[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 125 (Thursday, June 28, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34463-34464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-16253]



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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Bureau of Justice Statistics

[OJP(BJS)-1321]


Criminal Victimization in Indian Country

AGENCY: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, 
Justice.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce a public 
solicitation to make awards to conduct criminal victimization surveys 
in Indian Country.

DATES: Proposals must be received at the Bureau of Justice Statistics 
(BJS) on or before 5 p.m. EST, Monday, August 13, 2001 or be postmarked 
on or before August 13, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Proposals should be mailed to Marika Litras, Statistician, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 
20531.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marika Litras, Statistician, Bureau of 
Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20531; 
Phone: (202) 514-4272 [This is not a toll free number]; Email: 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Statutory Authority

    The awards made pursuant to this solicitation will be funded by the 
Bureau of Justice Statistics consistent with the provisions of 42 
U.S.C. 3732.

Program Goals

    The purpose of these awards is to provide funding to conduct 
criminal victimization studies in up to five American Indian and Alaska 
Native jurisdictions, reservations, tribal areas, or tribal lands. 
Special emphasis will be made to collect detailed information on the 
role of alcohol in violent crime victimizations and the characteristics 
of domestic violence incidents. BJS encourages the use of the Crime 
Victimization Survey (CVS) software, developed by BJS and the Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which contains the survey 
platform used by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The 
CVS is designed to allow users to modify it for local use for data 
collection via telephone or in-person contact.
    BJS anticipates making up to five awards for a 12 month period 
under this solicitation. A total of $500,000 will be made available 
under this solicitation. It is anticipated that one local criminal 
victimization study can be completed for approximately $100,000.

Background

    The implementation of criminal victimization surveys in Indian 
Country\1\ is part of a muti-faceted effort by BJS to expand 
statistical activities related to American Indian and Alaska Native 
crime and justice issues. To date, little is known about the nature and 
extent of violent victimizations among American Indians and Alaska 
Natives residing in Indian Country. Existing knowledge has been gleaned 
largely from nationally representative samples of persons, households, 
or summary compilations of national arrest data.
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    \1\ Includes American Indian jurisdictions, reservations, tribal 
areas or tribal lands, in addition to areas established as 
reservations or trust areas for natives peoples of Alaska.
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    National level findings from the National Crime Victimization 
Survey (NCVS), for example, suggest that American Indians experience 
per capita rates of violence which are more than twice those of the 
U.S. resident population, that violent crime committed against Indians 
may be among the most interracial when compared to crimes against 
Whites and Blacks, and that there is a relatively high rate of alcohol 
use among offenders. Data from the Supplementary Homicide Report of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) further suggest that American 
Indian murder victims are more likely than non-American Indian murder 
victims to have been killed during a brawl involving alcohol or drugs. 
Further information about American Indians, victimization and crime 
using nationally representative samples and data collections can be 
found in the BJS report, American Indians and Crime (February 1999) at 
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/aic.htm> and Violent 
Victimization and Race, 1993-98 (March 2001) at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/vvr98.htm>.
    Analyses of these national data collections are significant, for 
they provide initial estimates of crime and victimization among 
American Indians at the national level. They also provide a baseline 
from which to compare other estimates of crime and victimization in 
Indian country. Because of their national scope, however, nationally 
representative sample surveys such as the NCVS are limited in their 
ability to describe small population subgroups (such as American 
Indians and Alaska Natives) in detail. Most importantly, they have not 
provided separate estimates of crime and victimization for individual 
American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, or those living in 
Indian County.
    Given the lack of high-quality estimates of violent victimization 
at the tribal level, localized studies are needed to examine, in more 
detail, issues revealed in national surveys such as the characteristics 
and circumstances of violent victimization in Indian Country, the role 
of alcohol in violent victimizations, the characteristics of domestic 
violence incidents, and the types of crime that go unreported to tribal 
law enforcement authorities. Such specific information would help 
tribes develop tailored and effective crime prevention strategies in 
Indian Country.

Scope of Work

    The objective of this project is to fund criminal victimization 
studies in up to five American Indian and Alaska Native jurisdictions 
in the U.S. Specifically, recipients of funds will:
    1. Conduct a criminal victimization survey measuring the incidence, 
prevalence and characteristics of criminal victimization in one or more 
selected Indian Country locations. Special emphasis should be placed on 
the role of alcohol in violent crime victimization and the 
characteristics of domestic violence incidents. Use of the Crime 
Victimization Survey (CVS) software developed by BJS and the Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is preferred. Information 
about this Windows-based software can be obtained on the BJS website at 
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvs.htm>. The software and 
technical assistance can be obtained by contacting the BJS 
Clearinghouse at 1-800-732-3277 or by e-mail to [email protected]>. The 
Crime Victimization Listserv is also available for CVS users. Contact 
[email protected]> for more information about joining the Listserv.
    2. Produce a final publication that reports findings from the 
survey as well as appropriate methodological detail necessary for 
others to replicate the survey findings. In addition to the statistical 
analysis, the publication should include a brief profile of the tribal 
jurisdiction surveyed, the tribal (and state, if applicable) criminal 
justice system, and existing crime prevention programs.
    3. Conduct a presentation of the survey findings and disseminate 
related publications at two tribal meetings (one national and one local 
or regional) and at BJS along with other funded recipients under this 
grant. Presentations should focus on the planning, methodology, and 
implementation of the survey and should demonstrate the utility of the 
survey in documenting crime and

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identifying priorities for crime prevention in the tribe surveyed.
    4. Deliver to BJS electronic versions of the survey data, 
documentation and related publications on diskette and in ASCII text 
file format. Survey documentation should include, but is not limited 
to, a description of the sampling plan, respondent selection, 
weighting, a comprehensive codebook detailing variable positions, data 
coding, variable and value labels, any recoding implemented during the 
data cleaning process, methods used for dealing with missing data, any 
data allocation, imputation, or non-response adjustment, and copies of 
all program code used to generate published statistics. All reports 
from this survey data may be posted on the BJS website, and data 
archived for public use at the Inter-University Consortium for 
Political and Social Research (ICPSR).

Award Procedures and Evaluation Criteria

    Proposals should describe the plan and implementation strategies 
outlined in the Scope of Work. Applications will be reviewed 
competitively by a panel comprised of members selected by BJS which 
will make recommendations to the Director of BJS. The applicant will be 
evaluated on the basis of:
    1. Demonstrated knowledge of the theoretical and practical issues 
related to criminal victimization and its measurement through the use 
of sample surveys. Applicants should demonstrate applied knowledge of 
sampling and sample designs, survey construction, interview techniques, 
validity and reliability of indicators, weighting, and significance 
testing. In addition, applicants should be well versed in the issues 
related to existing victimization surveys, including but not limited 
to, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the BJS City-Level 
Survey of Crime Victimization and Citizen Attitudes, and the National 
Violence Against Women Survey. Applicants should be familiar with 
related material contained in websites maintained by BJS, the Violence 
Against Women Office (VAWO), and other Office of Justice Programs' 
bureaus and offices.
    2. Specific knowledge of issues related to collecting victimization 
data about less reported crimes such as rape, domestic and intimate 
partner violence, and the role of alcohol for both offenders and 
victims in criminal victimization incidents.
    3. Knowledge of the tribal justice issues and impediments to 
implementing a criminal victimization survey in the selected Federally 
recognized tribe. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to coordinate 
and facilitate trust and cooperation among tribal members participating 
in the survey, and must detail the appropriate survey methods to access 
the tribal population (e.g., sampling plan, telephone or in-person 
interviews) that will ensure a statistically sound and representative 
sample. Applicant should submit a letter of support from an authorized 
tribal official to demonstrate prior approval to carry out the survey 
in the selected tribal jurisdiction.
    4. Demonstrated ability to analyze, publish, and disseminate 
professional reports using complex survey data. Demonstrated ability to 
make effective oral presentations of survey findings and ability to 
convey the utility of survey results to the development of crime 
prevention strategies and programs.
    5. Demonstrated fiscal, management, staff, and organizational 
capability to provide sound management for this project.

Application and Award Process

    An original and five (5) copies of the full proposal must be 
submitted including:
     Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance
     OJP Form 7150/1, Budget Detail Worksheet
     OJP Form 4000/3, Program Narrative and Assurances
     OJP Form 4061/6, Certification Regarding Lobbying, 
Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug Free 
Workplace Requirements
     OJP Form 7120-1, Accounting System and Financial 
Capability Questionnaire (to be submitted by applicants who have not 
previously received Federal Funds from the Office of Justice Programs).
    These forms can be obtained online from www.ojp.usdoj.gov/forms.htm.
    In addition, fund recipients are required to comply with 
regulations designed to protect human subjects and ensure 
confidentiality of data. In accordance with 28 CFR Part 22, a Privacy 
Certificate must be submitted to BJS. Furthermore a Screening Sheet for 
Protection of Human Subjects must be completed prior to the award being 
issued. Questions regarding Protection of Human Subjects and/or Privacy 
Certificate requirements can be directed to the Human Subjects 
Protection Officer (HSPO) at (202) 616-3282 [This is not a toll free 
number].
    Proposals must include a project description and detailed budget. 
The project narrative should describe activities as discussed in the 
Scope of Work and address the evaluation criteria. The project 
narrative should contain a detailed time line for project activities, a 
description of the questionnaire and survey methodology to be used 
including defined geographic boundaries, sampling plan and sample size, 
data collection method, data entry, analysis, and report production 
procedures. The detailed budget must provide detailed costs including 
salaries of staff involved in the project and the portion of those 
salaries to be paid from the award, fringe benefits paid to each staff 
person, travel costs, supplies required for the project, sub-
contractual agreements, and other allowable costs. The grant award will 
be made for a period of 12 months.

    Dated: June 21, 2001.
Lawrence Greenfeld,
Acting Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
[FR Doc. 01-16253 Filed 6-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P