtassoc.com).
This site is compliant with FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 and meets all the requirements of
the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and the Privacy Act. The data are automatically encrypted
during transit.

How does BJS keep the NCRP data secure?
BJS and Abt are bound by federal law (34 USC 10231) which provides that, “No officer or employee of the Federal
Government, and no recipient of assistance under the provisions of this chapter shall use or reveal any research or
statistical information furnished under this chapter by any person and identifiable to any specific private person for
any purpose other than the purpose for which it was obtained in accordance with this chapter. Such information and
copies thereof shall be immune from legal process, and shall not, without the consent of the person furnishing such
information, be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial, legislative, or
administrative proceedings.” Both BJS and Abt are required to follow the BJS Data Protection Guidelines
(https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/BJS_Data_Protection_Guidelines.pdf).

What happens after data are submitted?
Abt will verify the contents of the data files and conduct a series of validity checks, including comparing the submitted
data to your submissions from prior years. Typically, this will be accomplished within 1 to 3 weeks of receipt of your
data. Your Abt site liaison will then contact you to review the findings.

1

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201208-1121-005

How will the NCRP data be used?
NCRP data are used at the federal and state levels to address policy questions related to recidivism, prisoner reentry,
and trends in demographic characteristics of correctional and community supervision populations. BJS uses NCRP
data to monitor these issues at the national level. Abt Associates actively solicits ideas from state NCRP contacts on
how NCRP data can be used in their state. Researchers at universities and other institutions can access NCRP data
– minus offender unique identifiers and names – at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
(http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/), following a review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Why is BJS requesting SSNs?
One of the unique features of the NCRP is the potential to link individual offender records to other administrative
records. By adding SSNs to the NCRP, BJS will be able to link NCRP data to records from a variety of federal
administrative datasets that contain information on income, employment, mortality, or public assistance histories of
prisoners and their families before and after incarceration. This will enable a broader understanding of the factors that
contribute to successful prisoner reentry into society, and a better understanding of the inter-relationship of poverty,
health, crime, and other social-economic indicators. Linking will be performed in a way that protects personal
information. BJS will produce state-level statistical reports from the linked datasets and provide these back to the
state departments of corrections’ separately.

How will NCRP data be linked to other administrative data sets?
BJS has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications
(CARRA), which has obtained person-level data from other federal agencies, including data on supplemental security
income from the Social Security Administration, assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
and subsidized health insurance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Linking occurs only behind
CARRA’s firewall at Federal Statistical Research Data Centers by individuals who have gone through a security
background check, taken data security training, and received BJS and Census Bureau approval for individual projects.
Currently, these individuals are from BJS and its NCRP data collection agent (Abt Associates), but state officials may
also request access to CARRA.
Once a link is made, all personally identifiable information (PII) that you provide to us for NCRP (names, SSNs, inmate
IDs, FBI IDs, addresses) are deleted from the NCRP data file housed at CARRA.

How are offender’s SSN, last known address, and other personal information protected?
NCRP computer files containing SSNs and other personal information are protected at each point in the process,
from submission by states to linking the data at CARRA. See the FAQ on page 2 “How does BJS keep the NCRP
data secure?” for further information.
In addition, only aggregate analyses of linked data are permitted, and CARRA carefully screens all output to ensure
that it does not contain any personal identifiers or information that could be used to reconstruct the identity of an
individual.

Are there any legal impediments to including SSNs in the NCRP?
From the federal government’s perspective, there are no legal impediments and the federal Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) approved BJS’s request to include SSNs and addresses in the NCRP beginning on 10/31/2015.
As necessary, BJS and its data collection agent will sign a Data Use Agreement that specifies how SSNs can be
used.

What if nine-digit SSNs can’t legally be provided? Is it ok to provide only the last four digits?
Yes. CARRA is also set up to link records using only the last four digits of the SSN. However, the linkage rate is
higher with the full SSN, so if your agency can legally provide all 9 digits, we ask that you do so.

Why is BJS requesting the offender’s last known address prior to incarceration?
Collection of an inmate’s home address prior to imprisonment, helps link NCRP to other sources of administrative
data and it allows BJS to produce accurate imprisonment rates for areas smaller than states. The only other

geographic variables captured in NCRP are the custodial state where the inmate is held, the state with legal authority
over the inmate, and the county in which the inmate was sentenced.

Can other federal agencies and researchers get access to the NCRP data through CARRA?
No. BJS has requested that CARRA classify the NCRP data as ‘restricted,’ meaning BJS must approve any request
to use the data. Only those people designated by BJS and given Special Sworn Status by the Census Bureau will be
able to access the NCRP data.

What is new this year in NCRP?
To meet a Department of Justice request that BJS provide more statistics on citizenship status of prisoners, BJS is
adding the following variables for the 2018 data year: country of current citizenship of prisoner, country of birth of
prisoner, and whether the prisoner is currently a U.S. citizen. As always, BJS stresses that the submission of these
items, along with all variables on NCRP, is voluntary. If your DOC does not feel comfortable providing these items, or
provision of these items would cause undue burden, please feel free to not submit them.
BJS is also removing 7 variables from the NCRP that have poor response rates. Please see the NCRP Data Collection
Request Instructions for details.

Who do we contact for more information?
•

Tom Rich (Abt Associates Project Director and site liaison) – [email protected] or 617-349-2753

•

Michael Shively (Abt Associates site liaison) – [email protected] or 617-520-3562

•

Ann Carson (BJS Corrections Unit Acting Chief) – [email protected] or 202-616-3496

•

Or, visit www.ncrp.info

Appendix J
Item response rates for 2016 NCRP, and use of NCRP variables by researchers, 2015-2018

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

A
B
D
E
F
A
B
D
E

41 / 44
42 / 46
41 / 46
28 / 31
26 / 30
44 / 44
46 / 46
46 / 46
29 / 31

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
99.8%
99.2%
99.9%
99.1%
98.3%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%

F

28 / 30

100.0%

A
B
D
E
F

44 / 44
46 / 46
46 / 46
31 / 31
30 / 30

100.0%
99.6%
100.0%
100.0%
99.8%

1

County in Which
Sentence was
Imposed

The county where the
court imposing the
current sentence is
located

1983

2

Inmate ID Number

A unique number that
identifies an offender
within the agency for
this admission and all
subsequent
admissions.
The offender’s date of
birth

1983

3

Date of Birth

1983

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

4, 8, 10, 16, 17, 19,
32, 35, 45

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

Used to PIK data
behind the
CARRA firewall;
identify
recidivists in
longitudinal
NCRP datasets;
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used to calculate
age for annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin and
Aging of the
State Prison
Population
report (2016; NCJ
248766)

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)
2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 18,
19, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 28, 29,
30, 33, 35, 38, 40,
42, 43, 44, 46, 48,
49, 50, 51, 53

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

4

Sex

The offender’s
biological sex

1983

A
B
D
E
F

44 / 44
46 / 46
46 / 46
31 / 31
30 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
100.0%
99.7%
100.0%
100.0%
99.9%

5

Race

The offender’s race

1983

A
B
D
E
F

44 / 44
46 / 46
45 / 46
31 / 31
30 / 30

97.6%
97.9%
97.6%
97.9%
97.3%

6

Hispanic Origin

Is the offender of
Hispanic origin?

1983

A
B
D
E
F

42 / 44
44 / 46
44 / 46
30 / 31
29 / 30

91.9%
89.7%
85.6%
84.4%
85.3%

7

Highest Grade
Completed

The highest academic
grade level the
offender completed
prior to admission to
prison on the current
sentence

1983

A
B
D
E
F

32 / 44
34 / 46
34 / 46
22 / 31
21 / 30

83.5%
84.9%
87.6%
82.3%
81.2%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS
Will be
compared to
self-report data
from BJS’ 2016
Survey of Prison
Inmates (SPI) to
determine
quality of data
element

1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11,
14, 19, 20, 21, 23,
25, 26, 27, 28, 30,
33, 35, 38, 40, 42,
43, 44, 45, 46, 48,
49, 51, 52, 53
1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10,
11, 14, 15, 19, 21,
23, 25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 30, 32, 33, 35,
38, 40, 42, 43, 44,
45, 46, 48, 49, 50,
51, 52, 53
3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14,
15, 19, 25, 26, 27,
28, 29, 30, 32, 33,
35, 38, 43, 45, 46,
48, 49, 52, 53
23, 44, 52, 53

Notes

Variable Variable Name
Number

8

Date of Admission to
Prison

The most recent date
the offender was
admitted into the
custody of the state
prison system on the
current sentence

1983

A
B
D

44 / 44
45 / 46
45 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
100.0%
99.9%
99.7%

9

Type of Admission to
Prison

The reason an
offender entered into
the physical custody
of a correctional
facility on the date
provided in the
current record
The state with the
legal authority to
enforce the prison
sentence

1983

A
B

42 / 44
42 / 46

98.4%
96.4%

D

41 / 46

98.2%

1983

A
B
D

39 / 44
41 / 46
39 / 46

100.0%
99.9%
100.0%

The length of time
served in jail prior to
the date of admission
and credited to prison
service for the current
sentence

1983

A
B
D

27 / 44
27 / 46
26 / 46

88.0%
91.1%
95.4%

10

Jurisdiction on Date of
Admission

11

Prior Jail Time

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS
Used to compare
to jurisdiction
population and
admission counts
from BJS’
National Prisoner
Statistics
program (NPS)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9,
10, 11, 12, 14, 15,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21,
22, 23, 24, 25, 26,
27, 28, 29, 31, 32,
33, 34, 35, 36, 38,
39, 40, 41, 42, 43,
44, 46, 47, 50, 51,
52, 53
7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17,
18, 20, 21, 22, 24,
25, 27, 28, 31, 33,
34, 39, 41, 43, 44,
47, 52, 53
10, 28, 33, 43

Variable Variable Name
Number

12

Prior Prison Time

13

Offenses

14a

Offense with Longest
Maximum Sentence

14b

Sentence Length for
Offense with Longest
Maximum Sentence

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

Use by BJS

14 / 44
14 / 46
14 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
80.1%
85.3%
79.4%

The length of time
served in prison prior
to the date of
admission and
credited to prison
service for the current
sentence
Crime(s) for which the
offender was
admitted to prison on
the current
sentence(s), including
the number of counts
for each offense.
Of the crimes, the
ONE crime for which
the inmate received
the longest sentence

1983

A
B
D

1983

A
B
D
E
F

44 / 44
46 / 46
45 / 46
30 / 31
29 / 30

99.0%
98.9%
97.7%
99.6%
98.8%

1983

A
B
D

44 / 44
46 / 46
45 / 46

99.0%
98.9%
97.7%

1983

A
B
D

39 / 44
39 / 46
37 / 46

98.4%
98.3%
99.3%

Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS;
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS;
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records
Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS;
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

The maximum
sentence as stated by
the court that the
offender is required to
serve for the offense
with longest
maximum sentence

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10,
12, 13, 14, 15, 19,
20, 21, 23, 24, 25,
29, 30, 31, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 40, 42,
43, 44, 47, 51, 52,
53
1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10,
12, 13, 14, 15, 19,
20, 21, 23, 24, 25,
29, 30, 31, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 40, 42,
44, 47, 51, 52, 53
1, 7, 9, 10, 17, 18,
20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 33, 35, 38, 39,
40, 41, 42, 44, 47

Not all states
can supply this
variable, total
maximum
sentence length
substituted
where needed.

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

15

Total Maximum
Sentence Length

The longest length of
time as stated by the
court that the
offender could be
required to serve for
all offenses.

1983

A
B
D

43 / 44
45 / 46
43 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
98.7%
98.6%
99.3%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Used in annual
Prisoners in YYYY
bulletin
published by BJS;
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 17, 18,
20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 33, 35, 38, 39,
40, 41, 42, 44, 47

17

Location where
Offender is to Serve
Sentence

1983

A
B
D

31 / 44
30 / 46
30 / 46

99.1%
98.2%
99.7%

18

Additional Offenses
Since Admission Date

1983

B
D

8 / 46
9 / 46

44.0%
35.1%

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

19

Additional Sentence
Time Since Admission

1983

B
D

8 / 46
7 / 46

94.2%
87.3%

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

20

Prior Felony
Incarcerations

The type of facility in
which the offender
will be incarcerated to
serve time for his/her
crime.
Any additional offense
imposed after the
date of admission,
regardless of the date
of the crime.
The maximum time
the inmate may be
incarcerated
consecutive to the
maximum sentence
length.
Was the offender ever
sentenced to
confinement for a
felony as a juvenile or
adult prior to his/her
current prison
admission?

1983

B
D

21 / 46
15 / 46

99.3%
99.9%

With the advent
of term records,
this is redundant,
however BJS
intends to
evaluate the
quality of this
variable by
matching to SPI
records.

10

7, 10, 23, 33, 42, 44,
52, 53

Notes

Variable Variable Name
Number

21

AWOL or Escape

22a

Community Release
Prior to Prison Release

22b

Number of Days on
Community Release

23a

Date of Release from
Prison

23b

Location at Time of
Prison Release

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

Use by BJS

24 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
95.6%

Was the offender
AWOL or did (s)he
escape while serving
sentences?
Prior to release from
the custody of a
prison system, was
the offender
concurrently under
community based
supervision or
placement?
The number of days
the inmate was on
community release
prior to release from
prison
The most recent
calendar date that the
state's prison custody
terminated

1983

B

1983

B

16 / 46

83.1%

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

1983

B

11 / 46

29.2%

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

1983

B
E
F

46 / 46
26 / 31
27 / 30

100.0%
95.6%
98.3%

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

The type of facility
that had been used
for the custody or
care of the offender
just prior to release

1983

B

34 / 46

99.1%

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10,
12, 15, 17, 18, 19,
20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 29, 33,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39,
40, 41, 42, 43, 44,
47, 48, 50, 51, 52,
53

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

24

Agencies Assuming
Custody at Time of
Prison Release

The type and location
of agency that
assumes custody
(physical or
supervisory) over an
inmate's freedom at
the time of prison
release

1983

B
E
F

26 / 46
17 / 31
16 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
92.0%
100.0%
99.6%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

25

Type of Release from
Prison

1983

B
E
F

43 / 46
23 / 31
22 / 30

99.1%
94.4%
96.3%

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 18,
19, 20, 22, 23, 24,
25, 27, 29, 35, 38,
39, 40, 41, 42, 43,
44, 52

26

Date of Release from
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision

The method of, or
reason for, departure
from the custody of
your prison system on
the reported date of
release
The date of discharge
or termination from
post-confinement
community
supervision
jurisdiction for any
reason, including
returning the offender
to prison

1983

F

28 / 30

100.0%

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

15, 19, 25, 42, 48

Notes

BJS has plans to
evaluate the
quality and use
of this variable
in the next 3
years,
particularly
regarding
whether sex
offenders
entering civil
commitment
sentences can
be identified.

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

Variable Variable Name
Number

27

Type of Release from
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision

28

Supervision Status Just
Prior to Release

30

State ID Number

31a

Indeterminate
Sentence

31b

Determinant Sentence

31c

Mandatory Minimum
Sentence

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

27 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
95.7%

The reason for the
termination of postconfinement
community
supervision
jurisdiction that
occurred on the date
provided in Variable
26
The level of contact
the PCCS agency had
with the offender
during the year prior
to release from PCCS
The offender’s
unique, fingerprintsupported state
identification number

1983

F

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

19, 25, 42

1983

F

16 / 30

99.1%

REMOVAL
PROPOSED

1983

A
B
D
E
F

36 / 44
36 / 46
36 / 46
25 / 31
24 / 30

94.7%
94.0%
95.1%
97.9%
97.5%

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used for linkage
to FBI RAP sheets
for BJS recidivism
research

Does the total
maximum sentence
include an
indeterminate
sentence?
Does the total
maximum sentence
include a determinate
sentence?
Does the total
maximum sentence

2006

A
B
D

23 / 44
24 / 46
23 / 46

99.1%
98.8%
99.8%

25

2006

A
B
D

23 / 44
24 / 46
23 / 46

99.1%
98.8%
99.8%

25

2006

A
B

14 / 44
15 / 46

99.3%
98.7%

Notes

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

Due to the
small number

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

include a mandatory
minimum sentence?

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

D

14 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
99.8%

31d

Truth in Sentencing
Law Restriction

Is the total maximum
sentence restricted by
a Truth in Sentencing
Law mandating that a
certain percentage of
the court- imposed
sentence be served in
prison?

2009

A
B
D

16 / 44
17 / 46
16 / 46

96.0%
97.6%
98.3%

32

Length of CourtImposed Sentence to
Community
Supervision

The amount of time
which the court states
that the offender is
required to serve
under community
supervision after
release from prison

1983

A
B
D

13 / 44
12 / 46
12 / 46

67.9%
74.6%
72.7%

1983

A

26 / 44

57.7%

33

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

of states
reporting, BJS
intends to
study this
variable over
the next 3 years
Only 30 states
have Truth in
Sentencing
laws; Due to
the small
number of
states
reporting, BJS
intends to
study this
variable over
the next 3 years
Due to the
small number
of states
reporting, BJS
intends to
study this
variable over
the next 3
years,
especially
regarding
states that
implement split
sentencing.

Variable Variable Name
Number

34

35

Description

Parole
Hearing/Eligibility
Date

The date the offender
is eligible for review
by an administrative
agency such as a
parole board, to
determine whether he
or she will be released
from prison

Projected Release
Date

The projected date on
which the offender
will be released from
prison

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

D

29 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
60.0%

1983

A
D

32 / 44
33 / 46

75.2%
86.2%

1983

A

24 / 44

67.3%

Use by BJS

BJS has plans to
evaluate this
variable in the
next year to
determine the
quality and
potential use in
prediction of
parole
populations; BJS
also wants to
evaluate
whether parole
eligibility date
can be used as a
proxy for
minimum
sentence length.
BJS wants to
evaluate
whether
projected release
date can be used
as a proxy for
minimum
sentence length.

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

D

29 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
63.7%

Mandatory Release
Date

The date the offender
by law must be
conditionally released
from prison

36

First Name

The offender’s first
name

2009

A
B
D
E
F

42 / 44
42 / 46
44 / 46
29 / 31
28 / 30

100.0%
99.6%
100.0%
99.9%
99.9%

37

Last Name

The offender’s last
name

2009

A
B
D
E

42 / 44
42 / 46
44 / 46
29 / 31

100.0%
99.6%
100.0%
99.9%

Use by BJS

BJS plans to
match this with
self-reported
mandatory
release date in
SPI to see
congruence of
self-report and
administrative
records.
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used to PIK data
behind the
CARRA firewall;
identify
recidivists in
longitudinal
NCRP datasets;
Used for linkage
to FBI RAP sheets
for BJS recidivism
research
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used to PIK data

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy
N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

Data element
requested
starting in
1983, but BJS
did not retain
this field until
2009

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or

Data element
requested
starting in
1983, but BJS

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

F

28 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
99.9%

38

Facility Name

Name of the facility
holding the offender
at year-end

2009

D

44 / 46

95.3%

39

FBI Number

The unique
identification number
given by the Federal
Bureau of
Investigation/
Interstate
Identification Index to
each offender

2012

A
B
D
E
F

37 / 44
38 / 46
37 / 46
26 / 31
25 / 30

91.0%
93.2%
93.5%
94.9%
94.0%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

behind the
CARRA firewall;
identify
recidivists in
longitudinal
NCRP datasets;
Used for linkage
to FBI RAP sheets
for BJS recidivism
research
Used in
developing and
verifying frame
for BJS’ Census of
State and Federal
Adult
Correctional
Facilities
Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records;
Used for linkage
to FBI RAP sheets
for BJS recidivism
research

restricted-use file
(RUF)

did not retain
this field until
2009

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

40

Prior Military Service

Did the offender ever
served in the U.S.
Armed Forces?

2012

A
B
D
E
F

33 / 44
35 / 46
35 / 46
24 / 31
24 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
64.0%
64.0%
68.0%
59.3%
61.9%

41

Date of Last Military
Discharge

The date the offender
was discharged from
the U.S. Armed Forces
for the final time

2012

A
B
D
E
F

14 / 44
14 / 46
22 / 46
11 / 31
10 / 30

2.5%
3.1%
5.8%
3.5%
3.3%

42

Type of Last Military
Discharge

The type of discharge
the inmate received
from the U.S. Armed
Forces

2012

A
B
D
E
F

26 / 44
27 / 46
27 / 46
23 / 31
22 / 30

3.2%
3.6%
4.6%
3.4%
3.5%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

BJS will compare
this data element
in matched
records with the
2016 Survey of
Prison Inmates
(SPI) to assess
data quality
BJS will compare
this data element
in matched
records with the
2016 Survey of
Prison Inmates
(SPI) to assess
data quality

23

Some states
report this
variable as
either “Yes” or
missing; others
report as either
“Yes” or “No”

23

BJS will compare
this data element
in matched
records with the
2016 Survey of
Prison Inmates
(SPI) to assess
data quality

23

Percent missing
includes valid
skips (offenders
who did not
serve in the
military); The
day field (DD)
of this data
element is set
to 15 for every
person in the
archived NCRP
RUF to further
protect privacy
Percent missing
includes valid
skips (offenders
who did not
serve in the
military)

Variable Variable Name
Number

43

Date of Admission to
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision

The date an offender
entered into postconfinement
community
supervision

2012

E
F

31 / 31
28 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
100.0%
99.5%

44

Type of Admission to
Post-Confinement
Community
Supervision

The reason an
offender entered into
post-confinement
community
supervision on the
date provided in the
current record
The county where the
offender was released
from postconfinement
community
supervision. If not
available, report the
county where the
PCCS office to which
the offender reported
before exit is located.

2012

E

28 / 31

98.6%

F

25 / 30

91.9%

F

21 / 30

97.7%

45

County Where
Offender was
Released / County
Where PCCS Office is
Located

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

2012

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

19

The day field
(DD) of this
data element is
set to 15 for
every person in
the archived
NCRP RUF to
further protect
privacy

Used to
construct NCRP
Term Records

19

BJS intends to
examine using
linked CARRA
records (postal
address and
decennial census
records) to
determine
whether
released
offenders remain
in the same
county of release

19

Variable Variable Name
Number

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

46

SSN

The offender’s Social
Security Number

2015

A
B
D
E
F

34 / 44
35 / 46
34 / 46
25 / 31
23 / 30

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
87.6%
87.0%
89.0%
87.2%
88.4%

47

Last Known Address

The offender’s last
known address prior
to incarceration

2015

A
E

23 / 44
12 / 31

87.4%
87.2%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

Notes

Used to PIK data
behind the
CARRA firewall;
identify
recidivists in
longitudinal
NCRP datasets

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

Statistics do not
include states
that only report
the last 4 of the
SSN. In 2016,
there were 7
states that
reported last 4
SSN to NCRP.

BJS intends to
use this variable
to look at
distance
between
residence and
place of
imprisonment,
compare with
change of
address data in
CARRA to look at
long-term
mobility of
formerly
imprisoned
persons

N/A: Item is PII and
not available on
archived public-use
file (PUF) or
restricted-use file
(RUF)

Variable Variable Name
Number

48

Custody Level

Description

Year
added to
NCRP
data
collection

NCRP
record
type that
includes
variable

# states
reporting
variable
in 2016

The custody level to
which the offender is
assigned at year-end

2015

D

33 / 46

% of 2016
submitted
records with
nonmissing
value for
variable
(based on
states that
submitted
records)
94.1%

Use by BJS

Use by external
researchers
(numbers
correspond to
citations at the end
of this appendix)

BJS intends to
use this variable
to report on the
national
distribution of
prison security
level more
frequently than
has been the
case using the
periodic Census
of State and
Federal Adult
Correctional
Facilities

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Yang, Crystal S. (2017) Does public assistance reduce recidivism? American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 107(5): 551-555.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/olin_center/papers/pdf/Yang_920.pdf.

Appendix K
Letter from Congresspersons Gowdy and Moulton

Mr. Alan Hanson
Ron S. Jarmin, Ph.D,
April 24, 2018
Page 2

We understand work is underway between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the
Census Bureau to better understand that correlationS We request you provide the Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) signed by BJS and Census for this project.
BJS already provides important information on the current prison population and adults
under community supervision. It is our hope the work being undertaken now can enhance and
expand BJS and Census's existing data and reports. As you move forward with the project, we
ask that you include details related to age, gender, ethnicity, educational attainment, felony
conviction, and time on parole, probation or supervised release, and employment in any final
report or findings.
We understand data collection for 2017 is still ongoing; however, data is already
available for 20 IS and 2016. We ask DOJ and the Census Bureau to move quickly to release
your findings in 2018 using data collected in 2015 and 2016. This study is important to help us
better understand with more specificity the extent to which our criminal justice system is
affecting certain populations in the United States.
Provide the requested information as soon as possible, but no later than 5 :00 p.m. on May
8, 2018. An attachment to this letter provides additional instructions for responding to the
Committee's request.
Please contact Ellen Johnson at (202) 225.5074 and Eric Kanter at (202) 225.8020 with
any questions about this request. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,

Trey Gowdy
Chairman, Committee OIl Oversight
and Government Reform

,M~-;Seth Moulton
Member of Congress

Enclosure
ec:

The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member
Committee ,on Oversight and Government Reform
The Honorable Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary of Commerce
The Honorable ,JeffSessiolls, Attorney Genera1

'Briefing by the Dept. of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics to H. Comm. on Oversight & GOy't Reform
majority staff and Representative Seth Moulton staff (March 22, 20 i8).

Appendix L
Examples of follow-up emails to 5 states seeking clarification on NCRP data submitted in 2018 (2017
data year)

Email to Kentucky respondents, 3/29/2018:

Hello,
Thanks so much for uploading the 2016 and 2017 data. We processed the data (see the
attached spreadsheet for summary stats on each variable). Overall, it seems like the data are
much more accurate – in particular the number of A and B records seem consistent with the
changes in your stock population – that was the major problem before. We have a few
questions. It might be easiest to talk thru these over the phone.
1. We think that there might be too many records in the Part D (stock) file – for example in the
2016 stock file, there are 2,375 offenders who have a release -> stock sequence, without an
admission between them. Presumably these offenders shouldn’t be in the Part D file. We
uploaded to the transfer site an Excel file with a few examples (2016 D Record Examples \KY
Extra D records example.xlsx).
2. There are quite a few codes we don’t know the meaning of. Could you please upload a data
dictionary.
3. We see the Prison Release Type “99” appearing in 30% of the 2016 B records, 10% of the
2016 E records, and 24% of the 2016 F records. We hadn’t seen type 99 previously. Just
wondering what that means, and whether it’s an indication of a problem.
4. Two different sets of codes are used for the Prison Release Type -- one in the B records and
one in the E and F records. Is this intentional?
5. About a third of the prison releases occur on the first day of the month. There might be a
good reason for this, but we just wanted to confirm that.
6. The distribution of Agency1 changed between the original 2016 submission and the current
one : code 1 (None/Director Release) used to be 0% and now is 25-30%). Same with
supervision status – “Active” used to be ~25% and now it’s ~50%. Did the coding change?
7. We’re seeing a lot more F records than E records (3,400 more in 2016 and 1,800 more in
2017). With the previous data deliveries, it was reversed: there were substantially more E
records than F records. If the number of offenders serving PCCS is stable, then the number of E
and F records should be close. One thing we observed in the 2016 data is there are around
2,000 E -> F -> F sequences, so perhaps the F records are being over-reported. We uploaded
some examples of this to the transfer site – see the file Consecutive F Records\Kentucky
Consecutive Fs Examples.xlsx.
Glad to discuss this on the phone.
Thanks,

Email to South Dakota respondents, 4/30/2018:

Hello,
Once again, thanks for providing the NCRP data. We have a few questions.
We noticed a couple changes in the 2017 data compared to earlier years that we wanted to ask
you about. We uploaded to the transfer site an Excel doc with cases that illustrate the issues. It
might be easier to talk with you about these cases. Perhaps we could arrange a phone call?
1. This year 427 prison release records had an admission type “CTP PAROLE”. Last year there
were 23. What does this code mean? Did a new parole system start up in 2017?
2. In cases when the prison release record has an admission type “CTP PAROLE”, there are gaps
in the time sequencing. The first example in the sheet “Different Admission Dates” on the Excel
doc has a Prison Admission on Jan 26, 2016. This offender was then released on Dec 18, 2017,
but the admission date on the release record is Dec 4, 2017. What happened to the offender
on Dec 4, 2017? Is there an earlier prison release that’s missing in the data?
3. The other new situation we see in the 2017 data is a term of PCCS (parole) starting while the
offender is still in prison. The type of admission to PCCS on 95%+ of these records is “EC”, which
we understand means “extension of confinement.” In the first example in the sheet “Nested
PCCS Stays” in the Excel doc, the offender was admitted to prison on March 26, 2015, admitted
to parole on Nov 17, 2016, but then released from prison on Feb 2, 2017 (4 months after being
placed on parole). What happened to the offender on Nov 17, 2016 and Feb 2, 2017? Was an
earlier prison release (on Nov 17, 2016) missing in the NCRP data?
4. The sentence length is missing in the NCRP records. Would it be possible to provide this to
us? It’s a really important variable for many of the analyses that us (and others) need for
analyzing NCRP data.
Thanks

Email to Georgia Parole, 1/31/2018:
Hello,
Thank you again for submitting 2015 F and 2016 EF. We’ve processed the data (see the attached Excel
doc with summary statistics on each variable), and had a few questions for you:
1. First a comment – we removed the ICE detainers from the E and F records, because they were never
really under your supervision. But you can continue to include them – we are now set up to delete
them. After deleting these, we see 14,257 E records and 9,968 F records in 2016.
2. Related to the above comment, there were roughly 4,000 more E records than F records in
2016. That should mean that you had about 4,000 more persons being supervised at the end of 2016
than at the beginning. Does that sound right?
3. I see that you have included supervised offenders who are on probation in the E and F records for
2016. That’s fine, but we don’t have probationers in previous years’ data. We can live with that, but if
it’s possible to provide those E and F records for previous years that would be great – then we would
have consistent data sets going back. I understand this involves a lot of work; fine to say “no” to this.
4. Please include the corrections_id_num in a re-submission of the 2015 F and 2016 E and F (and include
henceforth in 2017, etc.).
Thanks again. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Email to Kansas, 5/22/2018:
Hi,
Thanks yet again for all your help getting us NCRP data, the NPS survey, and answering our questions
about citizenship.
We processed the NCRP data you sent, and have a few questions. Attached are the frequencies from
the files you sent, FYI.
1. For the Prior Military Service variable, what does the code “AG” mean?
2. Do you have a file that has the meaning of the values in the PCCS County Release variable?
They don’t seem to follow the typical format of “20XXX” for Kansas counties.
3. What does the education value “Special ed class” typically mean? Could they be classified as
high school graduates?
4. What does “parole to detainer” mean in the Part E and F records? Does this mean they are
on parole, and returned to prison on a detainer?
5. In the Part E file (PCCS entries) we never see the same person in the file more than once. Just
wanted to confirm that you’re not limiting the E record to one record per offender. This is also
the case with the F records.
Thanks,

Email to Delaware, 5/14/2018:

Hello,
Thanks again for submitting the 2017 NCRP files. We’ve processed the files (attached are
summary statistics for each variable), and have a couple questions for you.
1. I see that there’s a variable called SBI # and another variable called Inmate’s State ID
Number. I assume the SBI # is a person-specific identifier provided by the SBI that is based on
the offender’s fingerprints. Is the “Inmate’s State ID Number” an internal DOC number that is
not necessarily unique to a person?
2. Could you help us decipher the following offense codes:





ATT UNLW USE>
BR OF RELEASE
DEL NN – CONSP
SOLIC BUS/EMPLY

3. What’s the name of facility 38?
4. What does the admission type “A500” mean in terms of offender movements through the
DOC system? We see a few instances when there are two consecutive admissions for
offenders, and the admission type is usually “A500”.
Thanks!

Email to West Virginia, 5/14/2018:

Hello,
Thanks for providing the NCRP data. I understand [NAME OF OLD RESPONDENT] is out, and she
said you are new to this project, so if you have any questions please let me know.
We have a few questions about the data; attached are the frequencies we ran from your files,
for reference.
1. It appears that there are over 1,000 records that could be missing from the Part D (custody)
file. Comparing the 2016 and 2017 numbers, we see about 1,300 fewer inmates in custody this
past year. If the DOC population dropped that much, we should see about 1,300 more releases
(Part B) than admissions (Part A records) during 2017. In the 2017 files you sent, there were
5,607 D records compared to 6,975 D records in the 2016 file. But the number of admissions
and releases in 2017 was about the same, so we would expect the population count to be
similar to the prior year. We suspect that you might have tweaked the rules for including and
excluding cases, but we’ll leave it up to you to assess what the difference might be. Happy to
discuss if you would like.
2. We are trying to understand an inconsistency in the admission dates in the A and B records,
and are hoping you can help us. We have placed an Excel file in the NCRP transfer site an file
that has a handful of cases that illustrate the inconsistency. For example, in this file, Example
#1, there is an admission record with an admission date of Jan 6, 2016. There is also a release
record for this offender with a release date of May 2, 2017, but the admission date on the
release record is March 18, 2016. Our question is: what happened on Jan 6, 2016 and what
happened on March 18, 2016? Was there a release between those two admissions, for
example? You can access that file using the same username and password you used to upload
the NCRP files.
Thanks