WELCOME FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR AND PRIVACY NOTICES
October 21, 2009
Dear Agency Administrator/Registered Respondent:
The Office ofJuvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is pleased to sponsor the 2009 Census of Juveniles on Probation (CJP). The George Mason University (GMU) is the data collection agent and we request your cooperation in completing and returning your census information to them.
While you are not legally required to respond to this census, we rely on your cooperation to present a clear picture of the state of juvenile probation in this country. Completing this questionnaire is an important step in helping OJJDP to address the needs of young persons on probation. The confidentiality of the information you provide on this questionnaire is protected by federal law (Title 42, Section 3789g of the United States Code) and will only be revealed or used for research purposes. (See attached Notice for more details). Your participation is entirely voluntary and you may decline participation at any time. Without your participation we will have a less than complete picture of young offenders on probation.
The CJP, which collects information on youth under your supervision, complements the Census of Juvenile Probation Service Offices (CJPSO), which describes services that you provide. The field’s cooperation with the most recently conducted CJPSO 2007 yielded a 92% response rate. Our efforts to achieve a strong response rate for the new CJP reflect analyses of earlier pilot tests, structured feedback from focus groups as well as our desire to have your voice heard regarding probation services.
GMU has provided you with instructions for completing the CJP through a secure web portal, https://ojjdp.gmu.edu/portal.php, or with a paper copy through the mail.
I trust that we can count on your support as we have in the past. Your response is important to the success of this effort. If you have any questions, please call Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, (571) 230-9667.
Thank you for your time and efforts in this important data collection effort.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Slowikowski
Acting Administrator
Notice of Data Confidentiality, Privacy Protections and Burden Estimates
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002, provides the authority for conducting this data collection (see, 42 U.S.C. § 5661). While you are not legally required to respond to this census, we rely on your cooperation to present a clear picture of the state of juvenile justice placement in this country. The confidentiality of the information you provide on this questionnaire is protected under federal law by Title 42, Section 3789g of the United States code. This law requires both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau to hold strictly confidential any information that could identify individual youth, employees, or private facilities. The penalties for anyone violating this federal confidentiality statute include a fine of up to $10,000 (in addition to other penalties that may apply).
OJJDP’s policy is that the information collected for the Census of Juveniles on Probation (CJP) will only be used or revealed for research or statistical purposes, and it will take appropriate measures to protect the confidentiality of all CJP respondents. Your compliance with the request for information is entirely voluntary. If you would like more information concerning this authorization or the confidentiality guarantee, please write to Janet Chiancone at the address below.
Under the Federal Paperwork Reduction Act, a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. We try to create forms and instructions that are accurate, can be easily understood, and which impose the least possible burden on you to provide us with information. We estimate that it will take between 5 and 7 hours to complete this questionnaire. The time needed to complete the form will vary depending on several factors including the number of youth, the reasons for placement on probation, and whether your records are computerized. This estimate includes time for reviewing the instructions, searching for and gathering the data, completing the form, and reviewing answers. If you have comments regarding the accuracy of this estimate, or suggestions for making this form simpler, you can write to:
Janet Chiancone
Research Coordinator
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20531