The National Census of Victim Service Providers: building and maintaining a frame of VSPs in the United States

• In Event: Utilizing Federal Data to Understand Victim Service Provisions in the United States

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to establish a national universe of programs and organizations that served victims of crime or abuse and understand key characteristics of these programs.
Data/Methods: In 2017, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) completed the first ever National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP). The NCVSP provides national data on the universe of programs and organizations that served victims of crime or abuse. The 2017 census was the first part of a new two-phased collection on victim services within BJS’s Victim Services Statistical Research Program (VSSRP). In early 2022, BJS initiated the next cycle of the census. This cycle furthers efforts to expand the statistical infrastructure around victim services, including quantification of the availability and use of services to support victims of crime or abuse. The 2017 census frame and the survey instrument will be updated and subsequent data will provide a count and basic characteristics of all VSPs in the United States.
Results: This presentation will provide an overview of the NCVSP methodology, findings from the 2017 census, updates on the 2022 project, and practical applications for using the NCVSP data.
Conclusions/Implications: The challenges of developing and maintaining a frame of victim service providers will be discussed.

Author

• Rachel E. Morgan, Bureau of Justice Statistics, USDOJ