[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 215 (Monday, November 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68789-68790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28713]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OMB 1121--New]


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

ACTION: 30-Day notice of information collection under review.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of 
Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following information 
collection request for review and approval in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is 
published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. The 
proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal 
Register Volume 76, Number 166, pages 53489-53491, on August 26, 2011, 
allowing a 60-day public comment period.
    The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for 
public comment until December 7, 2011. This process is conducted in 
accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.
    Written comments concerning this information collection should be 
sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, Attn: DOJ Desk Officer. The best way to ensure 
your comments are received is to email 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 of people referred and admitted to PSCs,
    ii. PSCs' average participant attendance to: Scheduled judicial, 
community supervision meetings, treatment sessions, and drug tests
    iii. Number of 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

[[Page 68790]]

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 (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-508, Washington, DC 
20530.

Jerri Murray,
Department Clearance Officer, PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2011-28713 Filed 11-4-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P