Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center (CJSAC) was created in 1984 and is within the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet authorized by KRS 15.280. CJSAC is comprised of a network of criminal justice agencies supported in part by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and is tasked with collecting, analyzing and interpreting data related to criminal justice issues that affect the Commonwealth and its citizens.
Statistical Analysis Centers (SAC) like the one in Kentucky are funded, at least in part, through the State Justice Statistics (SJS) grant program. The SJS Program was established by the federal government to help create and maintain the capacity to collect, analyze and report statistics on crime and justice at the state level. This capability helps facilitate the creation of effective policies and programs at both the state and national levels, and allows for analyses and action on emerging criminal justice related topics of interest. The SAC's ability to gather and analyze data, as well as disseminate the results, promotes a better understanding of current issues, including: crime incidence and prevalence, criminal victimization and the implications of various criminal justice policies.
The following links provide additional information about the national Statistical Analysis Center program:
Goals and Objectives of the Kentucky Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center
Kentucky's CJSAC recognized that data collection, collaboration, research, and evaluation are vitally important for effective criminal justice policy and practice. As a result, the following goals and objectives serve to guide the CJSAC's activities:
Improving the quality and utility of criminal justice statistics and research results that are disseminated to Kentucky's citizens, public agencies, and private organizations by:
Conducting periodic criminal justice needs assessments
Analyzing offender and incident-based data
Conducting specialized studies within Kentucky that utilize available data sources, including those presently maintained by state and local agencies
Supporting collaborative data sharing efforts, including the implementation of a statewide Unified Criminal Justice Information System
Providing Independent expertise to plan and conduct research for criminal justice projects and agencies within the commonwealth
Supporting ongoing data collection and the implementation of evidence-based practices among Kentucky's criminal justice community
Facilitating the relationship between Kentucky's criminal justice agencies and the national Bureau of Justice Statistics, United Stated Department of Justice, by:
Providing justice statistics and other information to the Bureau of Justice Statistics on an ongoing basis
Serving as a clearinghouse for Bureau of Justice Statistics information and materials within the Commonwealth