The U. S. Department of Justice retains data for analysis, dissemination, and study to help those in law enforcement and those wishing to research data related to criminal justice. The Bureau of Justice Statistics program under the DOJ, an executive, administrative branch of government, is an extremely useful tool for students to analyze an array of issues including both victim and offender information, including characteristics of these populations. The information provided in this database is extremely useful in that the quantifiable information can be used to assist policy-makers with decisions that effect both offenders and those in criminal justice fields. Without this information, many needed programs would not be initiated and ineffectual programs would continue. A weakness of t
There is much to be taken from this database to help gather information to help bring about programs to help the population mentioned above in the form and legislation, a strength of these statistics. However, as stated before, the BJS is a starting point for students and those involved in the criminal justice system and cannot be used as a tool to solve crime. Additionally, though there is a wealth of information here, other sources must be brought in to make a complete study, such as on the children and parents caught up in the prison system with more qualitative study.
Found in the BJS is a very alarming aspect of prisoner data in that many prisoners have minor children, who very rarely get to interact with their parents. It is reported in 2007 that there were roughly 1,706,600 mi