BJS Statutory Authority

Attachment 4
Confidentiality Laws

DERIVATION
Title I
THE OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS ACT OF 1968
(Public Law 90-351)
42 U.S.C. § 3711, et seq.
AN ACT to assist State and local governments in reducing the incidence of crime, to increase the
effectiveness, fairness, and coordination of law enforcement and criminal justice systems at all
levels of government, and for other purposes.
As Amended By
THE OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1970
(Public Law 91-644)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1973
(Public Law 93-83)
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT OF 1974
(Public Law 93-415)
THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ BENEFITS ACT OF 1976
(Public Law 94-430)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1976
(Public Law 94-503)
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1979
(Public Law 96-157)
THE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1984
(Public Law 98-473)
STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1986
(Public Law 99-570-Subtitle K)
THE ANTI-DRUG ABUSE ACT OF 1988
TITLE VI, SUBTITLE C - STATE AND LOCAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
AND JUSTICE ASSISTANCE IMPROVEMENTS
(Public Law 100-690)
THE CRIME CONTROL ACT OF 1990
(Public Law 101-647)
BRADY HANDGUN VIOLENCE PROTECTION ACT
(Public Law 103-159)
VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994
(Public Law 103-322)
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION ACT OF 1993, AS AMENDED
(Public Law 103-209)
and
CRIME IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1998
(Public Law 105-251)

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
CHAPTER 46 - SUBCHAPTER III
[TITLE I - PART C]
42 USC § 3731

[Sec. 301.] Statement of purpose

It is the purpose of this subchapter [part] to provide for and encourage the collection and analysis
of statistical information concerning crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the
criminal justice system and related aspects of the civil justice system and to support the
development of information and statistical systems at the Federal, State, and local levels to
improve the efforts of these levels of government to measure and understand the levels of crime,
juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal justice system and related aspects of the
civil justice system. The Bureau shall utilize to the maximum extent feasible State governmental
organizations and facilities responsible for the collection and analysis of criminal justice data and
statistics. In carrying out the provisions of this subchapter [part], the Bureau shall give primary
emphasis to the problems of State and local justice systems.
42 USC § 3732

[Sec. 302.] Bureau of Justice Statistics

(a) Establishment. There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general
authority of the Attorney General, a Bureau of Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this
subchapter [part] as “Bureau”).
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions. The Bureau shall be headed by
a Director appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The
Director shall have had experience in statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority
for all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall
report to the Attorney General through the Assistant Attorney General. The Director shall not
engage in any other employment than that of serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any
office in, or act in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the
Bureau makes any contract or other arrangement under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau. The Bureau is authorized to–
(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public
agencies, institutions of higher education, private organizations, or private individuals for
purposes related to this subchapter [part]; grants shall be made subject to continuing
compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set forth in rules and regulations
promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes
against the elderly, and civil disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social
indication of the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime,
juvenile delinquency, civil disputes, and other statistical factors related to crime, civil
disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support of national, State, and local justice policy
and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal
justice system at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates,
extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal,
State, and local levels;

(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of
statistical information, about criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, and
local levels, and about the extent, distribution and attributes of crime, and juvenile
delinquency, in the Nation and at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics
concerning all aspects of criminal justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime,
including crimes against the elderly, juvenile delinquency, criminal offenders, juvenile
delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and
validity of justice statistics supplied pursuant to this chapter [title];
(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal and State Governments in
matters relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as
much uniformity as feasible in statistical systems of the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State and local
governments, and the general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State and local
governments with access to Federal informational resources useful in the planning,
implementation, and evaluation of programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice
statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance
to the States and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or
dissemination of justice statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection,
aggregation, analysis and dissemination of information on the incidence of crime and the
operation of the criminal justice system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics
(including statistics on issues of Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high
technology crime) and to provide technical assistance to and work jointly with other
Federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of Federal justice data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of
information and statistics about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and
attributes of drug offenses, drug related offenses and drug dependent offenders and
further provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse to maintain and update a
comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice aspects of the drug crisis and
to disseminate such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the
condition and progress of drug control activities at the Federal, State and local levels with
particular attention to programs and intervention efforts demonstrated to be of value in
the overall national anti- drug strategy and to provide for the establishment of a national
clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by Federal, State, and local criminal
justice agencies on their drug enforcement activities;

(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State and local criminal justice

information systems, and the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection,
analysis or dissemination of data and statistics about drug offenses, drug related offenses,
or drug dependent offenders;
(19) provide for research and improvements in the accuracy, completeness, and
inclusiveness of criminal history record information, information systems, arrest warrant,
and stolen vehicle record information and information systems and support research
concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of other criminal justice record
information;
(20) maintain liaison with State and local governments and governments of other nations
concerning justice statistics;
(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the
development of uniform justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 3789g of this
title and identify, analyze, and participate in the development and implementation of
privacy, security and information policies which impact on Federal and State criminal
justice operations and related statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VIII [part H] of this chapter
[title].
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination. To insure that all justice statistical
collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated manner, the Director is
authorized to–
(1) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information,
and facilities of other Federal, State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities
with or without reimbursement therefor, and to enter into agreements with such agencies
and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis;
(2) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(3) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be
required to carry out the purposes of this chapter [title];
(4) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering
data from criminal justice records; and
(5) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding
information systems, information policy, and data.
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies. Federal agencies requested to
furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(3) of this section shall provide
such information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation with representatives of State and local government and judiciary. In
recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall
consult with representatives of State and local government, including, where appropriate,
representatives of the judiciary.

42 USC § 3733

[Sec. 303.] Authority for 100 per centum grants

A grant authorized under this subchapter [part] may be up to 100 per centum of the total cost of
each project for which such grant is made. The Bureau shall require, whenever feasible as a
condition of approval of a grant under this subchapter [part] , that the recipient contribute money,
facilities, or services to carry out the purposes for which the grant is sought.
42 USC § 3735

[Sec. 304.] Use of data

Data collected by the Bureau shall be used only for statistical or research purposes, and shall be
gathered in a manner that precludes their use for law enforcement or any purpose relating to a
particular individual other than statistical or research purposes.
42 USC § 3789g

[Sec. 812.] Confidentiality of information

(a) Research of statistical information; immunity from process; prohibition against admission as
evidence or use in any proceedings. Except as provided by Federal law other than this chapter, no
officer or employee of the Federal Government, and no recipient of assistance under the
provisions of this chapter shall use or reveal any research or statistical information furnished
under this chapter by any person and identifiable to any specific private person for any purpose
other than the purpose for which it was obtained in accordance with this chapter. Such
information and copies thereof shall be immune from legal process, and shall not, without the
consent of the person furnishing such information, be admitted as evidence or used for any
purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial, legislative, or administrative proceedings.
(b) Criminal history information; disposition and arrest data; procedures for collection, storage,
dissemination, and current status; security and privacy; availability for law enforcement, criminal
justice, and other lawful purposes; automated systems: review, challenge, and correction of
information. All criminal history information collected, stored, or disseminated through support
under this chapter shall contain, to the maximum extent feasible, disposition as well as arrest data
where arrest data is included therein. The collection, storage, and dissemination of such
information shall take place under procedures reasonably designed to insure that all such
information is kept current therein; the Office of Justice Programs shall assure that the security
and privacy of all information is adequately provided for and that information shall only be used
for law enforcement and criminal justice and other lawful purposes. In addition, an individual
who believes that criminal history information concerning him contained in an automated system
is inaccurate, incomplete, or maintained in violation of this chapter, shall, upon satisfactory
verification of his identity, be entitled to review such information and to obtain a copy of it for
the purpose of challenge or correction.
(c) Criminal intelligence systems and information; prohibition against violation of privacy and
constitutional rights of individuals. All criminal intelligence systems operating through support
under this chapter shall collect, maintain, and disseminate criminal intelligence information in
conformance with policy standards which are prescribed by the Office of Justice Programs and
which are written to assure that the funding and operation of these systems furthers the purpose of
this chapter and to assure that such systems are not utilized in violation of the privacy and
constitutional rights of individuals.
(d) Violations; fine as additional penalty. Any person violating the provisions of this section, or
of any rule, regulation, or order issued thereunder, shall be fined not to exceed $10,000, in
addition to any other penalty imposed by law.