Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection Comments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval Has Expired: National Survey of Prosecutors (NSP), 49395 [2020-17688]

Agencies

• Department of Justice

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 157 (Thursday, August 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 49395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17688]



[[Page 49395]]

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1121-0149]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection 
Comments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously 
Approved Collection for Which Approval Has Expired: National Survey of 
Prosecutors (NSP)

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 (BJS), 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.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
October 13, 2020.

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 
George Browne, Statistician, Prosecution and Judicial Statistics Unit, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 
20531 (email: [email protected]; telephone: 202-307-1618).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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: Reinstatement of the National 
Survey of Prosecutors.
    (2) The Title of the Form/Collection: 2020 National Survey of 
Prosecutors.
    (3) The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form number is NSP-20. 
The applicable component within the Department of Justice is the Bureau 
of Justice Statistics, in the Office of Justice Programs.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Respondents will be chief state prosecutors 
or their staff. Abstract: Among other responsibilities, the Bureau of 
Justice Statistics is charged with collecting data regarding the 
prosecution of crimes by state and federal offices. This information 
collection is a survey of local prosecutor offices that handles 
criminal cases in state courts. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 
proposes to implement the next iteration of the National Survey of 
Prosecutors (NSP). Local prosecutors occupy a central role in a 
criminal justice system seeking to ensure justice is served. 
Prosecutors represent the local government in deciding who is charged 
with a crime, the type and number of charges filed, whether or not to 
offer a plea, and providing sentencing recommendations for those 
convicted of crimes. Since 1990, the NSP has been the only recurring 
national statistical program that captures the administrative and 
operational characteristics of the prosecutorial function in the State 
criminal justice system. The NSP will gather national statistics on 
local prosecutor office staffing and services, budgets and caseloads. 
In addition, this study will collect data on emerging topics such as 
provision of victim services, utilization of diversion programs and 
specialty courts and services provided on tribal lands by local 
prosecutor offices. These data will allow BJS to conduct trend analyses 
and comparisons with historical data, where available, and provide 
descriptive statistics on emerging crimes.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: BJS will sample 
approximately 750 offices from the estimated 2,400 prosecutor offices 
across the U.S. The sample will include a census of all prosecutor 
offices located in counties of 500,000 or more (N=145 offices), and a 
sample proportionate to size for counties with less than 500,000 
residents (N=605 offices). Based on cognitive interview testing of 24 
respondents, an average of 80 minutes per respondent was needed to 
complete form NSP-19, including time to review materials and conduct 
data quality follow-up.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The total respondent burden is approximately 1,000 
burden hours for all the jurisdictions surveyed.
    If additional information is required contact: Melody Braswell, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 3E.405A, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: August 9, 2020.
Melody Braswell,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2020-17688 Filed 8-12-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P