BJS's Origins and Authorities and the Crime Commission's Recommendations

• In Event: Presidential Panel: The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice III: Taking Stock of Crime Statistics Since "The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society"

Abstract

This presentation will focus on BJS's history, how and why it was formed, and its original statutory authorities. It will address how the BJS statutory authorities supported the goals and recommendations of the Commission and whether these authorities deviated from the Commission's goals. Since the Commission envisioned a role for state and local criminal justice agencies in the development of national statistics, the presentation will address the role of state agencies in creating, analyzing and using national statistics. As the BJS statutory authorities have been evolved over time, the presentation will address some of the major changes in these authorities, the extent to which they align with the Commission's goals or establish new areas of responsibility for BJS. Finally, this presentation will highlight some of the extensions of BJS authorities that have been suggested.

Author

• Paul Wormeli, IJIS Institute