Supporting_Statement_B

Juvenile Facility Census Program

OMB Control Number 1121-NEW1

Department of Justice

National Institute of Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

OMB Information Collection Request

Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

Juvenile Facility Census Program

OMB Control Number 1121-NEW1

Part B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

This data collection will be a census of juveniles in residential placements on the reference date. The Juvenile Facility Census Program (JFCP) includes all public, private, territory and tribal juvenile facilities in the United States.

For this census, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has defined the universe to include all facilities that hold youth for offenses, which is defined in the census as persons younger than age 21 who are held in a residential setting as a result of some contact with the justice system (that is, they are charged with or adjudicated for an offense). This encompasses both status offenses and delinquency offenses and includes youth who are either temporarily detained by the court or committed after adjudication for an offense. The census does not include federal facilities or facilities holding youth exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused/ neglected youth. It also does not capture data from adult prisons or jails.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in coordination with OJJDP, intends to survey all public and private facilities in the United States that fulfill these requirements. In the most recent data collection under the JFCP, the 2023 Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP) includes a total of 1,733 facilities: 921 public and 813 private residential facilities.

Facilities are added to or removed from the universe when Census is informed by an existing facility or state representative of a new opening or closure, as well as through analyst research. Additionally, respondents are contacted prior to each survey cycle to confirm facility information and status. During these calls, facility openings and closures are recorded, and the universe is updated accordingly. The Census Bureau also regularly receives resource materials from NIJ, OJJDP, and other professional and state juvenile justice organizations, and periodically contacts OJJDP grantees, juvenile justice stakeholders, and state juvenile justice agency personnel to gather information on new facilities (births), facility closings (deaths), and changes in facility characteristics.

2. Procedures for Information Collection

Frequency and Mode of Contact

Surveys administered under the JFCP are conducted primarily through a web survey with the CJRP and Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC) having separate collection websites.

The information collection schedule (below) was developed based on experience in testing and administering the CJRP since 1997 and the JRFC since 2000, as well as experience conducting other establishment surveys.

The reference date for each survey is set as the fourth Wednesday of March and data collection will start with the 2025 CJRP on March 26, 2025, the 2026 JRFC on March 25, 2026, and the 2027 CJRP on March 24, 2027.

Table 1. Information Collection Schedule for the JFCP

Important Dates in Data Collection Phase
Activity	Note	Date
Survey Announcement Letter to Respondents	4 Weeks Prior To Reference Date	Feb
Initial Notification Letter to Respondents	2 Weeks Prior To Reference Date	Mar
Reference Date	4th Wednesday in March	Mar
Online Collection Live	4th Wednesday in March	Mar
Due Date Reminder Notification (Calendar Invite)	2 Weeks Before Due Date	Apr
Due Date	4 Weeks Before Due Date	Apr
Deadline Passed Notification (Mass Email)	2 Weeks Following Due Date	May
Deadline Passed Notification (Calendar Invite)	4 Weeks Following Due Date	May
Deadline Passed Notification (Mass Email)	6 Weeks Following Due Date	Jun
Deadline Passed Notification (Calendar Invite)	8 Weeks Following Due Date	Jun
NPC NRFU Calls Begin1	9 Weeks Following Due Date	Jul
NPC NRFU Calls End	11 Weeks Following Due Date	Jul
Deadline Passed Notification (Calendar Invite)	12 Weeks Following Due Date	Jul
Online Collection Closed	16 Weeks Following Due Date	Aug

Imputation Procedures

Imputation is the process of replacing missing data with estimated values. Imputation preserves cases by replacing missing data with estimated values based on other available information. When substituting estimated data for an entire facility it is known as “unit imputation”; when substituting for specific missing data items, it is known as “item imputation.”

For nonresponding units, each item has designated imputation methods. Some items use response value derived from other variables. As for others, data is adjusted by either a mean growth rate method or a direct substitution from a prior year reporting facility. If there is no recent historical data available, the imputations are based on the data median value that is determined by the current year responding units for that item.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

NIJ, OJJDP, and the Census Bureau are committed to achieving a very high response rate and high-quality data. Using the number of in-scope facilities as a base, the JFCP response rate is typically between 80.7 and 93.2 percent.

NIJ, OJJDP, and the Census Bureau will advertise the upcoming 2025 CJRP to generate interest and encourage participation. NIJ and the Census Bureau will participate at the upcoming 2024 Summer Meeting of the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators to discuss the upcoming changes to the JFCP. They will also be present at the American Correctional Association (ACA) summer and winter conferences to connect with respondents prior to the 2025 CJRP.

NIJ will use the following techniques to maximize response:

• Web-based collection with a printable pdf instrument available;

• Streamlined forms and clear response instructions (e.g., clear and consistent definitions across the two surveys);

• Continued support at the Census Bureau through a toll-free number and e-mail to answer any questions from respondents that arise;

• Continuous contact with respondents through e-mail and U.S. mail (see the schedule for mailout and reminder notices, above); and

• Call-back procedures that continue until data closeout in August. (See Attachment N)

4. Test of Procedures or Methods

NIJ in cooperation with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the Census Bureau conducted cognitive testing in 2020, 2023, and 2024 and pilot testing in 2021 to determine the feasibility of collecting the new data items and changes to existing data items (See Attachment D for the Executive Summary of the RTI Report and Attachment E for the Census Bureau report on cognitive testing). The content changes for the surveys, listed in this justification, were included based upon the recommendations and findings from all rounds of cognitive testing conducted. A complete summary of the content changes for the JFCP are available in Attachment F.

NIJ will continue to test survey questionnaires as needed when planning questionnaire changes.

5. Consultation Information

Presently, OJJDP funds an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with the Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division at the Census Bureau to perform data collection and to maintain the data file and address lists. This IAA also funds the imputation activity related to the JFCP.

Relevant Contacts:

Kaitlyn Sill, PhD.

Senior Social Science Analyst

National Institute of Justice

(202) 305-5552

Benjamin Adams

Supervisory Social Science Analyst

National Institute of Justice

(202) 305-1270

Elizabeth Willhide

Chief, Criminal Justice Statistics Branch

Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division

US Census Bureau

(301)763-7238

Megan Minnich

Supervisory Statistician, Criminal Justice Statistics Branch

Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division

US Census Bureau

(301) 763-6509

Jonathan Albers

Statistician, Criminal Justice Statistics Branch

Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division

US Census Bureau

(301) 763-4040

Erica Marquette

Chief, Public Sector Statistical Methods Branch

Economic Statistical Methods Division

US Census Bureau

(301) 763-7603

Nora Tran

Mathematical Statistician, Public Sector Statistical Methods Branch

Economic Statistical Methods Division

US Census Bureau

(301) 763-0611

1 Additional details on nonresponse contact protocols can be found in Attachment N.