NCJRS National Criminal Justice Reference Service User's Guide. Series: NCJRS Guide Published: May 1997 32 pages 219,531 bytes U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs NCJRS National Criminal Justice Reference Service User`s Guide The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a criminal justice clearinghouse and reference service that maintains specialized information centers for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Program agencies National Institute of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office for Victims of Crime Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Assistance and for the Office of National Drug Control Policy NCJRS is administered by the National Institute of Justice. NCJ 155063 NCJRS National Criminal Justice Reference Service User`s Guide ------------------------------ Contents About This Guide What Is NCJRS? Who Uses NCJRS? What Information Is Requested? Using the Guide Becoming a Registered User Cost Recovery Program Part I: NCJRS--Its Services and Its Resources NCJRS Document Data Base Additional Data Bases on Specific Topics Corrections Construction Data Base PAVNET (Partnerships Against Violence Network) NCJRS Online NCJRS Internet Services Reference and Referral Services Data Base Searches and Products Fact-Finding Service Referrals Onsite Library Services Conference Support Other NCJRS Information Product Accessions List Conference Calendars Microfiche Products NCJRS International Specialized Information Centers of NCJRS National Institute of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office for Victims of Crime Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Assistance Office of National Drug Control Policy Part II: Access to NCJRS and Its Resources Calling NCJRS Writing NCJRS Online Access Access to NCJRS Bulletin Board System Access to Internet Services Online Access to the Document Data Base How To Obtain Documents and Products Materials Distributed by NCJRS Materials Not Distributed by NCJRS NCJRS Seeks Your Comments ------------------------------ About This Guide This is your guide to NCJRS--the National Criminal Justice Reference Service--one of the most extensive sources of information on criminal justice in the world. When you have a question related to criminal or juvenile justice, NCJRS can help. The answer may be found in one of the hundreds of documents produced annually by the Department of Justice; these documents are printed and electronically published with assistance from NCJRS. It may be in the NCJRS Document Data Base of more than 135,000 resources. It may be best found through a referral to another organization, provided by one of our information specialists. This Guide gives you details on what NCJRS has to offer and how you can get the information you are looking for. What Is NCJRS? The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the principal research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, established NCJRS in 1972 to serve as a national and international clearinghouse for the exchange of criminal justice information, as mandated by Congress in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. NIJ is part of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) of the U.S. Department of Justice. It now serves all bureaus of the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. NCJRS also incorporates a cost recovery program. NCJRS is operated under contract #OJP-94-C-0006 with Aspen Systems Corporation, 2277 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850. Who Uses NCJRS? What Information Is Requested? o A corrections department official asks for information on how to build more prison space at less cost. o A police administrator in an area of rising crime wants to know if there are any successful repeat offender programs in other jurisdictions. o A high school principal concerned about student safety wants to know about violence prevention programs that have been developed for secondary schools. o Judges and prosecutors ask about victim service programs that have been developed in other States. o Citizens on a task force to combat drug abuse ask for information on sources of funding for drug control and treatment programs. The information NCJRS provides may consist of statistics, program descriptions, research findings, or document citations and abstracts. It may be provided orally or in the form of printed documents, audiovisual products, microfiche, data base printouts, electronic files, or the data bases themselves via CD-ROM, electronic bulletin board, diskette, or the NCJRS gopher on the Internet. It also includes referrals to people, programs, associations, and other data bases. Some forms of information are free, and some are provided at cost. The NCJRS User Guide is your key to this wealth of information. It tells you about all these resources and services and how you can obtain them. Using the Guide Part I of this manual describes the resources, services, and products of NCJRS. It describes: o Ways NCJRS can help you approach your criminal justice problem with better information. o The information collections and data bases that are built and maintained by NCJRS as well as the information products developed from these data bases. o The specific agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, as well as the Office of National Drug Control Policy, for which NCJRS maintains specialized information centers. Part II tells about the various ways you can access NCJRS information and take advantage of NCJRS information products and services. Becoming a Registered User The best way to keep posted on new services and products available from NCJRS is to become a registered user. You will receive a bimonthly catalog that discusses new products and services in the criminal and juvenile justice fields. Each issue also contains abstracts of selected recent additions to the NCJRS document collection and an order form for items distributed by NCJRS. You will also receive the National Institute of Justice Journal, a publication that will keep you up-to- date on criminal justice research and initiatives. Both publications are free to registered users in the United States and cost a nominal fee for users in Canada and other foreign countries. To become a registered user, just call NCJRS at 800-851-3420 (301-519-5500 from outside the United States). Or write to NCJRS, PO Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849-6000. You will be asked to complete a form that indicates your areas of interest, organizational affiliation, and occupational category so that you can be kept informed of relevant news of interest to you and your work. You can also reach NCJRS via the Internet at look@ncjrs.aspensys.com (for general information) or at askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com (to ask questions or order materials). See Part II of this guide for more information on accessing NCJRS and its resources. Cost Recovery Program NCJRS is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide criminal justice research information to criminal justice practitioners and researchers, public officials at all levels of government, and others interested in improving the criminal justice system. Most reports, brochures, and other information materials are provided free. However, budgetary constraints require the charging of minimal fees for certain products and services. This enables NCJRS to ensure that basic information services continue to be available to all who need them. Out-of-print agency documents (which must be photocopied) and some information products related to the NCJRS Document Data Base and other, specialized data bases are provided for a nominal fee. The cost recovery program also includes postage to countries outside the United States, special dispatch of products within the United States, and audiovisual, microfiche, and electronic products. You must prepay for such products and services, either by check, credit card, or government purchase order, or you can open an NCJRS deposit account by making an advance deposit to draw on for your purchases. All payments must be in U.S. funds drawn from U.S. banks. Contact NCJRS for more information on opening a deposit account. Part I. NCJRS--Its Services and Its Resources NCJRS is a criminal justice information clearinghouse and reference service created by the National Institute of Justice in 1972. NCJRS contains specialized information centers to provide publications and other services to the constituencies of each of the other OJP agencies: o Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). o Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center, for the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). o Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse, for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). o Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse, for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). and a recent affiliate: o ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) of the Executive Office of the President. These agencies participate in building the NCJRS Document Data Base and in providing the NCJRS products and services described in this Guide. Through specified toll-free 800 lines, NCJRS furnishes direct information and dissemination services to the agencies' special constituent audiences. (See "Specialized Information Centers of NCJRS," page 19, for more about particular services and publications.) NCJRS Document Data Base The core of NCJRS is its Document Data Base, which grows at the rate of about 500 publications per month and currently contains citations of more than 135,000 criminal justice and juvenile justice articles, reports, publications, and audiovisual products from the United States and other countries, published from the early 1970's to the present. These documents contain statistics, research findings, program descriptions, congressional hearing transcripts, and other substantive information on a wide range of criminal and juvenile justice topics including corrections, courts, crime prevention, law enforcement, sentencing, and victim services. The citations include full information on title, author, sponsoring agency, purchasing address, and journal citation plus 100- to 200-word summaries of each document's contents. English abstracts are provided for all documents written in foreign languages. The data base is indexed using the National Criminal Justice Thesaurus, which contains more than 5,000 subject, geographic, and organizational index terms as well as 30,000 cross-references. Using the index terms listed in the Thesaurus enables you to retrieve quickly and precisely all the citations relevant to your question. You can access the Document Data Base in three ways: o On CD-ROM. You can search the data base by keyword on an easy-to-use CD-ROM, which NCJRS updates every 6 months. You can download the citations selected and the document abstracts to a diskette or print them out. o On DIALOG. You can ask your local or academic librarian to search the file for you on DIALOG, an international electronic information retrieval service. o By calling NCJRS for a custom search. NCJRS information specialists regularly search the Document Data Base to respond to user queries. You can receive the results of a search tailored to your information needs (see "Reference and Referral Services" for more about custom searches). If the user is affiliated with the criminal justice system, no fee is charged. For information on obtaining individual documents in the NCJRS collection, see "How To Obtain Documents and Products" in Part II. Additional Data Bases on Specific Topics NCJRS has developed additional data bases to meet new criminal justice needs, and it makes the information they contain, and sometimes the data bases themselves, available to you. Corrections Construction Data Base This data base serves as the centerpiece for NIJ's Construction Information Exchange, a program created to exchange data and information about prison and jail construction. The data base contains descriptions of recently built or renovated prisons and jails in the United States, obtained through surveys of facility administrators and architects. Each facility listing presents many informative details, including such items as construction costs, construction time, facility dimensions, inmate security, fire protection systems, operational costs, and technological capabilities. NCJRS can search the data base to give you a customized correctional facility profile that provides up to 600 items of infor-mation on each facility matching the specifications of your request. You can also obtain the contents of the data base on diskette in dBASE III and dBASE IV, so you can search the files yourself on your personal computer. The data base is available on double- sided, double-density diskettes formatted for 360K IBM-compatible drives. At periodic intervals, NIJ publishes a comprehensive National Directory of Corrections Construction, which presents profiles and floorplans of all recently constructed facilities, and Construction Bulletins, which highlight innovative forms of corrections construction and financing. In addition, index factors (updated annually) are available to assist in estimating and comparing facility costs for construction in different regions for different years and construction in a particular region for different years. PAVNET (Partnerships Against Violence Network) This data base contains descriptions of about 600 anti-violence programs and 325 sources for technical assistance, information, and potential funding. PAVNET was initiated by NIJ but represents the cooperative efforts of numerous agencies and more than 30 of their clearinghouses in the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Labor. The data base includes local, State, and national programs, both public and private, designed to combat violence in families, schools, and the community and to deal with related issues such as substance abuse and aid to victims. Entries under Information Sources and Technical Assistance include national clearinghouses, private associations, and Federal resources. Funding sources include both Federal and private foundation assistance. The data base is available on the Internet. To access PAVNET online, the address is pavnet.esusda.gov and select menu item number six. NCJRS distributes the PAVNET Online User Guide, which describes how to access and search the PAVNET menus. In addition, NCJRS makes available the contents of the PAVNET data base in the two-volume, indexed Partnerships Against Violence Resource Guide and on high density 3 1/2-inch diskettes in either WordPerfect 5.1 or ASCII. NCJRS Online NCJRS Internet Services NCJRS e-mail has two general addresses on the Internet: o look@ncjrs.aspensys.com is the address to use if you want an overview of NCJRS, NCJRS Online, and other clearinghouse services. This service automatically sends a three- to four-page message that answers frequently asked questions about NCJRS. o askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com is the address to use to request information or order publications. Any user with Internet e-mail capability can use this service. The NCJRS JUST INFO is a biweekly online newsletter containing criminal and juvenile justice news from Office of Justice Program agencies and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. JUST INFO also provides information about products and services available through NCJRS. The newsletter is distributed free via e-mail to listserv subscribers on the 1st and 15th of each month. To subscribe: o Send an Internet e-mail message to: listproc@ncjrs.aspensys.com o Leave the subject line blank. o In the body of the message, type subscribe justinfo, and then type your name, for example, John Smith. The NCJRS World Wide Web (WWW) offers a graphical link to information about NCJRS, the OJP agencies, and ONDCP. See Part II, "Internet Services" on how to access the gopher and WWW sites. Reference and Referral Services NCJRS provides a variety of reference and referral services. Information specialists can help you find answers to questions about a wide range of criminal and juvenile justice issues. Their responses can take several forms. If you need research findings or program information, NCJRS will provide you with the resources available from the clearinghouse or refer you to particular organizations. The information specialist may suggest agency publications, audiovisual materials, or data base products that contain the information you are looking for. The section "Specialized Information Centers of NCJRS" provides details about the various series published by Office of Justice Programs agencies, all of them available from NCJRS. In addition, the information specialist may suggest you take advantage of the clearinghouse's fact-finding service described in the next section. Data Base Searches and Products Users of NCJRS can acquire information from many sources: the NCJRS Document Data Base, publications from OJP agencies and ONDCP, and external resources such as those available through Internet searches. Packaged Topical Searches. These prepackaged searches contain 30 complete document citations, with abstracts, from the Document Data Base on specific criminal or juvenile justice topics. More than 130 search packages are available on such topics as domestic violence, juvenile gangs, electronic monitoring, money lau ndering, and illegal substance abuse among juveniles. Topical Bibliographies. These packages contain up to 200 citations, with abstracts, from the Document Data Base and include subject and title indexes. They are also available on diskette. NCJRS offers more than 35 topical bibliographies on such subjects as violence prevention, minorities in the criminal justice system, and victim services. Custom Searches. You can set the specifications for a search of the data base tailored just to your needs. For instance, once you have chosen the topic, you can also elect to identify only documents published within a given range of years, or you can draw on the entire NCJRS file. You can decide to include or exclude foreign language documents, audiovisual items, or journal articles. You receive a printout of the bibliographic information and an abstract for each document in the data base on your topic and within your specifications. You can also ask for your custom search on a double-sided, dou-ble-density 3 1/2-inch diskette, formatted for 360K IBM-compatible drives. You can view or read the information on the diskette by using any ASCII text editor and most word processing programs. Each diskette enables you to search by title, index term, accession number, or keyword and then print all or part of the abstracts. Criminal Justice Resource Packages. These contain groups of publications published by OJP agencies and ONDCP on particular topics, such as community policing, boot camps, family violence, intermediate sanctions, violence against women, and drug testing. Individual packages may also contain statistical material, reading lists, referral lists, and literature searches outside the NCJRS Document Data Base. Fact-Finding Service When you don't have the time to conduct your own research or access resources or information on a particular topic, NCJRS information specialists can provide an array of customized research services. They supplement NCJRS resources with information from criminal justice and juvenile justice agencies, professional associations, news articles, and other data bases, including LEXIS/NEXIS, DIALOG, and DataTimes. Examples of results of the NCJRS fact-finding service include: o State-by-State program or legislative information presented in an easy-to-read format. o Tables or graphs, with text that explains the answers to your questions. o Specialized directories or lists of Federal, State, or local justice agencies, organizations, or institutions. o Summaries of documents, research reports, and news articles that address specific issues. Depending on your questions, the fact-finding service offers a variety of products to fit your needs. Fees have ranged from $50 to $4,000. Referrals NCJRS information specialists can also furnish particulars on a wide range of criminal and juvenile justice organizations, agencies, and experts throughout the United States that can supplement the clearinghouse's information and help you find solutions for your particular problem. Onsite Library Services NCJRS offers a full range of library services at its Research and Information Center located at 2277 Research Boulevard in Rockville, Maryland. The physical documents cited in the NCJRS Document Data Base are available at the Research and Information Center for patron use. Walk-in patrons can also pick up copies of selected criminal justice documents free of charge. The center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with a trained library and reference staff available to assist you. Terminals are available for accessing the NCJRS Data Base online and on CD-ROM. A photocopier is also available. Materials can be borrowed from NCJRS via interlibrary loan. See "Documents Through Interlibrary Loan," page 35, for more information on document loans. Conference Support NCJRS supports criminal and juvenile justice conferences in a variety of ways. o Free announcement of your conference in the Criminal Justice or Juvenile Justice Conference Calendars issued bimonthly to subscribers (see "Other NCJRS Information Products," page 17). o Bulk copies of publications to reflect your conference agenda. The materials can be included in your conference packet, distributed at workshops, or enclosed in your mailing. o Reading lists and fact sheets designed to complement a program, including publication order information. o Access to a variety of specialized or customized mailing lists. o Information packages and search products on specific topics, with full descriptions of important research from the NCJRS collection (see "Reference and Referral Services"). o Onsite exhibits and participation of an NCJRS representative, to let attendees know about NCJRS and its resources. Contact NCJRS for more information on these conference support services. Other NCJRS Information Products In addition to the products offered as part of NCJRS reference services, the clearinghouse offers numerous additional products to meet specific criminal justice information needs. Accessions List Many librarians purchase subscriptions to the NCJRS Monthly Accessions List to receive early notification of publications and other materials submitted and accepted for inclusion in the NCJRS Document Data Base. This service is equivalent to being placed on the first-notice list of major publishers and other sources of information in the criminal and juvenile justice field. The Monthly Accessions List can be purchased separately by subject or as a package including eight subjects: corrections, courts, crime prevention, criminal justice research, drugs and crime, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and victims. Conference Calendars NCJRS maintains two conference calendars for users interested in attending or involved in planning conferences and training events: o The Criminal Justice Conference Calendar, sponsored by NIJ, lists up to 150 upcoming criminal justice conferences annually. o The Juvenile Justice Conference Calendar, sponsored by OJJDP, lists upcoming national, international, regional, and local juvenile justice-related conferences, training workshops, and seminars. Both calendars provide detailed descriptions for each conference listed, including dates, locations, sponsoring organizations, contact people, registration costs, and conference themes. You can purchase bimonthly issues of the calendars through an annual subscription or on a one-time basis. Microfiche Products NCJRS microfilms all uncopyrighted documents (and copyrighted publications with publisher permission) so that the full text of hard-to-find and out-of- print documents can be made available to researchers and others. These are distributed singly, in groups, and as an entire microfiche collection for criminal justice agencies, college and university libraries, and research organizations. Microfiche Collection. The collection contains some 35,000 full-text documents and is accompanied by detailed microfiche indexes for easy reference. In addition to materials in the public domain, the collection contains copyrighted materials that NCJRS has received permission to film, including articles from law reviews and other professional and scholarly journals. Many documents available on microfiche were never published for wide dissemination. These include transcripts of congressional hearings, speeches, academic studies, and State and local agency reports. If you want to receive microfiche documents as they are created, you can place a standing order to receive regular monthly supplements, which contain approximately 100-200 documents. NCJRS International NCJRS products and services are available worldwide, and entries to the Document Data Base include numerous reports and articles from other countries, some in foreign languages (for which English-language abstracts are provided). NCJRS also coordinates an International Document Exchange program with more than 100 members from 50 countries. The members exchange information and research with NCJRS continuously; they are a source for information about NCJRS in their countries. Specialized Information Centers of NCJRS NCJRS provides information support to the agencies of the Office of Justice Programs and to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The NCJRS Document Data Base is the chief repository of infor-mation covering all areas of criminal and juvenile justice, and the agencies contribute to its building and maintenance as well as to the development of products and services surrounding it. In the years since NCJRS was created by the National Institute of Justice, other OJP agencies and ONDCP have joined NCJRS and have established specialized information centers, each with its own 800 number and staff to answer questions about the agency's mission and initiatives and develop links with particular audiences. Each center furnishes information on the agency's publications and other information products and makes documents available for viewing and/or downloading via the NCJRS gopher and World Wide Web sites, and the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site (see Part II). National Institute of Justice For information, call 800-851-3420 The National Institute of Justice is the research and development agency of the Department of Justice, established to develop knowledge that can help prevent and reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system. Specific congressional mandates are to sponsor special projects and research and development programs; conduct national demonstration projects; develop new technologies to fight crime and improve criminal justice; evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice programs; carry out research on criminal behavior; develop new methods of crime prevention; and recommend actions that can be taken by Federal, State, and local governments as well as private organizations to crime prevention and law enforcement. Publications and audiovisual products of the National Institute of Justice include the following: o The National Institute of Justice Journal highlights research and evaluation findings and programs in many areas including community policing, drugs and crime, intermediate sanctions, and new criminal justice technologies. o NIJ Research and Evaluation Reports present comprehensive reviews of the results of NIJ- sponsored research and development projects. Often they include a description of the research methodology and a review of the literature in addition to findings and recommendations. o The NIJ Research in Brief and Research in Action series syn-thesize recent research and evaluation results and summarize key findings in 6- to 12-page bulletins. These publications offer concise reviews of subjects that other publications treat in greater depth. Evaluation Bulletins, a subset of the Research in Brief series, report the results of evaluations of specific drug control programs in States and local communities. o Construction Bulletins summarize case studies of progressive techniques for building correctional facilities, focusing especially on techniques that provide time and cost savings. o Issues and Practices in Criminal Justice reports explore program options and management issues based on research and eval-uation findings, operational experience, and expert opinion. The intent is to give criminal justice managers and administrators information to help them in planning, implementing, and improving programs and practices. o NIJ Program Focus publications present case studies of criminal justice programs and practices. o Perspectives on Policing present reports from the Executive Session on Policing, cosponsored by the National Institute of Justice and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and held with some of the leading figures in American policing. These 8- to 16-page bulletins highlight issues of importance to the improvement and future of policing. o Brief fact sheets in the National Institute of Justice Update series give highlights of recent research and evaluation findings or successful programs of NIJ. o Crime File Videotapes and Study Guides present unrehearsed panel discussions by criminal justice experts on critical issues facing the public. Each 28 1/2-minute program is designed to stimulate discussion and raise awareness about crime and its consequences. Crime File programs are ideal for classroom discussion, professional training, and community forums as well as for showing on local television stations. The Study Guides, which supplement most videotapes, present background information and explain the issues surrounding the topic. o Research in Progress Videotapes present 60-minute lectures and answers to audience questions from well-known criminal justice researchers. For example, one tape features Alfred Blumstein discussing his research on youth violence, guns, and drug markets; another features Peter Greenwood on "Three Strikes and You're Out" initiatives and legislation. The annually published NIJ Publications Catalog lists NIJ pub-lications and videotapes available from NCJRS and contains an order form for obtaining copies. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention For information, call 800-638-8736 The mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is to provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and treat juvenile delinquency; improve the effectiveness and fairness of the juvenile justice system; and address the problem of missing and exploited children. OJJDP's specialized information center at NCJRS, the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, provides a link to juvenile justice practitioners and policymakers. The center produces and disseminates the agency's publications and prepares customized responses to information requests. Free OJJDP materials provided through NCJRS include the following: o Juvenile Justice, OJJDP's journal, contains articles on findings of OJJDP-funded research, successful practices and programs in juvenile justice, and other topics of interest to juvenile justice administrators, practitioners, and community leaders. o OJJDP Bulletins present summary descriptions of research findings, statistical compilations, and innovative programs in juvenile justice produced through OJJDP funding. o OJJDP Summaries present substantive but succinct reports of research studies, program descriptions, statistical analyses, and training initiatives funded by OJJDP on a variety of juvenile justice topics. o OJJDP Fact Sheets are one- to two-page summaries of statistical data on timely issues in juvenile justice. OJJDP also publishes detailed reports of agency- sponsored research and program initiatives; these may include literature reviews, detailed discussions of research methodologies, and comprehensive bibliographies and are available for a nominal fee. In addition, OJJDP compiles and makes available a subscription to bimonthly issues of the Juvenile Justice Conference Calendar. The OJJDP Publications List can be obtained free and contains an order form for acquiring copies of OJJDP publications. Office for Victims of Crime For information, call 800-627-6872 The Office for Victims of Crime is the OJP agency that serves as the Federal Government's chief advocate for all issues affecting crime victims. This role translates into a broad offering of programs and activities to help crime victims cope with personal and financial devastation resulting from victimization. OVC's leadership role at the Federal level also encompasses activities designed to draw public attention to crime victim needs and to promote victim rights through legislation and public policy. Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding is administered by OVC to all populations affected by victimization, including underserved populations, such as sexually exploited children and victims residing on remote Indian reservations. OVC also awards grants to sponsor training and technical assistance on issues of interest to victim advocates as well as to criminal justice system personnel who are in contact with victims. The OVC specialized information center at NCJRS, the OVC Resource Center, provides victim-related information, covering such issues as domestic violence, child abuse, elderly victims, bias- related violence, victim rights, and victim compensation, to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and crime victims. The resource center collects, maintains, and disseminates information about national, State, and local victim-related organizations and about State programs that receive funds authorized through VOCA. In addition, the Resource Center provides literature searches of the NCJRS Document Data Base (which contains more than 9,000 victim- related documents) and furnishes referrals to victim programs and national associations. A catalog of products and publications is available to enable users to obtain OVC materials. Bureau of Justice Statistics For information, call 800-732-3277 The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and is responsible for the collection, analysis, and reporting of data related to criminal victimization and the administration of justice. BJS maintains more than two dozen major data collection series from which it publishes and distributes reports nationwide. Data are published annually on criminal victimization, populations under correctional supervision, and Federal criminal offender and case processing. Periodic series include felony sentencing in State courts, State court prosecutorial practices and policies, pretrial release of felony dependants, and administration of law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics center, the BJS Clearinghouse, answers statistical questions and distributes BJS reports to those seeking crime and criminal justice data. It also offers NCJRS Document Data Base searches, statistics information packages, referrals, and other related products and services. BJS publications include the following series: o BJS Crime Data Briefs present information about topics of current interest in condensed (approximately two-page) form. o BJS Bulletins provide the first release of findings from BJS data collection programs such as the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Survey, National Judicial Reporting Program, National Pretrial Reporting Program, National Prosecutor Survey Program, and the National Prison and Jail Censuses and Surveys of prison and jail inmates. o BJS Special Reports provide summaries of important topics and describe relationships among findings from one or more data sets in more detail than in BJS Bulletins. o BJS Selected Findings summarize the data on topics of broad current concern and often include both BJS and non-BJS data. o BJS Full Reports, containing 100 pages or more, are issued periodically. They contain numerous tables and little text. They usually report findings from large BJS data collection programs or report on ongoing grant programs. o BJS Discussion Papers promote the exchange of information, analyses, and ideas in issues related to justice statistics and the operations of the justice system. Among the other BJS products available from NCJRS are: o Crime Victimization Data on CD-ROM. The most recent edition includes data on the years from 1973 to 1991. Prepared by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research of the University of Michigan, the CD-ROM contains data sets from the National Crime Victimization Survey. These ASCII files require the use of specific statistical software packages. SAS and SPSS setup files are provided. o Slides from Highlights From 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims: The National Crime Victimization Survey, 1973-1992. Prepared to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the survey, this presentation of 40 slides illustrates the charts and graphs presented in the publication. The BJS Catalog lists BJS publications available from NCJRS and contains an order form to acquire copies of the publications. Bureau of Justice Assistance For information, call 800-688-4252 The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), established in 1984, supports innovative programs to improve and strengthen the Nation's criminal justice system. BJA accomplishes its mission by providing funding, training and technical assistance, and criminal justice information to States and communities, thereby forming partnerships with State and local jurisdictions to combat crime and drug abuse. The BJA specialized information center, the BJA Clearinghouse, shares BJA program information, via publications, reference and referral services, and conferences, with State and local agencies and community groups across the country. This helps structure statewide criminal justice and drug abuse prevention strategies and subgrant projects. BJA publications distributed by NCJRS include the following: o BJA Bulletins inform the criminal justice community of new and emerging issues or innovative and progressive ideas and approaches to address these issues. Bulletins, up to 12 pages long, are on topics that are likely to be covered in greater detail in other BJA publication series. o BJA Program Briefs are concise descriptions (approximately 25 pages) of programs proven to be effective in the control of drugs and violent crime. o BJA Implementation Manuals provide detailed descriptions (approximately 200 pages) of programs, including specific policies, practices, and procedures used in planning, organizing, implementing, operating, monitoring, and evaluating the programs. o BJA Training Manuals present curriculums for teaching the operations of the programs described in the Implementation Manuals. o BJA Monographs provide indepth information on particular elements of programs or describe programs that appear promising but are not yet proven. o The Focus on What Works series summarizes the results of program evaluations either through indepth, comprehensive evaluation reports or through detailed summaries of the evaluation results. o Special Analyses are detailed reports assessing a specific type of Federal or State criminal justice program. These reports present program implementation data and indicators that demonstrate the program's accomplishments for specified periods of time. o BJA Fact Sheets are brief (up to four pages), easy-to-read introductions to specific BJA- sponsored programs. Fact Sheets list resources to contact for further information. o The Asset Forfeiture Series is a collection of 16 brief but infor-mative manuals on various aspects of asset forfeiture, written by experts in asset forfeiture and financial investigations and available for purchase for a nominal fee. The Bureau of Justice Assistance Publications List contains an order form to enable users to acquire copies of BJA publications. Department of Justice Response Center. This center, provides information about the criminal provisions, available grants, funding opportunities, and other programs in the Violent Crime Control Act of 1994, as well as other funding opportunities from the OJP agencies. The center features a 24-hour fax-on- demand service for immediate receipt of 50 documents via fax. Person-to-person assistance is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time weekdays. The center is linked to NCJRS, which fills requests for information and documents. The toll-free telephone number is 800-421-6770. Office of National Drug Control Policy Executive Office of the President For information, call 800-666-3332 The newest specialized information center of NCJRS has existed since 1987 but is now sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The Bureau of Justice Statistics continues to manage the center, now called the ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse. The center serves as a source of drugs and crime statistics, with special attention given to the needs of Federal, State, and local government agencies. The specialized information center provides the following services: o Disseminates ONDCP, OJP, and other Federal Government publications relating to drugs and crime. o Prepares and distributes fact sheets and bibliographies on specific drugs and crime topics. o Produces a national directory of State drug resources and distributes national reports on drugs and crime data, special reports on current drugs and crime issues, selected bibliographies, fact sheets, and other information products on emerging issues in drugs and crime. o Responds to information requests for data on illegal drugs, drug-related crime, drug law violations, drug-using offenders in the criminal justice system, drug treatment for offenders, and the impact of drugs on criminal justice administration. o Maintains a reading room where visitors can use the clearinghouse collection of library documents and vertical file items on drugs and crime. o Coordinates with Federal, State, and local agencies inidentifying other data resources and makes referrals. A Publications Order Form is available on request. Part II. Access to NCJRS and Its Resources Calling NCJRS You can call NCJRS toll free from anywhere in the United States at 800-851-3420. If you are calling from another country, dial 301-519-5500 to reach NCJRS and all component information centers. Except as noted, the telephone lines are staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday. Keep these toll-free numbers handy: For general information and National Institute of Justice information, call NCRJS, 800-851-3420. For Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention information, call the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, 800-638-8736. For Office for Victims of Crime information, call the OVC Resource Center, 800-627-6872. For Bureau of Justice Statistics information, call the BJS Clearinghouse, 800-732-3277. For Bureau of Justice Assistance information, call the BJA Clearinghouse, 800-688-4252. For Office of National Drug Crime Policyinformation, call the ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, 800-666-3332, which is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. When you call any of the NCJRS toll-free lines, you will be given several menu options for fast access to general clearinghouse information, document ordering and document order status, and information specialists who can help you find answers to your criminal justice and juvenile justice questions. Writing NCJRS NCJRS is located in Rockville, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Send letters to: NCJRS PO Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 To write to specialized information centers of NCJRS, send letters to: Name of the agency/NCJRS PO Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 Online Access World Wide Web.The NCJRS World Wide Web offers a graphical link to information about NCJRS and the government agencies that the clearinghouse supports as well as to the NCJRS gopher site. The NCJRS website address is: http://www.ncjrs.org If you have specific criminal justice questions or requests via Internet, you should send an e-mail message to: askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com JUST INFO Distribution List. This listserv on the Internet is an electronic newsletter on criminal justice topics, distributed every 2 weeks. To join the list, e-mail listproc@ncjrs.aspensys.com Online Access to the Document Data Base The NCJRS Document Data Base can be searched on DIALOG, an international electronic information retrieval service, as file 21. Many research, academic, and corporate libraries and information centers have access to DIALOG. To become a DIALOG customer, call 800-DIALOG. For more information on the data base, including the data base on CD-ROM and search tools, see Part I, "The NCJRS Document Data Base," page 8. How To Obtain Documents and Products Publications identified through searches of the NCJRS Document Data Base are produced by a variety of public and private organizations. As a rule, only publications of the OJP agencies and the Office of National Drug Control Policy are distributed by NCJRS. The data base citation for each document indicates how and from whom it is available. Materials Distributed by NCJRS NCJRS distributes publications, audiovisual materials, and other information products of the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. NCJRS and its specialized information centers also offer a variety of information products on criminal and juvenile justice. Most products have a unique identification number, such as NCJ 123456, or TS 021234, or DD 134567. This identification number is mentioned in all catalogs, fliers, and other materials that announce the availability from NCJRS of specific documents, audiovisual items, and microfiche products. If you know this number, be sure to use it whenever you contact NCJRS to obtain materials. This will speed service and prevent errors in identifying items with similar titles. The bimonthly catalog, which is automatically sent to all registered NCJRS users, announces new items distributed by NCJRS and its specialized information centers. Each issue contains a tear-off order form you can mail to facilitate ordering. However, you can also order free items from the catalog by: o Sending e-mail to askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com. o Downloading selected documents from the FTP site (see below). o Sending a fax or using automated telephone document ordering (see below). o Using the fax-on-demand service for selected publications (see below). To become a registered user, see "About This Guide" in Part I. You can also make use of the order forms in other government agency and NCJRS publications. To obtain any publication mentioned in this Guide (see Part I, "Specialized Information Centers of NCJRS"), call the appropriate 800 number for a free copy. Automated Telephone Document Ordering. Now domestic users of NCJRS can order publications listed in the bimonthly catalog by using a touchtone telephone. To access this service, dial 800-732-3277 (for documents distributed by BJS) or 800-851-3420 (for all other documents distributed by NCJRS). Ordering by fax at 410-792-4358. Up to 5 free documents can be ordered. Orders for more than 5 documents and all international orders are subject to postage and handling fees. Fax-on-Demand Documents. You may also order facsimiles of documents from NCJRS's specialized information centers 24 hours a day. Simply dial 301-519-5518 locally or, for long distance ordering, dial any of the toll-free numbers listed in this section of the guide and on the inside back cover. Downloading to your own printer. Selected documents published by the OJP agencies and WWW, and FTP sites (see "Online Access" in this section and "NCJRS Online" in Part I). Materials Not Distributed by NCJRS Searches of the NCJRS Document Data Base often reveal reports, articles, and other materials not distributed by NCJRS. These materials are published and distributed by other Federal Government agencies, State and local agencies, national associations and nonprofit organizations, and commercial publishers. To obtain these documents, contact the publishers or sponsoring organizations. NCJRS Document Data Base citations give full bibliographic information, journal citations, and ordering addresses (when available). Or take advantage of the following NCJRS services: Documents Through Interlibrary Loan. You can borrow materials cited in the NCJRS Data Base through interlibrary loan within the United States. All borrowing must take place through your local government, academic, or organization library. Your librarian at these locations can prepare the standard American Library Asso-ciation interlibrary loan form and arrange the loan for you. Documents are loaned for a period of 6 weeks. There is a small fee for borrowing materials via interlibrary loan; the fee is waived for Federal and State libraries and criminal justice agencies. Documents on Microfiche. Approximately one-third of the documents in the NCJRS Data Base are available from NCJRS in microfiche for a nominal charge. To learn if the document you want is on microfiche, look for this notation in the availability field of the document data base record: "NCJRS Microfiche Program." Or contact NCJRS, noting the six-digit identification number of the document you are seeking. Reproduction Service. NCJRS has permission from authors and publishers to photocopy many of the documents in its collection. For the cost of reproduction, NCJRS will send you copies of such documents. A note on the data base record for the document indicating "Paper Reproduction Sales" means you can order a photocopy of the document. NCJRS Seeks Your Comments NCJRS constantly seeks to improve services through user feedback. A User Satisfaction Form will be periodically enclosed with materials you receive in response to a request. Your comments are important to us, so please take the time to fill out the form. At any time, you may also call us, write us, or send us electronic mail to let us know what is useful and what isn't, and what other products and services you would like to see from NCJRS! The following individuals may also be contacted regarding the operation and services of NCJRS: William Ballweber Acting Contract Officer's Technical Representative National Institute of Justice Room 808 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-305-2975 Catherine Doyle Information Specialist Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Room 300 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-514-9208 David Osborne Special Assistant to the Director Office for Victims of Crime Room 1352 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-616-3580 Marilyn Marbrook Publications and Dissemination Chief Bureau of Justice Statistics Room 1106 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-307-1043 Laura Minning Information Specialist Bureau of Justice Assistance Room 1086-C 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-307-5974 Sue Lindgren Senior Statistician Project Monitor, ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse Room 1146-C 633 Indiana Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20531 telephone: 202-307-0760 NCJRS responds to these frequently asked questions (FAQ's): o How many crimes are committed with firearms? o How many people are on death row? o What percentage of crime is reported to the police? o What is the cost of crime to victims? o How many juveniles are waived or transferred to the adult criminal courts each year? o What ratio of police officers to population served is recommended? o How can I obtain a copy of the Uniform Crime Reports? o How many female police officers are there in the United States? o Where can I get information on controlling police response to stress? o How much crime can be attributed to drugs? The Office of Justice Programs includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Keep these toll-free numbers handy: For general information and National Institute of Justice information, call NCJRS, 800-851-3420. For Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention information, call the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, 800-638-8736. For Office for Victims of Crime information, callthe OVC Resource Center, 800-627-6872. For Bureau of Justice Statistics information, callthe BJS Clearinghouse, 800-732-3277. For Bureau of Justice Assistance information, call the BJA Clearinghouse, 800-688-4252. For Office of National Drug Crime Policy information, call the ONDCP Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, 800-666-3332.