Frequently Asked Questions

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) website provides access to information about programs and efforts aimed at improving the justice system's response to people with mental illness. Following are examples of BJA-supported efforts:

• Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
• Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
• Council of State Governments Justice Center Mental Health Program

The Maps section of the National Drug Court Resource Center (NDCRC) website provides information about drug courts throughout the United States. NDCRC is a project supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Also see Drug Courts, a resource produced by BJA, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Drug Courts Special Feature section of our site for additional information.

Statistics on individuals sentenced to death in the United States may be accessed from the Capital Punishment section of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) website.

Less-lethal technology devices serve to minimize the risk of death and injury to public safety officers, suspects, detainees, and the public. Information about less-lethal technologies can be found on the Less-Lethal Technologies section of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) website. This page captures information about the topic and provides links to NIJ resources and reports concerning these technologies.

Also see the Less Lethal Technologies section of our website for additional resources.

Data on indigent defense is available on the Indigent Defense Systems section of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) website.

Information on the use of DNA to exonerate inmates postconviction can be found on the Wrongful Convictions and the Exonerations Resulting from NIJ Postconviction DNA Testing Funding sections of the National Institute of Justice website.

Through grant funding, the Office of Justice Programs has provided millions of dollars to state and local forensic science laboratories to increase casework capacity, reduce backlogs, and improve quality. For example, grants obtained through the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence program can be used to help defray the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing for violent felony offenses in which actual innocence might be demonstrated.

See the Capital Punishment section of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) website.

The Drug Courts Special Feature section of our website provides information and resources about drug courts. Also view Drug Courts, a resource from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), as well as OJJDP's In Focus: Drug Courts fact sheet.

Visit the following sites for further information on drug courts:

• National Association of Drug Court Professionals
• National Drug Court Resource Center
• Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts

Some victims of crime file a civil suit against their offender or a third party to try to recover financial losses resulting from a crime. This is different from a criminal case that the state prosecutes to determine guilt.

In addition, if your case goes to criminal trial and the defendant is found guilty, you may want to make an inquiry with your attorney about requesting restitution during sentencing.

If you are the victim of a crime and are interested in receiving a referral for a civil attorney, you may request assistance through the National Crime Victim Bar Association by completing an online questionnaire.