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What's New

  • Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2003 (BJS) (September 2004) This report describes background checks for firearm transfers conducted in 2003, and presents trends during the Permanent Brady Period (1999-2003).

  • Press Release: National Criminal History Improvement Program (BJS) (September 2004) The Justice Department awards $31 million in grants to States to enhance criminal justice records.

  • Criminal Victimization, 2003 (BJS) (September 2004) This report presents estimates of national levels and rates of personal and property victimization for the year 2003. Violent and property crime remain at lowest rates in 30 years.

  • Survey of State Procedures Related to Firearm Sales, Midyear 2003 (BJS) (August 2004) This report provides an overview of the firearm check procedures in each State and State interaction with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), operated by the FBI.

  • Communities Receive Over $54 Million To Support Anti-Drug Coalitions Nationwide September 30, 2003

  • Communities Receive Over $54 Million To Support Anti-Drug Coalitions Nationwide September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Washington Over $1 Million for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Ohio Over $2 Million for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards North Carolina Over $900,000 for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Baton Rouge $285,000 for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Georgia Over $950,000 for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Arkansas Over $573,000 for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Justice Department Awards Alabama $284,996 for Project Safe Neighborhoods September 30, 2003

  • Weapon Use and Violent Crime, 1993-2001 (BJS) (September 2003) From 1993 through 2001 violent crime declined 54%; weapon violence went down 59%; and firearm violence, 63%.

  • Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2002 (BJS) (September 2003) In 2002, 1.7% of the 7,806,000 applications for firearm transfers or permits were rejected.

  • Survey of State Procedures Related to Firearm Sales, Midyear 2002 (BJS) (April 2003) Provides an overview of firearm check procedures in each State and State interaction with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) operated by the FBI. The report summarizes issues about State procedures, including persons prohibited from purchasing firearms, restoration of rights of purchase to prohibited persons, permits, prohibited firearms, waiting periods, fees, and appeals. Appendix tables contain data on 2001 applications to purchase firearms and rejections, as well as tabular presentations of State-by-State responses. This is one of a series of reports published from the BJS Firearm Inquiry Statistics (FIST) project, managed under the BJS National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

  • The Effectiveness and Safety of Pepper Spray (NIJ) (April 2003)
    (Text or PDF) Though generally assumed to be safe and effective, the consequences of the use of pepper spray, as with any use of force, can never be predicted with certainty. To expand the scope of knowledge on such a complex subject, this Research for Practice examines two unpublished NIJ-funded studies on the use of pepper spray in real-life arrests and compares them with previous studies. While the research does not and cannot prove that pepper spray will never be a contributing factor in the death of a subject resisting arrest, it seems to confirm that pepper spray is a reasonably safe and effective tool for law enforcement officers to use when confronting uncooperative or combative subjects.

  • Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2001 (BJS) (Jan. 2003) From the inception of the Brady Act on March 1, 1994, to December 31, 2001, nearly 38 million applications for firearm transfers were subject to background checks.

  • Reducing Gun Violence: Evaluation of the Indianapolis Police Department's Directed Patrol Project (NIJ) (Nov. 2002) (Text or PDF)
    This Special Report (NCJ 188740), part of NIJ's Reducing Gun Violence series, examines the effects of directed patrol tactics in two high-crime areas in Indianapolis. One area, the East District, increased office contact with all citizens in a given area, primarily through increased traffic enforcement. The North District targeted only individuals suspected of involvement in illegal activities, issued far fewer citations, but made nearly 3 times as many arrests for every 100 stops. This report evaluates what aspects of the program work and compares community support for each program. It finds that targeted directed patrol rather than a general deterrence strategy can have a significant effect on violent crime.
  • Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2001 (BJS) (Sept. 2002) Describes background checks for firearm transfers conducted in 2001. Provides the number of applications checked by State points of contact, estimates of the number of applications checked by local agencies, the number of applications rejected, the reasons for rejection, and estimates of applications and rejections conducted by each type of approval system, including permit approval systems. Also provides limited information about appeals of rejected applications and arrests for falsified applications.
  • Department Of Justice Awards Over $36 Million To Improve Criminal Background Check Systems (BJS) (Sept. 2002) The Department of Justice announces $36 million in grants awarded to the 50 states, District of Columbia, and three territories to improve the quality and accessibility of the nation's criminal history record systems. States can use the funds for a variety of purposes, including to strengthen their criminal records systems to support the nation's efforts to reduce crime and fight terrorism.
  • Juvenile Gun Courts: Promoting Accountability and Providing Treatment (OJJDP) (May 2002) Draws on the experiences of policymakers and practitioners involved with juvenile gun courts to describe their development. Juvenile gun courts are targeted interventions that expose youth charged with gun offenses to the ramifications of involvement in such acts. By way of illustration, this OJJDP Bulletin, part of the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program (JAIBG) series, reviews the Jefferson County (AL) Juvenile Gun Court, which is supported by OJJDP. Like its better known counterpart, the youth drug court, the juvenile gun court is a specialty court. Such courts feature small caseloads, frequent hearings, immediate sanctions, family involvement, and treatment services.
  • project safe neighborhoods image and link to website Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing those programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. The Bush Administration will seek to commit $558.8 million to this effort over two years, including $233.6 million already available for this year. This funding will be used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, and develop and promote community outreach efforts.



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