34 U.S.C. § 60551 — Offender reentry research

(a) National Institute of Justice. The National Institute of Justice may research juvenile and adult offender reentry, including: (1) a study on the number and characteristics of minor children who had an incarcerated parent, and how likely those children are to become involved in the criminal justice system themselves at some point; (2) a study finding a way to compare recidivism rates — including rearrest, and violations of parole, probation, or post-incarceration supervision, and reincarceration — across different States; and (3) a study of offenders released from custody who do not reoffend, looking at their housing, employment, treatment, and family connections. (b) Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Bureau of Justice Statistics may research offender reentry, including: (1) an analysis of special populations with unique reentry challenges — prisoners with mental illness or substance abuse disorders, female offenders, juvenile offenders, offenders with limited English proficiency, and elderly offenders; (2) studies on which offenders return to prison, jail, or a juvenile facility, and which of those pose the greatest risk to victims and community safety; (3) annual reports on the demographics of people reentering society from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; (4) a national recidivism study every three years; (5) a study of violations and revocations of parole, probation, or post-incarceration supervision; and (6) a study on the most appropriate way to measure and report recidivism rates — whether by rearrest, reincarceration, or some other valid, evidence-based measure.