[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17522-17523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7172]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OMB Number 1121-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Agencies: New Collection; Comments 
Requested

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 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. 
Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for ``sixty days'' until 
May 25, 2012. 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 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:

[[Page 17523]]

     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;
     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;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     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), 2012.
    2. The title of the form/collection: Census of Problem-Solving 
Courts or CPSC 2012.
    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. 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, staffing, administration, and to generate accurate and 
reliable aggregate statistics on offenders who enter problem-solving 
court programs. Information will be collected for the most recent 12-
month period in 2012. The CPSC will collect information on the 
following categories:

a. Court Operations and Staffing
    i. Provide the number of problem-solving courts by type (e.g., 
mental health, drug, etc.),
    ii. 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,
    iii. Court session frequency,
    iv. Number of full- and part-time staff members currently 
employed by PSCs.
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.)
    iii. Case closure: Benefits of successful participation in PSC 
program (e.g., case dismissal).
e. Capacity and Enrollment
    i. Design Capacity: 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. Ability to share case management information with external 
agencies,
    iii. PSCs' ability to track participant outcomes after 
graduation.
g. Selected PSC Aggregate Participant information:
    i. Number of offenders admitted for participation in PSC over a 
12 month period,
    ii. Number of offender participants exiting program over a 12 
month period, including type of exit (e.g., successful program 
completion),
    iii. Percentage of participants by gender over a 12 month 
period,
    iv. Percentage of participants by race/ethnicity over a 12 month 
period.

    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 2012. Based on pilot testing and in-house review, the average 
(mean) burden for each completed survey is expected to be approximately 
30 minutes per respondent. The estimated range of burden for 
respondents is expected to be between 15 minutes to 1 hour for 
completion. The following factors were considered when creating the 
burden estimate: the estimated total number of problem-solving courts, 
the ability of problem-solving courts to access data, and the type of 
data capabilities generally found in the field. BJS estimates that 
nearly all of the approximately 3,800 respondents will fully complete 
the questionnaire.
    6. An Estimate of the Total Public Burden (in hours) Associated 
with the collection: The estimated public burden associated with this 
collection is 1,918 hours. It is estimated that respondents will take 
30 minutes to complete a questionnaire. The burden hours for collecting 
respondent data sum to 1,900 hours (3,800 respondents x 0.5 hours = 
1,900 hours). In addition to respondents' burden of completing the 
census questionnaire, the CPSC requires voluntary participation from 
State Points of Contacts (SPOCs) to develop an initial list of problem-
solving court docket contact information. While SPOCs will not complete 
actual questionnaires, their effort is a necessary first step in 
identifying the universe of problem-solving courts nationwide. BJS 
estimates it will take, on average, 20 minutes for each SPOC to provide 
the requested list of problem-solving courts in their respective state. 
There are 54 SPOCS (including DC, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Puerto 
Rico). The total time burden is 18 hours (54 SPOCS x 20 minutes = 18 
hours). Therefore the total estimated burden for the entire CPSC 2012 
project is 1,918 hours (1,900 hours for respondents + 18 hours for 
SPOCS = 1,918 hours).
    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., Room 2E-508, Washington, DC 
20530.

Jerri Murray,
Department Clearance Officer, PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2012-7172 Filed 3-23-12; 8:45 am]
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