OMB Memo - Sample Boost

MEMORANDUM TO: Lynn Murray

Department Clearance Officer

Department of Justice

FROM: William J. Sabol, Ph.D.

Acting Director

Bureau of Justice Statistics

SUBJECT: Submission of burden changes to the National Crime Victimization Survey

Attached please find OMB Form 83-c concerning an increase of 11,545 hours of the current burden for the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The increase in burden results from a boost of the NCVS sample in 11 states beginning in July, 2013 through December, 2015 to test the feasibility of collecting subnational estimates of victimization.

The 2013 NCVS state sample boost is being conducted to test assumptions about the collection and production of state level estimates, including those pertaining to necessary sample sizes and reliability, expected response rates, victimization rates, state coverage issues, state level sample design and weighting, hiring and training of field representatives, workload and logistic concerns, and cost. The NCVS sample will be increased in 11 states—CA, TX, NY, FL, IL, PA, OH, MI, GA, NC, and NJ—to ensure that the state has representative coverage and that the sample size is sufficient to produce victimization estimates with reasonable reliability and precision. The targeted precision is to produce 3-year rolling estimates for violent victimization with a relative standard error equal or less than 10%. The annual number of respondents will increase by about 21%, from 100,700 to 120,100. Each respondent is interviewed twice per year resulting in an increase of total annual responses from 201,400 to 240,200 (includes respondents and eligible non-respondents). The annual burden will increase by 11,545 hours from 68,905 to 80,450.

If there are any questions concerning this request, please contact Michael G. Planty, Chief, Victimization Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, at (202) 514-9746 or by email at Michael.Planty@usdoj.gov.