The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is offering a cooperative agreement for the FY 2025 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD), aimed at collecting comprehensive data on public defense provision, including demographics, caseloads, and resource access directly from attorneys. This initiative builds on BJS's historical efforts in studying public defense, which began in 1986, and seeks to implement lessons learned from previous surveys to enhance the understanding of public defender operations across the nation. The total funding available for this opportunity is $1 million, with a single award anticipated, and interested applicants must submit their proposals by March 2, 2026. For further inquiries, potential applicants can contact BJS at AskBJS@usdoj.gov or visit the additional information link provided.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) FY 2025 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD) is a new data collection to capture questions about the provision of public defense, including demographics, caseloads, clients, and access to resources, directly from attorneys. BJS&#8217;s history studying public defense dates back to 1986, and has periodically updated and modernized its knowledge of public defense field. In 1986 BJS looked more generally at criminal defense with the Criminal Defense System Study, and targeted studies at public defense with the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS) as a probability sample in 1999 and a census in 2013. In response to lessons learned from the 1999 NSIDS, BJS also conducted the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) in 2007, focusing on publicly-funded defender offices. Each of BJS&#8217;s prior collections examined public defense at the office level. After consideration of the results of these efforts, BJS determined that some questions about the provision of public defense. In 2021, the SPD survey instrument and sample design were created and pilot tested. In response to sampling challenges arising from an incomplete current frame of public defender offices, in 2025 BJS ran a new CPDO. The purpose of FY2025SPD solicitation is to use the 2025 CPDO and to implement lessons learned and recommendations from the pilot study into the full national collection of the SPD.

Contact Phone Number&lt;br/&gt;AskBJS@usdoj.gov

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