[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 105 (Monday, June 2, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29740-29742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14275]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Justice Programs
[OJP(BJS)-1134]
RIN 1121-ZA80
National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems
AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics,
Justice.
ACTION: Solicitation for award of cooperative agreement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce a public
solicitation for services of multi-stage sample design, survey
development, data collection, data verification, coding and entry, and
delivery of a final data set to BJS for a National Survey of Indigent
Defense Systems.
DATES: Proposals must be postmarked on or before August 1, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Proposals should be mailed to: Application Coordinator,
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Room 303, 633 Indiana Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20531.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven K. Smith, Chief, Law
Enforcement, Adjudication and Federal Statistics, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, (202) 633-3046.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems is a collaborative
effort sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics with funding from
the Bureau of Justice Assistance, components of the Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The study will develop, test, and
implement a national-level data collection program to measure the way
in which states and localities provide legal services for indigent
criminal defendants, their caseloads, related costs, and policies and
practices.
BJS is the lead agency for the study because of its prior
experience in conducting a comprehensive study of indigent defense
systems in 1982 and a smaller follow-up study in 1986. The results from
these studies were reported in three BJS publications entitled,
National Criminal Defense Systems Study: Final Report, Criminal Defense
Systems and Criminal Defense for the Poor, 1986.
Court appointed legal representation plays a critical role in the
Nation's criminal justice system. Limited information from various BJS
statistical series shows that most criminal defendants rely on some
form of publicly-provided defense counsel. In 1986, the latest year for
which national level information is available, the states provided
indigent defense services to approximately 4.4 million criminal
defendants. No major data collection on criminal defense for indigent
offenders has been undertaken since 1986.
Much has changed over the past decade as States and local defender
systems are relying more on contact and private services. The National
Survey of Indigent Defense Systems will provide a clearer understanding
of the changing nature of public defender services in the United
States.
Objectives
The purpose of this award is to develop, test, and implement a
national-level data collection program to identify the number and
characteristics of public indigent defense organizations and agencies
and to measure the way in which states provide legal services for
indigent criminal defendants, their caseloads, and policies and
practices. The nationally representative sample of indigent defense
providers will also be surveyed on types of offenses represented,
expenditures, funding sources, and related administrative issues. This
project will provide a machine readable, public-use dataset which will
be able to produce a comprehensive portrait of state and local efforts
to meet the needs of indigent criminal defendants and their interaction
with the other components of the criminal justice system.
Type of Assistance
Assistance will be made available under a cooperative agreement.
The total amount to be awarded under this two year project is estimated
to be $850,000.
Awards will be made for a period of one year with supplemental
funding for an additional one year conditional upon the quality of
initial performance and products, adherence to project milestones, and
completing this project of national interest in a timely fashion. Data
collection agent will work closely with BJS staff in developing the
overall research design, survey instrument and data collection phase of
the project. The initial report for publication will be produced and
published by BJS and no data will be released by the recipient of funds
until BJS makes the data set available to the public.
Statutory Authority
The cooperative agreement to be awarded pursuant to this
solicitation will be funded by the BJS consistent with its mandate as
set forth in 42 U.S.C. 3732. Specifically, BJS is authorized by (42
U.S.C. 3732) to ``collect and analyze statistical information
concerning operations of the criminal justice system at the Federal,
State, and Local levels''.
Eligibility Requirements
Both profit-making and nonprofit organizations may apply for funds.
Consistent with OJP fiscal requirements, no fees may be charged against
the project by profit-making organizations.
Scope of Work
The object of this solicitation is to develop, test, and implement
a comprehensive data collection program to measure state and local
indigent defense services throughout the United States. Specifically,
the recipient of funds will perform the following tasks:
1. Develop detailed research design for national-level data
collection on indigent defense programs; this includes a detailed
timetable for each task in the project. Data collection should begin
within 180 days of project start date with completion within 12 months.
After the BJS grant monitor has agreed
[[Page 29741]]
to the timetable, all work must be completed as scheduled.
2. Provide detailed description of how the data will be collected
in state, county and other relevant offices with and without automated
information systems, and how information pertaining to assigned counsel
and contract programs will be collected. Determine the appropriate unit
of analysis (state, county, individual program) for the survey or
surveys. This includes the production of detailed profiles of how each
of the 50 states and the District of Columbia delivers services to
indigent criminal defendants and related activities.
3. Develop a comprehensive sampling frame that would include the
names and addresses of organizations that provide indigent defense
services or funding for those services, no matter what the nature of
the delivery system. This includes organizations dealing with conflict
cases whereby a defendant is represented by counsel outside the public
defender's office because of conflicts of interest with staff.
4. Design a sample that can produce reliable and accurate national
as well as state estimates of staff size and type, expenditures,
budgets, workload and other related factors. Provide detailed
documentation of sampling plan, including targeted CV for selected
variables.
5. Develop questionnaire(s) and methodology for collecting
information. The final survey instrument and methodology approved by
BJS will include a detailed description of methods that will be used to
collect data from initial non-respondents.
6. Develop new areas and expand existing areas in the questionnaire
to collect information on how offices provide services related to
juvenile issues, death penalty cases, domestic violence cases, family
welfare cases, and cases processed in drug courts.
7. Mail surveys to appropriate parties. Follow-up by telephone with
those not completing survey or to clarify responses. Electronically
disseminate questionnaire to program offices with Internet
capabilities.
8. Identify a coordinator in each State to assist in achieving an
acceptable survey response rate and in compiling individual State
information.
9. Verify reported information on selected subset of the completed
surveys via telephone follow-up, code and enter data, apply appropriate
weights for national and state level estimates, and create public-use
data set.
10. Provide complete documentation on verification procedures and
on producing final case weights. Provide standard error table
information for national and state level estimates.
Formulas for standard error calculations should reflect the sample
design and must be fully documented.
11. Provide machine readable data set and documentation to BJS for
archive at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social
Research (ICPSR). The data sets will be delivered in format readable by
SPSS and should include replicate weights for producing standard
errors.
12. Provide comprehensive documentation for the entire project that
will be archived at ICPSR. Applicants should use the documentation from
the Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992 as a model. This is
available from BJS on a CD-ROM or can be accessed through the BJS
homepage http://www:ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/.
Award Procedures
Proposals should describe in appropriate detail the procedures to
be undertaken in furtherance of the activities described under the
Scope of Work. Information on staffing levels and qualifications should
be included for each task and descriptions of experience relevant to
the project should be included. Resumes of the proposed project
director and key staff should be enclosed with the proposal.
Applications will be reviewed by BJS. Final authority to enter into
a cooperative agreement is reserved for the Director, BJS, or his
designee.
Applications will be evaluated on the overall extent to which they
respond to the priorities and technical complexities of the scope of
the work, conform to high standards of data collection, and appear to
be fiscally feasible and efficient. Specifically, applicants will be
evaluated on the basis of:
1. Documentation of applicant's ability to carry out the scope of
the work described in this solicitation. Particular emphasis will be
placed on the quality of the applicant's overall proposed research
design to collect data on indigent defense systems and description of
methods and procedures for collecting standardized data on staff size
and type, expenditures, workload, types of cases represented, and other
relevant factors from different indigent defense services, organization
and agencies including statewide and county level systems, assigned
counsel programs, and contract programs.
2. Knowledge of relevant criminal justice issues and prior research
related to indigent defense services for both adults and juveniles.
Knowledge of state-and county-based indigent services and operations.
Applicants should be familiar with the findings in the reports National
Criminal Defense Systems Study: Final Report, NCJ-94702, Criminal
Defense Systems, NCJ-94630, and Criminal Defense for the Poor, 1986,
NCJ-112991. Copies of the three reports are available from the National
Criminal Justice Reference Service, 1-800-732-3277. The application
should include a summary of key findings from these reports and outline
how the current study would gather the same or similar types of
information for comparative purposes and address additional topics.
3. Demonstrated knowledge of the contemporary issues in indigent
defense services and programs. Quality of proposal for collecting data
on these issues, including those pertaining to juveniles cases, family
matters, workload levels, quality of defense representation, and cases
handled by speciality courts such as drug courts. Proposal will be
evaluated on methods for measuring quality of representation of
juvenile cases and death penalty cases (such as training and
certification) and the kinds of defense services provided relating to
domestic violence and family welfare matters.
4. Documented knowledge and experience related to multi-stage and
multi-frame sampling design and questionnaire development.
5. Documented evidence of research expertise and experience in
sample design, objective data gathering, data coding, entry and
verification, and production of public-use data files. This includes
availability of adequate computing environment and knowledge of
standard social science data processing software. Demonstrated ability
to produce SPSS readable data files for analysis and report production.
6. Availability of qualified professional, field and support staff,
and suitable equipment for data gathering and processing. This includes
expertise in multi-stage sampling, probability sampling techniques and
standard error estimation from survey data.
7. Demonstrated fiscal, management and organizational capability
and experience suitable for proving quality data within budget and time
constraints.
8. Reasonableness of estimated costs for the total project and for
individual cost categories.
Application and Process
An original and five (5) copies of a full proposal must be
submitted with SF 424 (Rev. 1988), Application for Federal Assistance,
as the cover sheet.
Proposals must be accompanied by SF 424A, Budget Information; OJP
Form 4000/3 (Rev. 1-93), Program Narrative and Assurances; OJP Form
4061/6,
[[Page 29742]]
Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; and OJP
Form 7120-1 (Rev. 1-93), Accounting System and Financial Capability
Questionnaire (to be submitted by applicants who have not previously
received Federal funds from the Office of Justice Programs). If
appropriate, applicants must complete and submit Standard Form LLL,
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. All applicants must sign Certified
Assurances that they are in compliance with Federal laws and
regulations which prohibit discrimination in any program or activity
that received Federal funds. To obtain appropriate forms, contact Getha
Hilario, BJS Management Assistant, at (202) 633-3031.
The application should cover a 2-year period with information
provided for completion of the entire project. Proposals must include a
program narrative, a detailed budget and budget narrative. The program
narrative shall describe activities as stated in the scope of work and
factors for evaluation. The detailed budget must provide costs
including salaries of staff involved in the project and portion of the
salaries to be paid from the award; fringe benefits paid to each staff
person; travel costs; and supplies required to complete the project.
The budget narrative closely follows the content of the detailed
budget. The narrative should relate the items budgeted to the project
activities and should provide a justification and explanation for the
budgeted items. Refer to the aforementioned timetable when developing
the program narrative and budget information.
Dated: May 23, 1997.
Jan M. Chaiken,
Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
[FR Doc. 97-14275 Filed 5-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P