[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16375-16376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06442]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1121-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed New 
eCollection eComments Requested; 2013 National Survey of Tribal Court 
Systems

AGENCY: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following 
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) 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.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
May 27, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 
Steven W. Perry, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 
Seventh Street NW., Washington, DC 20531 (phone: 202-307-0777).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This process is conducted in accordance with 
5 CFR 1320.10. 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:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Bureau of Justice 
Statistics, 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;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; and
--Minimize the burden of the 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 collection:
    (1) Type of Information Collection: New data collection, National 
Survey of Tribal Courts Systems (NSTCS), 2013
    (2) The title of the Form/Collection: 2013 National Survey of 
Tribal Court Systems or NSTCS-13.
    (3) The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form labels include 
NSTCS-13L48; NSTCS-13AK; and NSTCS-13CFR. The applicable component 
within the Department of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 
Office of Justice Programs.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: This information collection is a census of 
tribal court systems that operated in Indian country during the period 
2013. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) proposes to implement a 
National Survey of Tribal Courts (NSTCS). Tribal courts are diverse, 
with some being extensively elaborate in their development, some based 
on traditional or indigenous customs, and others are just beginning to 
develop a modern judicial system. Over the past decade, various 
legislation, including the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and 
Violence against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, have sought to 
improve public safety in Indian country through increased sentencing 
authority and expanded jurisdiction. Existing information on tribal 
courts is extremely dated or was conducted with a narrow focus and did 
not include the three distinctive areas of tribal courts; the lower 48 
States, Alaska, and the Courts of Indian Offenses. No reliable and 
recurring data are collected on the volume of criminal and civil cases 
handle in tribal courts annually. Hence, the NSTCS will provide 
national level information on the administration and operation of trial 
and appellate courts in Indian country. The NSTCS is designed to 
provide BJS and other interested stakeholders with current empirical 
information on tribal court systems. A goal of the NSTCS is to obtain 
national statistics on staffing; budgets; prosecution, public defense 
and civil legal services; juvenile justice; domestic violence and 
protection orders; enhance sentencing and jurisdiction capacity; and 
criminal justice database access and reporting. This will help BJS 
generate aggregate statistics on the magnitude and types of cases 
handled in tribal courts, as well establish baseline measures for

[[Page 16376]]

comparisons in future iterations. Information will be collected for 
calendar year 2013.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: An estimated 
300 respondents (tribal courts) will take part in the National Survey 
of Tribal Courts Systems 2013. Based on pilot testing an average of 2 
hours each is needed to complete the form appropriate for the tribal 
system: NSTCS-13L48, NSTCS-13AK, or NSTCS-13CFR. The estimated range of 
burden for respondents is expected to be between 1.5 to 2.5 hours for 
completion. The following factors were considered when creating the 
burden estimate: the estimated total number of tribal courts, the 
ability of tribal courts to access or gather the data, and the 
information systems capabilities generally found within Indian country. 
BJS estimates that nearly all of the approximately 300 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 600 hours. It is estimated that respondents will take 2 
hours to complete a questionnaire. The burden hours for collecting 
respondent data sum to 600 hours (300 respondents x 2 hours = 600 
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., Suite 3W-1407B, Washington, DC 
20530.

    Dated: March 19, 2014.
Jerri Murray,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2014-06442 Filed 3-24-14; 8:45 am]
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