U.S. Bureau of Justice StatisticsBJS' mission is 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. This data is critical to Federal, State, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. The Bureau of Justice Statistics was first established on December 27, 1979 under the Justice Systems Improvement Act of 1979, Public Law 96-157 (the 1979 Amendment to t