Murrell Library Research Guides: Criminal Justice: Websites

American Bar Association
news and information on the association
Bureau of Justice Statistics
The primary source for criminal justice statistics in the United States.
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
a nonprofit nonpartisan organization promoting a balanced and humane criminal justice system through the provision of direct services, technical assistance, and policy analysis.
Federal Bureau of Investigations Criminal Justice Information Services
The Mission of the CJIS is to "reduce terrorist and criminal activities by maximizing the ability to provide timely and relevant criminal justice information to the FBI and to qualified law enforcement, criminal justice, civilian, academic, employment, and licensing agencies concerning individuals, stolen property, criminal organizations and activities, and other law enforcement related data."
FindLaw
Comprehensive legal site with a subject directory and search capabilities.
Guide to Law Online
Annotated hypertext links to U.S. and world law resources from the Library of Congress.
JUSTNET: Justice Technology Information Network
From the National law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, this site covers 18 major topics including Body Armor, Less-Lethal Technologies, Crime Mapping, Explosives, and School Safety.
Law Engine
18 different legal search engines plus dictionaries and law libraries.
LawGuru
Resource of free legal information; access to more than 400 legal search engines; also includes questions posed by users along with answers from participating attorneys and a FAQ on 15 different issues.
Legal Threats Database
Focuses on "lawsuits, cease and desist letters, supoenas, and other threats directed a those who engage in online speech".
National Criminal Justice Association
"The NCJA represents state, tribal and local governments on crime prevention and crime control issues. Its members represent all facets of the criminal and juvenile justice community, from law enforcement, corrections, prosecution, defense, courts, victim-witness services and educational institutions to federal, state and local elected officials."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Established in 1972, NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide. Sponsors inlcude the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.
World Criminal Justice Library Network
The mission of the WCJLEN is "to develop specific ways of sharing services and criminal justice information on a global scale. Created in 1991 by librarians and criminal justice information specialists at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice.

1. Federal Sites -- Main List

The CIA’s Family Jewels
The National Security Archive at George Washington University has been bringing important documents to the general public’s attention for years, and they recently finally received a copy of the CIA’s “family jewels” report from the 1970s. They

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had originally filed a request for the document in 1992, and on June 26th, 2007 CIA officers finally brought the document to their headquarters. James Schlesinger, director of the CIA at the time, started the actual “family jewels” operation in 1973. Noted journalist Seymour Hersh reported on the story of this illegal domestic operation in 1974, and his investigation also revealed that the CIA had been involved in wiretapping and various break-ins since the 1950s. The document can be viewed in its entirety here, and interested parties can also search the entire document by keywords. (Description from The Scout Report)
Crime and Prisons from USA.gov (See box below for list with links)
Includes:
* America's Most Wanted Criminals
* Corrections Departments by State
* Fugitives and Missing Persons
* Identity Theft Information
* Inmate Locator
* Law Enforcement Bu

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* Missing Children
* Parole Commission Frequently Asked Questions
* Prison Locator
* Prison Quick Facts
* Prisoner Locator – Locate and visit inmates in federal prisons
* Prisoner Locator for State, County, or City Correctional Facilities
* Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice
* Uniform Crime Reports from the FBI
FBI Reports & Publications
A list of 86 current reports and publications that are searchable by subject and/or year.
Federal Criminal Justice Agencies
A good list of federal agency links from the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation.
Federal Judicial Center
Created by an act of Congress in 1967, the Federal Judicial Center has served as a clearinghouse of information about the federal court system for four decades. While the Center is physically based in Washington, DC, their website brings information about

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the court system, its history, and its judges to any interested parties with access to the Internet. From their homepage, visitors can go straight to one of the primary sections, which include “Federal Judicial History”, “Publications & Videos”, and “Educational Programs & Materials”. In the “Publications & Videos” area, visitors can use the search engine to look for specific items of interest, or they can also browse the archive’s contents by subject or by date of publication. Recent additions have included the updated second edition of the copyright law statutes to the proceedings of a roundtable discussion on the use of technology to facilitate appearances in bankruptcy proceedings. For most visitors, the “Federal Judicial History” will be of greatest interest, as it contains biographies of federal judges since 1789, the histories of individual courts, and summaries of landmark decisions. (Description from The Scout Report)
Law Enforcement and Corrections-Related Agencies from USA.gov
This is a partial list of U.S. federal law enforcement-related agencies.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
"The mission of the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) is to facilitate research in criminal justice and criminology, through the preservation, enhancement, and sharing of computerized data resources; through the production of original

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research based on archived data; and through specialized training workshops in quantitative analysis of crime and justice data."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
"NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide."
U. S. Department of Justice (See box below for list with links to USDOJ agencies):
The website of the government agency that deals with criminal justice issues at the federal level. Particularly useful are reports and websites about national criminal justice issues, such as civil rights, youth violence, domestic violence, immigration,

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and federal prisons. Some criminal justice agencies that fall under DOJ are:
* Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
* Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
* Federal Bureau of Prisons
* National Criminal Justice Research Service - an excellent resource for authoritative reports and statistics on a wide range of criminal justice topics, including drugs, juvenile justice, and crime victims.
* National Institute of Justice - the research and evaluation agency of DOJ
* Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
U. S. Department of Homeland Security (See box below for list with links to USDOHS agencies):
Organized in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the DHS comprises 22 federal agencies brought together in attempt to coordinate federal security issues. Some of the criminal justice agencies included in DHS are:

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* Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
* U. S. Customs and Border Protection
* Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

2. Federal Sites -- Crime, Prisons, and Corrections from USA.gov (continued)

3. Federal Sites -- U. S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) (continued)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Federal Bureau of Prisons
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
An excellent resource for authoritative reports and statistics on a wide range of criminal justice topics, including drugs, juvenile justice, and crime victims.
National Institute of Justice
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

4. Federal Sites -- U. S. Department of Homeland Security (USDOHS) (continued)

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
U. S. Customs and Border Protection
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Crime in the United States
Volume & rate of crime offenses by region, by state, and by local agency. Includes arrest, clearance, and law enforcement employee data. Data available from 1995 to present.

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online
Brings together data about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States presented in over 600 tables from more than 100 sources. The site is upgraded regularly to reflect new data that will appear annually in the print edition.

U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Contains information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operations of justice systems at all levels of government. Includes full text of selected BJS documents. Also offers links to sites with related information.

FBI Records: The Vault
"The Vault is our new electronic reading room, containing more than 3,000 documents that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office."
Other Criminal Justice Resources

Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons
This commission was charged to explore the extent of violence and abuse in prisons and to offer solutions to make facilities safer for prisoners and staff.

Death Penalty Information Center
Contains a myriad of information on death penalty issues, such as arbitrariness, race, juveniles, and mental illness. Statistics, state-by-state data, and links to other sites with opposing viewpoints are just a few of the resources available.

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting
The UCR Program has been the starting place for law enforcement executives, students of criminal justice, researchers, members of the media, and the public at large seeking information on crime in the nation.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNODC provides information on topics such as drug and human trafficking, crime prevention tactics, organized crime, and other international criminal activities.

Several organizations exist to support the welfare of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities, as well as crime victims and offenders. A few are listed here, along with what they are about, in their own words. Click on the to see additional information about some of these sites.

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
"An international organization established in 1963 to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice."
American Probation and Parole Association
"APPA is at the vanguard in exploring issues relevant to the field of community-based corrections."
American Society of Criminology
"The American Society of Criminology is an international organization concerned with criminology, embracing scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the etiology, prevention, control and treatment of crime and delinquency."
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
"The foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization that promotes solutions to the problems facing the criminal justice system."
International Association of Chiefs of Police
is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives (over 20,000 members in over 89 countries). Its leadership consists of operating chief executives of international, federal, state and local agencies of all sizes.
National Crime Prevention Council
A national non-profit organization involved in community crime prevention. It brought us McGruff the Crime Dog. Click on "Topic in Crime Prevention" link in upper right-hand corner for an excellent collection of crime and criminal justice-related links.
Sentencing Project
"is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which promotes decreased reliance on incarceration and increased use of more effective and humane alternatives. It is a nationally known source of criminal justice policy analysis, data and program information.

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Texas Police Association
"The Texas Police Association, organized in Fort Worth on March 6, 1895, is the oldest law enforcement organization of its type in the state. Represented in its membership are officers from municipal police constable's offices, departments, sheriff's depa

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Texas Police Chiefs Association
"The Texas Police Chiefs Association was founded in 1958 to promote, encourage and advance the professional development of Chiefs of Police and senior police management personnel throughout the State of Texas. TPCA is the only official state law

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Texas State Troopers Association
"The Texas State Troopers Association is a voluntary labor organization comprised of over 2,000 non-supervisory commissioned officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety."
Victim Offender Mediation Association (VOMA)
"...supports and assists people and communities working at restorative models of justice. VOMA provides resources, training, and technical assistance in victim-offender mediation, conferencing, circles, and related restorative justice practices.

There are several publications put out by criminal justice agencies that provide useful statistics and other information about crime and justice, both nationally and locally. Some sites you may want to visit are listed below. Click on the to see additional information about some of these sites.

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
"An international organization established in 1963 to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice."
American Probation and Parole Association
"APPA is at the vanguard in exploring issues relevant to the field of community-based corrections."
American Society of Criminology
"The American Society of Criminology is an international organization concerned with criminology, embracing scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the etiology, prevention, control and treatment of c
Bureau of Justice Statistics
"BJS mission: To collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to Federal, State ..."
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
"The foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization that promotes solutions to the problems facing the criminal justice system."
Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center (FJSRC)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), through its FJSRC, compiles comprehensive information describing suspects and defendants processed in the Federal criminal justice system. FJSRC's goal is to provide uniform case processing statistics across all.
How to Find Criminal Justice Statistics
A complete guide to finding Criminal Justice statistics.
National Crime Prevention Council
A national non-profit organization involved in community crime prevention. It brought us McGruff the Crime Dog. Click on "Topic in Crime Prevention" link in the upper right-hand corner for an excellent collection of crime & criminal justice-related links.
Sentencing Project"
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which promotes decreased reliance on incarceration and increased use of more effective and humane alternatives. It is a nationally known source of criminal justice policy analysis, data and program information.
The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
Brings together, from over 100 sources, data about many aspects of criminal justice in the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Data tables are organized into 6 topical sections. Browse content lists, use the index, or search the website
Texas State Troopers Association
"The Texas State Troopers Association is a voluntary labor organization comprised of over 2,000 non-supervisory commissioned officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety."
Think Tank Search
Searches websites of institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. The list represents a mixture of partisan and non-partisan think tanks. From the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
UCR (Uniform Crime Report) from FBI
Uniform Crime Reports -- Crime in the United States
Uniform Crime Reports -- Hate Crime Statistics
Uniform Crime Reports -- Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted
Uniform Crime Reports -- National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Victim Offender Mediation Association (VOMA)
"...supports and assists people and communities working at restorative models of justice. VOMA provides resources, training, and technical assistance in victim-offender mediation, conferencing, circles, and related restorative justice practices."

Global Terrorism Database
Database on 170,000+ global terrorism incidents from 1970 to present. Includes date, location (country and city), weapons used, type of target, casualties, perpetrator, and source of information.
Hanna Center for the Study of Terrorism & Political Violence
St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK.
Homeland Security Digital Library
A collaboration between the Naval Postgraduate School and the Department of Homeland Security. Contains US government reports and reports from think tanks.
Institute for National Security Studies
From Israel.
International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE)
Dataset coding more than 14,000 incidents of international or transnational terrorism that have an international impact, 1968-2016. Data in Excel spreadsheet format.
National Counterterrorism Center
Part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents
Data on 40,000 terrorism incidents 1968-2009. Search by date, region, country, perpetrator, tactic, weapon, target, # of fatalities, etc. Full database can be downloaded in Excel.
State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism
Contains the annual Country Reports on Terrorism.
U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center

Many of the links and resources listed in this section were compiled by Jeremy Darrington, Politics Librarian at Princeton University Library, https://libguides.princeton.edu/prf.php?account_id=231.

Criminal Justice: Websites

1. Federal Sites -- Main List

2. Federal Sites -- Crime, Prisons, and Corrections from USA.gov (continued)

3. Federal Sites -- U. S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) (continued)

4. Federal Sites -- U. S. Department of Homeland Security (USDOHS) (continued)

Other Criminal Justice Resources