[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53489-53491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21888]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OMB Number 1121-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Agencies: New Collection; Comments 
Requested, Census of Problem-Solving Courts 2011

ACTION: 60-Day notice of information collection under review.

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    The Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of 
Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following information 
collection request for review and clearance in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information is published 
to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. Comments are 
encouraged and will be accepted for ``sixty days'' until October 25, 
2011. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.
    If you have additional comments, especially on the estimated public 
burden or associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the 
proposed information collection instrument with instructions or 
additional information, please contact: Ron Malega, 202-353-0487, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, Department of 
Justice, 810 Seventh Street, NW., Washington DC 20531 or 
[email protected].
    Written comments concerning this information collection should be 
sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory

[[Page 53490]]

Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attn: DOJ Desk Officer. The 
best way to ensure your comments are received is to e-mail them to 
[email protected] or fax them to 202-395-7285. All comments 
should reference the 8 digit OMB number for the collection or the title 
of the collection. If you have questions concerning the collection, 
please call Ron Malega at 202-353-0487 or the DOJ Desk Officer at 202-
395-3176.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following 
four points:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Overview of this information:
    1. Type of information collection: New data collection, Census of 
Problem-Solving Courts (CPSC), 2011
    2. The title of the form/collection: Census of Problem-Solving 
Courts or CPSC, 2011
    3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form labels are CPSC, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. 
Department of Justice.
    4. Affected Public Who Will be Asked or Required to Respond, as 
well as a Brief Abstract: Problem-solving courts at all levels of 
government. Abstract: The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) proposes 
to implement a Census of Problem-Solving Courts (CPSC). Problem-solving 
courts target defendants who have ongoing social and/or psychological 
conditions that underlie their repeated contact with the criminal 
justice system. Most of the existing information about problem-solving 
courts (PSC) consists of court evaluations or outcome analyses. No 
prior census of these courts has been conducted to date despite the 
substantial proliferation of such courts during the past thirty years. 
Hence, the CPSC will allow BJS to provide national level information on 
problem-solving courts and case processing statistics and it will also 
create a sampling frame of PSCs thereby enabling BJS to conduct future 
sample-based research on PSCs. The CPSC is designed to provide BJS and 
other interested stakeholders with the first systematic empirical 
information on problem-solving courts. A goal of the census is to 
obtain information on problem-solving court operations, administration, 
and to generate accurate and reliable statistics on adult offenders who 
enter problem-solving court programs. The CPSC will collect information 
on the following categories:
    a. Court Operations
    i. Does the court operate within the judiciary, have a dedicated 
judicial officer, or have a dedicated docket/calendar?
    ii. Provide the number of problem-solving courts by type (e.g., 
mental health, drug, etc.)
    iii. Determine PSCs level of government operations (e.g., local, 
state, etc.), court jurisdiction (e.g., limited, general, other) and 
intake of felony, misdemeanor, or status offenses
    b. Funding: Types and prevalence of PSC funding (e.g., local 
government budget, state budget, etc.)
    c. Commonly Used Services:
    i. Count the types and prevalence of offender/victim services 
(e.g., anger management), counseling or treatment services (e.g., 
outpatient mental health treatment), and general supportive services 
(e.g., life skills)
    d. Participant participation
    i. Participant inclusionary and exclusionary factors,
    ii. Participant point of entry (e.g. pre-plea, post-plea/pre-
sentence, etc.)
    e. Capacity and Enrollment
    i. Total number of active participants PSC can manage at any one 
time
    ii. Current number of active participants
    f. Data Collection Practices:
    i. Use of automated case management systems
    ii. PSCs' ability to query information
    g. PSC Participant information:
    i. Percentage of program participants by age, gender, racial 
classification,
    ii. Housing status
    iii. Employment status
    h. PSC information for calendar year 2011 only:
    i. Number or people referred and admitted to PSCs,
    ii. PSCs average participant attendance to: scheduled judicial, 
community supervision meetings, treatment sessions, and drug tests
    iii. Number or participants exiting program,
    iv. Number of participants by gender, race, and age.
    Additionally, the information collected through this census will 
support development of a sampling framework to examine case processing 
information and case dispositions of adults in problem-solving courts. 
Information will be collected for the 2011 calendar year.
    5. An Estimate of the Total Number of Respondents and the Amount of 
Time Estimated for an Average Respondent to Respond: Estimates suggest 
3,800 respondents will take part in the Census of Problem-Solving 
Courts 2011. The average (mean) burden for each completed survey is 
almost 1 hour per respondent. The estimated range of burden for 
respondents is between 40 minutes to 2 hours for completion. The 
following factors were considered when creating the burden estimate: 
the total number of drug courts in the field, the total number of 
mental health courts, the ability of problem-solving courts (by type) 
to access data, and the type of data capabilities generally found in 
the field. Using these criteria, respondents were categorized into 
three groups depending upon whether they had the capacity to complete 
only part I or both parts (I&II) of the survey. Group A respondents 
will have the least access to data and complete only part one of the 
survey. Approximately 2,300 respondents will be in this group. It is 
estimated that respondents in group A will take 40 minutes to complete 
the survey. Group (B) respondents will complete part one of the survey 
and have access to only limited information necessary for part two of 
the survey. Approximately 1,200 respondents will be in this group. This 
second group of respondents will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 
complete a survey. The third group (C) of respondents will complete 
parts one and two of the survey; they will have the greatest access to 
the information required for part two of the survey. Approximately 300 
respondents will be in group C. It is estimated it will take this group 
about 2 hours to complete the survey.
    6. An Estimate of the Total Public Burden (in hours) Associated 
with the collection: The estimated public burden associated with this 
collection is 3,633 hours. Respondents were categorized into three 
groups depending upon whether they had the capacity to complete only 
part I or both parts (I&II) of the survey. Approximately 2,300 
respondents will fall into the first group

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(A) of respondents, completing only part one of the survey. It is 
estimated that respondents in this group will take 40 minutes to 
complete a survey for a total of 1,533 hours. The second group (B) of 
respondents will complete part one of the survey and have access to 
only limited amount of information necessary for part two of the 
survey. The approximately 1,200 respondents in this second group of 
respondents will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete a survey 
for a total of 1,500 hours. The third group (C) of respondents will 
complete parts one and two of the survey; they will have the greatest 
access to the information required for part two of the survey. It is 
estimated it will take the estimated 300 respondents in this group 
about 2 hours each to complete a survey for a total of 600 hours. When 
the burden hours for each group of respondents are added up the CPSC 
2011 project sums to 3,633 hours (1,533 + 1,500 + 600 = 3,633).
    If additional information is required contact: Jerri Murray, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street, NE., Suite 2E-502, Washington, DC 
20530.

Jerri Murray,
Department Clearance Officer, PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2011-21888 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P