This report presents data on the rate of violent victimization for persons who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender during the 4-year aggregate period of 2017 to 2020. The report provides demographic characteristics of victims of violent crimes, including sex, race or Hispanic origin, and age. It also presents data on the types of violent crimes involved and whether victims chose to report the victimization to police. Population estimates for persons age 16 or older by sexual orientation and gender identity are also provided.

This report examines current approaches to reforming the pre-trial and bail systems in the U.S. criminal justice system. The report reveals that between 1970 and 2015, there was a 433% increase in the number of individuals who have been detained pre-trial, and pre-trial detainees represent a larger proportion of the total incarcerated population.

The current report complies with the FSA’s requirement to review, validate, and release publicly its risk and needs assessment system, i.e., PATTERN. This report details activities to date under the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) contract established in April 2019 to develop PATTERN. Part 1 of this report summarizes the development and initial review of PATTERN. As documented in NIJ’s January 2021 report, discrepancies were identified with some of the measures used to create PATTERN.

This report fulfills a congressional mandate in the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, part of the 2019 Defense Reauthorization Act (P.L. 116-92, Title XI, Subtitle B, Section 1124). Congress tasked BJS and the U.S. Census Bureau with reporting on post-prison employment of persons released from federal prison.

The use of drug testing is pervasive in community supervision requiring probationers to regularly submit to urine drug testing. Positive drug tests may result in sanctions, technical violations, probation revocations, and even prison sentences. However, experts in addiction medicine recommend testing be used to support recovery rather than to exact punishment. This article reviews the literature on drug testing offering information on efficacy, best practices, and limitations.

Human trafficking is a public health issue in the United States and on a global scale. Healthcare providers often are the only service professionals who interact with trafficked victims who are still in captivity. Clinicians should have skills they can employ to identify and respond to victims of trafficking who present for care in the healthcare sector.

After the amazing feedback I (the author, Mei Ke) received on my original post “How to make an LGBTQ+ friendly survey,” I (the author, Mei Ke) realized that my critiques on a badly written questionnaire did not provide the full context of what an inclusive LGBTQ+ survey would look like. After further experience in diversity and data work, I (the author, Mei Ke) would make some changes and recommendations to create a fully functional survey template that is LGBTQ+ friendly.

This report examines and compares jail admissions, length of stay, average daily population, and bed days used in three U.S. counties from 2014 to 2019: Durham County, NC, Louisville-Jefferson County, KY, and St. Louis County, MO. This report summarizes three site-specific reports from Durham, Louisville and St. Louis. Together, these reports provide insights into changes in jail populations.

Nationwide, crime and jail admissions decreased between 2007 and 2017, yet spending on jails increased 13%, to $25 billion, over that same span, consuming almost 1 in 17 local budget dollars. Although prisons have been the major focus of corrections budget discussions in the past, the cost of jails may face increased scrutiny as counties and municipalities face mounting fiscal pressures from the economic downturn associated with COVID-19.

To support state and local efforts to reduce jail spending and protect public safety, The Pew Charitable Trusts undertook an analysis of jail costs, using expenditure data for all U.S. localities, primarily from 2007 and 2017, and related criminal justice data. (See methodology for details on definitions and analyses.) Go to the report to read key findings.