CJ-8 2020 Annual Probation Survey

CJ-8

OMB No. 1121-0064: Approval Expires MM/DD/YYYY
FORM

RETURN
TO

FILL CONTRACTOR ADDRESS HERE

CJ-8

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

2020 ANNUAL PROBATION SURVEY

PLEASE ENTER THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE PERSON FILLING OUT THIS FORM

Name

Title

Address 1
Address 2
State

City
TELEPHONE

Area code

Number

Extension

FAX
NUMBER

Zip code
Area code

Number

EMAIL
ADDRESS

AGENCY UID

GENERAL INFORMATION
• If you have any questions, contact FILL CONTRACTOR CONTACT INFORMATION HERE.
• Please complete the questionnaire before February 28, 2021 using the web-reporting option at www.bjs-aps.org, by mailing the
complete questionnaire to CONTRACTOR at the address above, or by faxing all pages toll-free to 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Who is covered by this survey?
• INCLUDE all adults regardless of conviction status, who have been placed under the supervision of a probation agency as
part of a court order. (Adults are persons subject to the jurisdiction of an adult court or correctional agency.)
• INCLUDE adult probationers legally your responsibility but supervised outside your jurisdiction, such as through an interstate
compact agreement.
• INCLUDE adult probationers contracted out to private agencies.
• INCLUDE adult probationers on active supervision, including those who report electronically, or inactive supervision or in a
residential/other treatment program but not in regular contact with a probation authority.
• INCLUDE absconders who have not been discharged from probation.
• INCLUDE adult probationers who may be under local jurisdiction but not reported separately by another agency.
Who is not covered by this survey?
•
•
•
•

EXCLUDE juveniles (persons under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court or agency).
EXCLUDE informal cases such as bench or paper cases.
EXCLUDE interstate compact cases supervised by your jurisdiction for another state.
EXCLUDE adult probationers supervised by your jurisdiction but legally the responsibility of another jurisdiction.

Burden statement
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, we cannot ask you to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 1.5 hours per response, including
the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this collection of
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 No. 1121-0064, Washington, DC 20503.

•
•
•
•
•

INSTRUCTIONS
Please provide a response to each question. Blanks will be interpreted as "unknown" ("DK").
If the answer to a question is "none" or "zero," write "0" in the space provided.
If the answer to a question is "unknown," write "DK" in the space provided.
If the answer to a question is "not applicable," write "NA" in the space provided.
When an exact numeric answer is not available, provide an estimate and mark (X) in the box beside each figure.
For example 1,000 .

FORM CJ-8

Your agency’s adult probation
population on December 31, 2019 ..............

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ITEMS AND DEFINITIONS

If this is incorrect, please update................
1. On January 1, 2020, what was your agency’s
adult probation population?
Population on January 1, 2020...................
2. Between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020,
how many adults entered probation by —
a. Probation without incarceration ........
b. Probation with incarceration..............
c. Other – Please describe

d. Not known............................................
e. Total entries (Should equal the
sum of items 2a through 2d.).................
3. Between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020,
how many adult probationers were discharged
from supervision for the following reasons —
a. Completions ........................................
b. Incarcerated —
1) With new sentence ........................
2) With revocation, without
new sentence .................................
3) To receive treatment......................
4) Other – Please describe

5) Not known ......................................
c. Absconder ...........................................

1. Include adult probationers who have been placed under
the supervision of a probation agency as part of a court
order, regardless of conviction status.
2. Individuals entering probation more than once during the
year should be counted each time (e.g., entered,
discharged, and re-entered should be counted as two
entries). Individuals who enter probation and, without
being discharged, are placed on probation for a second
offense, should be counted as one entry.
a. Probation without incarceration is a sentence to
probation with no jail or prison term.
b. Probation with incarceration is a sentence to
probation with a term of incarceration in jail or prison
(e.g., those individuals who entered probation from a
correctional facility). Include all split sentences to
probation and incarceration.
3. Individuals exiting probation more than once during the
year should be counted each time (e.g., individuals who
are discharged from all probation supervision, re-enter
probation, and are fully discharged again, should be
counted as two discharges).
a. Completions are probationers who completed their
sentence and were discharged or who were
discharged early.
b. 1) All probationers and returned absconders
removed from probation supervision because of
incarceration due to a sentence for a new
offense.
2) All probationers and returned absconders whose
probation was revoked (e.g., violating a condition
of their probation) and who were incarcerated
under their current sentence.
3) Probationers incarcerated in order to receive any
type of treatment.

d. Discharged to a warrant or detainer..

4) Probationers incarcerated pending a revocation,
trial, sentencing, or others.

e. Transferred to another
probation agency ................................

5) Probationers who have been incarcerated, for
whom the reason was unknown.

f. Death ....................................................

c. Discharged probationers who had failed to report
and could not be located.

g. Other discharges – Please describe each
1) Other completions

2) Unsatisfactory

3) Other

h. Not known............................................
i. Total discharges (Should equal
the sum of items 3a through 3h.)..........
4. On December 31, 2020, what was your agency’s
adult probation population? (Should equal
Question 1 plus item 2e minus item 3i.)
Population on December 31, 2020 .............

e. Probationers transferred to another agency if
they are no longer in your record system.
g. Specify type of discharge within the categories of
other completions, unsatisfactory, and other.
1) Other completions are those which did not fully
meet the definition of item 3a.
2) Unsatisfactory discharges are those probationers
who did not fulfill all conditions of their
supervision or violated the conditions of their
supervision but were not incarcerated (item 3b)
or discharged to a warrant or detainer (item 3d).
Exclude absconders (item 3c).
4. The count of adult probationers at yearend 2020. This
total should equal the population on January 1, 2020,
plus the total entering probation in 2020, minus the
total discharged from probation in 2020. (See cover
page for persons to INCLUDE and EXCLUDE.)

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5. Does the total population of adult probationers on
December 31, 2020 (reported in Question 4), represent
a count of probationers or cases? (Please mark (X) in
one box.)
1
Probationers
Cases
a. About how many probationers
do these cases represent? ..........
6. On December 31, 2020, how many adult
probationers in your jurisdiction were —
2

a. Male.....................................................
b. Female.................................................
c. Not known...........................................
d. Total (Sum of items 6a through 6c
should equal Question 4.) ....................
7. On December 31, 2020, how many adult
probationers in your jurisdiction were —
(See race/ethnicity definitions on Page 5.)
a. White (not of Hispanic origin) ..............
b. Black or African American
(not of Hispanic origin) .........................
c. Hispanic or Latino..............................
d. American Indian/Alaska Native
(not of Hispanic origin) ........................

10. On December 31, 2020 how many adult probationers
(reported in Question 4) regardless of conviction status,
had as their most serious offense —
a. Domestic violence
(Include abuse, cruelty, abandonment,
or threat to a spouse, intimate, or
dependent child. Exclude offenses
reported in items 9b and 9c.) ..............
b. Sex offense
(Include any forcible or nonforcible sex
act. Exclude prostitution, commercialized
vice, and offenses reported in items
9a and 9c.) ..........................................
c. Other violent offense
(Include murder, manslaughter,
robbery, kidnapping, assault,
and other violent offenses.
Exclude offenses reported in
items 9a and 9b.) ................................
d. Property offense
(Include burglary, larceny,
motor vehicle theft, fraud,
and other property offenses.) ..............
e. Drug law violation
(Include unlawful possession, sale,
use, distribution, importation,
growing, or manufacturing of
narcotic drugs.) ...................................
f. Driving while intoxicated
or under the influence of
alcohol or drugs ................................

e. Asian (not of Hispanic origin) ..............

g. Other traffic offense
(Exclude offenses reported
in item 9f.) ...........................................

f. Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific
Islander (not of Hispanic origin) ..........

h. Other offense – Please describe

g. Two or more races
(not of Hispanic origin) ........................

i. Not known..........................................

h. Additional categories in your information
system – Please describe

j. Total (Sum of items 9a through 9i
should equal Question 4.) ...................

i. Not known...........................................
j. Total (Sum of items 7a through 7i
should equal Question 4.) ....................
8. On December 31, 2020, how many adult
probationers had as their most serious
offense —
a. Felony .................................................

11. On December 31, 2020, were any adult probationers
legally your responsibility being supervised by another
state through an interstate compact agreement?
• Include probationers SENT to another state.
1

a. How many adult probationers
legally your responsibility were
supervised by another state? ........

b. Misdemeanor......................................
c. Other – Please describe

d. Not known...........................................
e. Total (Sum of items 8a through 8d
should equal Question 4.) ....................
9. Does your agency have responsibility for supervising
felons?
1
Yes
2

No

Yes —

2

b. Are these probationers
included in Question 4?....................... 1
No

Yes

2

12. Does the total probation population on December 31,
2020 (reported in Question 4), include interstate
compact cases supervised by your agency for another
state that could not be excluded from the total?
1

Yes —

2

a. How many adult probationers were
being supervised by your agency
for another state that could not
be excluded from the total?...........
No

No

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13. Does the total probation population on
December 31, 2020 (reported in Question 4),
include any persons who were also under parole
supervision, or who were held in jail, prison, a
community-based correctional facility, or a U.S.
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) holding facility?
1

Yes —
a. How many were also
on parole supervision?................
b. How many were in local jails?
(Include evening confinements.) ...
c. How many were in a state or
federal prison? .............................
d. How many were in a communitybased correctional facility?.........
e. How many were in an ICE
holding facility? ...........................

2

No

14. Of those on probation on December 31, 2020
(reported in Question 4), how many were placed on
probation supervision through —
a. Direct sentence to
probation ............................................
b. Split sentence
(Incarceration combined
with probation) .....................................
c. Suspended execution of
sentence to incarceration
(Incarceration sentence
imposed and then suspended) .............
........
d. Suspended imposition of
sentence (Persons not fully
adjudicated, e.g., probation
before verdict.) .....................................
e. Other – Please describe

15. On December 31, 2020, how many adult
probationers supervised by your agency had a
status of —
• Exclude probationers supervised by your jurisdiction for
another state through an interstate compact agreement
or by your jurisdiction but legally the responsibility of
another jurisdiction.
a. Active (Those required to regularly
contact a probation authority in
person, by mail, by telephone,
or electronically. Exclude those
reported in items 15b-15g.) .................
b. In residential/other treatment
program (Include those on
probation who were reporting to
a treatment program, but not in
regular contact with a probation
authority. Exclude those reported
in items 15a and 15c-15g.)..................
c. Only have financial
conditions remaining
(Exclude those reported
in items 15a,15b, and 15d-15g.) .........
d. Inactive
(Exclude those reported in items
15a-15c and 15e-15g.)........................
e. Absconder
(Include those still on probation but
who have failed to report and cannot
be located. Exclude those reported in
items15a-15d, 15f, and 15g.) ..............
f. Warrant status
(Exclude those reported in items
15a-15e and 15g.)...............................
g. Supervised out of jurisdiction
(Include active and inactive
probationers under your jurisdiction
who are supervised by authorities of
another jurisdiction. Exclude those
reported in items15a-15f.)...................
h. Other – Please describe

f. Not known...........................................
g. Total (Sum of items 14a through 14f
should equal Question 4.) ....................

i. Not known..........................................
j. Total (Sum of items 15a through 15i
should equal Question 4.) ...................
16. In response to a call by various stakeholders (e.g.,
practitioners, policymakers), BJS is considering a change
to the Annual Probation Survey. Currently, the survey
collects information on the total number of probationers—
including both felons and misdemeanants—by type (e.g.,
gender, most serious offense).
If the survey were revised so each question asked
separately for the number of felons versus the
number of misdemeanants by type, would your
agency be able to report the numbers separately for
felons and misdemeanants?
1
Yes
2

No

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Notes and comments – (Please attach additional notes if necessary. Please explain changes in how data are reported compared
with last year.)

Race/ethnicity definitions for Question 7.
a. White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
b. Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
c. Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish
culture or origin, regardless of race.
d. American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South
America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
e. 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.
f.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii,
Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.