2020 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program (CHRARP) | BJS 2019 15734

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJS 2019 15734

The 2020 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program (CHRARP) is a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) funding opportunity designed to strengthen the nation s ability to measure and study criminal histories and recidivism using real administrative records. Through this program, BJS is looking for one organization to take automated criminal history record data from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and the FBI and convert it into research-ready databases that can be used for statistical analysis. The overall goal is to support accurate, timely national statistics and research on offending patterns across different groups of people, such as specific cohorts defined by arrest, conviction, or supervision characteristics.

The core work focuses on transforming complex, inconsistent criminal history records into standardized datasets. The funded recipient must develop, maintain, and continually refine an integrated set of computer code that translates state- and federal-specific criminal history fields into consistent formats and codes defined by BJS. Because criminal history repositories differ widely in how they store events like arrests, charges, dispositions, sentences, and supervision outcomes, the project emphasizes careful mapping and standardization so that resulting datasets can support national-level comparisons and consistent longitudinal research.

Beyond building the conversion code, the recipient is expected to generate a series of research databases and support the statistical design needed to use them properly. This includes providing technical assistance related to sampling frame development and the creation of sampling weights, which are essential for producing representative findings when using large administrative datasets or when drawing samples from them. In practice, this means the awardee is not only assembling datasets but also helping ensure that the datasets can be used to produce valid population estimates and comparisons over time.

A major requirement of CHRARP is rigorous quality assurance. The awardee must design and implement a quality assurance system that validates whether the conversion process accurately captures and standardizes criminal history information. This implies ongoing checks for data integrity, consistency, completeness, and logic (for example, ensuring event sequences make sense, key identifiers are handled correctly, and state-specific nuances do not distort standardized measures). The intent is to reduce errors that can arise when merging and harmonizing records across many jurisdictions with different data practices.

The project also includes an analytic component tied directly to BJS needs. The recipient must deliver analyses for each research database according to BJS specifications. These analyses are meant to help BJS understand what the databases contain, how they perform, and what national patterns can be measured from them. At the same time, the recipient must work closely with BJS to evaluate how differences in the content and completeness of FBI and state repository data affect the standardized national databases. Since some jurisdictions may have more complete disposition information, better linkage across events, or more reliable updates over time, the awardee must identify these variations and propose practical methods to account for them in analysis, such as adjustment strategies, documentation of limitations, or statistical compensation techniques.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which generally means BJS expects substantial involvement during the project period, including collaboration on specifications, review of methods, and coordination on deliverables. The program falls under the Information and Statistics activity category (CFDA 16.734). The funding opportunity number is BJS 2019 15734. BJS anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $1,500,000. The original application closing date listed was May 31, 2019, and the opportunity was created on April 1, 2019.

Eligibility is broad and includes national, regional, state, and local public or private entities. Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations may apply, including tribal for-profit and nonprofit organizations, as well as faith-based and community organizations. Institutions of higher education are eligible, including tribal colleges and universities. Units of local government that support efforts to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system are also eligible. Federally recognized Indian tribal governments are eligible as well, with a note that certain tribes recognized through Public Law 115-121 (the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017) do not need a separate determination by the Secretary of the Interior for the purpose of eligibility under this opportunity.

In plain terms, CHRARP is essentially a national criminal history data engineering, standardization, and quality program with an applied research deliverable. It funds one lead organization to turn fragmented multi-jurisdiction criminal history records into consistent, validated research databases, to document and address the real-world limits of those records, and to produce BJS-directed analyses that improve how the country measures criminal careers and recidivism.

• The Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 Criminal History Record Assessment and Research Program (CHRARP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-04-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-05-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for BJS 2019 15734

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