2010 Joint Statistical Meetings, Vancouver, BC, Canada BEA’s job as providing economists with the tools
ASA • ENAR • ICSA • IISA • IMS • SSC • WNAR
they need to do a better job. He closed by asserting
that BEA has done a good job of fulfilling its current
ABSTRACT
mission with the basic measures, but acknowledged
the agency can provide useful additional informa-
tion with alternative measures.
SUBMISSION FY 2010 Initiatives at the Bureau of
OPEN
Justice Statistics
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Acting Director
Michael Sinclair commented that the agency’s staff
members have been working hard to take a fresh
The 2010 JSM Program Committee invites your
look at the National Crime Victimization Survey
participation. Submit an abstract to present one
(NCVS), which accounts for most of BJS’s expendi-
tures, but is just one of its many data products.
of the following:
Sinclair started with an overview of the NCVS,
which has two major objectives: produce estimates
Topic-Contributed or Contributed paper of the incidence of victimization (of both reported
Topic-Contributed or Contributed poster
and unreported crimes) and measure the character-
istics and consequences of crime. He described these
Topic-Contributed panel session
objectives as competing, in that they would be best
accomplished with different survey designs. BJS
Submissions accepted December 1, 2009,
has worked to balance these objectives, but hopes
to make improvements with a redesign focusing on
to February 1, 2010.
restoration and renovation.
Restoration includes near-term objectives such
www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2010
as improving the base program (within budget con-
straints) and increasing sample sizes to improve data
Online submission is secure, convenient, and accurate. It
precision. BJS also hopes to improve the U.S. Census
features automated typesetting and quick transmission
Bureau’s operations with upgraded laptops, additional
to the program committee.
staff, and field interviewer training. Long-term objec-
tives include the creation of a quality improvement
2
program and the addition of new content.
“Statistics: A Key to Innovation in a Renovation objectives include small-area estima-
JSM
0
1
0
Data-Centric World” tion, research on synthetic estimates, questionnaire
CANADA
V a ncouver, British Columbia July 31–August 5, 2010
revisions, and different sampling strategies. Plans call
for field testing new methods in conjunction with
current methods. Implementation of the program is
targeted for 2013.
New Requirements for Travelers from Sinclair summed up the NCVS work by noting
the United States that they look to maintain the core of the current
As of June 1, 2009, everyone traveling between the United
survey while adding a supplemental strategy involv-
States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the
ing new sampling methods and data collection pro-
Caribbean, and Bermuda by land, sea (including cruises and
cedures. The supplements could piggy-back on the
existing survey, but they also are considering a parallel
ferries), or air will be required to present a valid passport
survey for direct measures and the use of administra-
or other documents as determined by the Department of
tive data for synthetic estimates.
Homeland Security to cross the border.
Initiatives beyond the NCVS include surveys
of local sources to get an early read on changes in
U.S. residents can access the following web sites for passport
advance of the Uniform Crime Reports and parallel
and visa information: surveys of law enforcement and the public to better
understand police-public interactions. Consideration
Passport: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
also is being given to the redesign of the State Court
Processing Survey and the National Judicial Reporting
Visa: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
Program—perhaps combining the two to reduce
costs. Sinclair also described initiatives related to
18 AmstAt News December 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100