BJS, which is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice, is the Nation's primary source for criminal justice statistics. BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, crime victims, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. In fiscal year 1996, BJS will interview more than 100,000 citizens in 50,000 households about any experiences of criminal victimization they have had during the year, and it will describe characteristics and consequences of over 43 million criminal victimizations. Further, BJS will analyze operations of some 50,000 agencies, offices, courts, and institutions that comprise the justice system. It will count populations and conduct sample surveys among the more than 5 million adults who are subject to the care, custody, or control of criminal justice authorities. BJS maintains more than 24 major data collection series, from which it publishes and distributes reports nationwide. Data are published annually on criminal victimization, populations under correctional supervision, and Federal criminal offenders and case processing. Periodic data series address felony convictions, State court case processing, characteristics of correctional populations, prosecutorial practices and policies, the administration of law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities, criminal justice expenditures and employment, civil cases in State courts, and special studies on other criminal justice topics.