ODPS Office of Criminal Justice Services Policy and Research

Building on the strength of its rigorous and timely research, the Policy and Research section of the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) identifies criminal justice needs, evaluates the effectiveness of existing programs, and designs innovative initiatives to address the many justice issues affecting Ohio communities. This section also provides training opportunities in the areas of grantsmanship, logic modeling, and strategic planning. The Policy and Research section serves as the state's Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). The Family Violence Prevention Center (FVPC) is located within the Policy and Research section.

What is the SAC?

Statistical Analysis Centers (SACs) are units or agencies at the state government level that collect, analyze, and disseminate justice data. They contribute to effective state policies through statistical services, research, evaluation, and policy analysis. There are 53 SACs in the U.S. and its territories. The SACs vary in their placement within the state government structures.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, or BJS, provides financial assistance to many of the states SACs, including Ohio, through the State Justice Statistics Program for Statistical Analysis Centers.

SACs perform diverse roles and activities within their respective states. The primary goal of the Ohio SAC is to collect and distribute criminal justice-related data. The SAC handles a large number of the information requests that OCJS receives. The SAC is also responsible for maintaining and updating Ohio criminal justice statistics and other criminal justice-related research reports and resources on the OCJS web site. The SAC works in conjunction with the OCJS Justice Technology section in making National Incident-Based Reporting System NIBRS/Ohio Incident-Based Reporting System (OIBRS) data available to law enforcement and other entities. Besides its role of making criminal justice data available to the public, the SAC is also involved in program evaluation and research.

The Ohio SAC is a member of the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA). JRSA is a national nonprofit organization of the state Statistical Analysis Center directors, researchers, and practitioners throughout government, academia, and criminal justice organizations. JRSA conducts and publishes policy-relevant research on justice issues, provides training and technical assistance, and maintains a clearinghouse of state criminal justice activities.

What is the FVPC?

The Family Violence Prevention Center (FVPC) at OCJS was established to provide support services to address this serious crime. The Center serves as an information clearinghouse for public and private organizations and individuals throughout Ohio that strive to prevent family violence and provide assistance to victims. Its goal is to provide leadership for coordinated state and local efforts to reduce and prevent family violence in Ohio.

The Ohio Family Violence Prevention Advisory Council, an integral part of the Center, is where Ohio's top experts in domestic and family violence prevention come together to consider and recommend improvements in the State. The mission of the Council is to provide guidance, encourage coordination and promote action by government, the private sector and citizens to understand, prevent and respond to domestic and family violence including teen dating, sexual and stalking violence regardless of the age, ethnicity or sexual orientation of the survivors. The FVPC Advisory Council will also work as allies of other programs and agencies as they seek to end other abuses in our community which include but are not limited to such crimes as human trafficking, elder abuse, and child abuse.

To learn more about the FVPC, please go to the The Family Violence Prevention Center page.