PUBLICATION ADVISORY

BJS Releases Reports on Background Checks for Firearm Transfers; Survey of Publicly Appointed Defense Attorneys

      WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics today released Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2018.  This report is the seventeenth in a series produced by BJS.  It presents the number of applications for background checks for firearm transfers and permits received by the FBI and state and local checking agencies in 2018.  It provides the number and percentage of denials issued by these agencies and the reasons for denial.  It also describes the types of permits or checks used by each state.

      BJS also released Survey of Publicly Appointed Defense Attorneys:  Design Study.  This third-party report presents the development work for a national survey of publicly appointed defense attorneys who provide legal services to adults and juveniles charged with criminal offenses.  It describes development work and survey instrument cognitive testing and addresses the challenges of identifying the appropriate universe, sampling and nonresponse issues.  This report was produced by the Urban Institute, Indigent Defense Research Association, and National Association for Public Defense for BJS under award number 2016-R2-CX-K032.

      TITLES:  Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2018 (NCJ 301318)
                      by BJS Statistician Connor Brooks

                      Survey of Publicly Appointed Defense Attorneys:  Design Study (NCJ 252676)
                      (third-party report) by Jeanette Hussemann, Urban Institute; William Adams,
                      Urban Institute; Andrew Davies, Indigent Defense Research Association;
                      Heather H. Hall, National Association for Public Defense; Jon Lyon, National
                      Association for Public Defense; and Cathy Hu, Urban Institute

      WHERE:  bjs.ojp.gov

      The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating reliable statistics on crime and criminal justice in the United States.  Doris J. James is the acting director.

      The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law.  More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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OFFICE:  bjs.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Tannyr Watkins at 202-532-3923 or [email protected]