Contributors: Minton, Sarah, Giannarelli, Linda

Date: 2020-02-12

... The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States and Territories to provide assistance to low-income families receiving or in transition from temporary public assistance, to obtain quality child care so they can work, attend training, or receive education. Within the broad federal parameters, states and territories set the detailed policies. Those details determine whether a particular family will or will not be eligible for subsidies, how much the family will have to pay for the care, how families apply for and retain subsidies, the maximum amounts that child care providers will be reimbursed, and the administrative procedures that providers must follow. Thus, while CCDF is a single program from the perspective of federal law, it is in practice a different program in every state and territory. The CCDF Policies Database project is a comprehensive, up-to-date database of inter-related sources of CCDF policy information that support the needs of a variety of audiences through (1) Analytic Data Files, (2) a Book of Tables, and (3) a project website and search tool. These are made available to researchers, administrators, and policymakers with the goal of addressing important questions concerning the effects of alternative child care subsidy policies and practices on the children and families served, specifically parental employment and self-sufficiency, the availability and quality of care, and children's development. A description of the Data Files, Book of Tables, and Project Website and Search Tool is provided below: 1. Detailed, longitudinal Analytic Data Files of CCDF policy information for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and United States Territories that capture the policies actually in effect at a point in time, rather than proposals or legislation. They focus on the policies in place at the start of each fiscal year, but also capture changes during that fiscal year. The data are organized into 32 categories with each category of variables separated into its own dataset. The categories span five general areas of policy including: Eligibility Requirements for Families and Children (Datasets 1-5) Family Application, Terms of Authorization, and Redetermination (Datasets 6-13) Family Payments (Datasets 14-18) Policies for Providers, Including Maximum Reimbursement Rates (Datasets 19-27) Overall Administrative and Quality Information Plans (Datasets 28-32) The information in the Data Files is based primarily on the documents that caseworkers use as they work with families and providers (often termed "caseworker manuals"). The caseworker manuals generally provide much more detailed information on eligibility, family payments, and provider-related policies than the documents submitted by states and territories to the federal government. The caseworker manuals also provide ongoing detail for periods in between submission dates. Each dataset contains a series of variables designed to capture the intricacies of the rules covered in the category. The variables include a mix of categorical, numeric, and text variables. Every variable has a corresponding notes field to capture additional details related to that particular variable. In addition, each category has an additional notes field to capture any information regarding the rules that is not already outlined in the category's variables. 2. The Book of Tables is available as ten datasets (Datasets 33-42) and they present key aspects of the differences in CCDF funded programs across all states and territories as of October 1, 2018. The Book of Tables includes variables that are calculated using several variables from the Data Files (Datasets 1-32). The Book of Tables summarizes a subset of the information available in the Data Files, and includes information about eligibility requirements for families; application, redetermination, priority, and waiting list policies; family co-payments; provider policies and reimbursement rates; and select administration and quality development information. In many cases, a variable in the Book of Tables will correspond to a single variable in the Data File. Usually, the variable options used in the Book of Tables will match the variable options in the Data File. In some cases, the wording of the variable options may have been slightly modified for the tables. 3. The Project Website and Search Tool provides access to a point-and-click user interface. Users can select from the full set of public data to create custom tables. The website also provides access to the full range of reports and products released under the CCDF Policies Database project. The Project Website and Search Tool and the Data Files provide a more detailed set of information than what the Book of Tables provides, including a wider selection of variables and policies over time.

Contributors: University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program

Date: 2020-02-11

... The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2015 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, family income, and retirement planning. Other topics include respondents' familiarity with and use of cellphones and the Internet. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

Contributors: Miethe, Terance D., Lieberman, Joel

Date: 2020-02-10

... This study was designed to explore the sources of public support and opposition to the use of video surveillance technologies (e.g., aerial drones, body-worn cameras) in various areas of police work. National survey data of over 3,000 U.S. adults (and a second survey of over 2,000 adult residents of the Las Vegas metropolitan area) were collected for this purpose. These study participants were asked about their (a) general levels of support for using aerial drones and body-cameras in multiple areas of police work, (b) attitudes about their local police performance and multiple measures of their trust/respect for police, and (c) general confidence and participation in various social institutions (e.g., criminal justice system, government agencies, schools, churches, family). The race/ethnicity, household income, and other socio-demographic characteristics of the sample respondents were also included in this project.

Contributors: University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program

Date: 2020-02-10

... The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2014 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, family income and retirement planning. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

Contributors: United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics

Date: 2020-02-06

... The 2012 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities (CSFCF) was the eighth enumeration of state institutions and the fifth enumeration of federal institutions sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and its predecessors. Earlier censuses were conducted in 1974, 1979 (ICPSR 7852), 1984 (ICPSR 8444), 1990 (ICPSR 9908), 1995 (ICPSR 6953), 2000 (ICPSR 4021), and 2005 (ICPSR 24642). For each facility in the 2012 census, information was provided on security level, facility operator, functions, one-day counts by gender, percentage of inmates authorized to leave the facility, and anticipated changes to or closures of the facility. The census counted prisoners held in the facilities, a custody count. Some inmates in custody in one jurisdiction may be held for a different jurisdiction. The custody count is distinct from a count of inmates under a correctional authority's jurisdiction, which includes all inmates over whom a correctional authority exercises control, regardless of where the inmate is housed. A jurisdictional count is more inclusive than a prison custody count and includes state and federal prisoners housed in local jails or other non-correctional facilities.

Contributors: Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick (Subramanian Karthick), Lee, Jennifer, Lee, Taeku, Wong, Janelle

Date: 2020-01-30

... The National Asian American Survey (NAAS) Post-Election Survey, 2016 contains nationally representative data from telephone interviews of adult U.S. residents who self-identified as Asian/Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, White, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Multiracial. The survey included sizable samples of Asian Americans in 9 Asian national origin groups (Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Hmong, Cambodian), as well as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. The survey instrument included questions about immigrant background, social identities, social attitudes, political behavior, and policy attitudes. Demographic information included age, race, language, gender, country of birth, religion, marital status, educational level, employment status, citizenship status, household income, and size of household. The study contains 2 data files, public-use and restricted-use versions of the same dataset (386 variables, 6448 cases).

Contributors: University of Michigan. Survey Research Center. Economic Behavior Program

Date: 2020-01-30

... The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2015 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' debt. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

Contributors: United States. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Date: 2020-01-30

... The purpose of the Census of Juveniles on Probation (CJP) was to collect individual-level data about youth on probation, including their numbers and characteristics. The CJP survey asked respondents to report the total number of juveniles on formal probation within their reporting jurisdiction on the reference date of October 24, 2012. For each youth on probation, responding agencies were asked to provide the following information: sex, date of birth, race, most serious offense, state and county where most serious offense was committed, and the state and county where the juvenile resided on the census reference date. This data collection contains the national data.

Contributors: Wilson, David B., Olaghere, Ajima, Kimbrell, Catherine S.

Date: 2020-01-30

... The objective of the Trauma-Focused Interventions for Justice-Involved and At-Risk Youth meta-analysis was to systematically review and statistically synthesize all available research on the effectiveness of trauma-informed treatment programs for justice-involved youth and youth at-risk of justice system involvement who experienced some form of trauma in their lives. A systematic search identified 29 publications that met the eligibility criteria and represented 30 treatment-comparison contrasts. Of these studies, 6 evaluated the effectiveness of trauma-informed programs for justice-involved youth, and the remaining 24 evaluated programs for at-risk children and youth. From these studies, researchers extracted results related to delinquency, problem behaviors, aggression, antisocial behavior, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) outcomes. Most of these studies (24) used random assignment to conditions designs, with the remaining 6 using a quasi experimental design with a comparison condition. Variables in this collection include type of publication, authors, country of study, type of primary study design, publication year, youth type (at-risk or delinquent), frequency and duration of treatment, treatment techniques and types of therapy, treatment and control group sample sizes, as well as variables summarizing respondent histories of abuse, neglect, trauma, violence, delinquency, institutionalization, homelessness, and involvement in foster care. Demographic information on primary study respondents includes overall sample, treatment, and control group percentage breakdowns by ethnicity and respondent age summary statistics.

Contributors: Bekemeier, Elizabeth

Date: 2020-01-27

... Local health departments (LHDs) have essential roles in promoting physical activities intended to reduce obesity. The resulting array of community interventions includes activities such as community education, school-based programs, individual services, and healthy built environments. Little research exists, however, regarding how these interventions impact community health. Our objective was to explore associations between physical activity (PA) program approaches with local prevalence rates of obesity and PA engagement. Unique public health services data on obesity prevention were obtained from 218 LHDs from six states in 2012. This subset of the MPROVE study investigated the reach, volume, and scope of public health delivery in the area of chronic disease prevention of obesity. The Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) team continues to refine the MPROVE measures in consultation with public health practitioners and researchers, with hopes of standardizing a nationwide system for reporting public health activities and services. The Multi-Network Public Health Practice and Outcome Variation Examination (MPROVE) study supports six established public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) in implementing a collaborative research study of local public health delivery using the collective infrastructure of multiple PBRNs. Each PBRN comprises multiple local and state public health agencies that operate within the state, along with a university-based research center located in the state. The research project will involve creation of a multi-network registry of local public health delivery measures and analysis of the measures to investigate geographic variation in service delivery across a large and diverse collection of public health settings represented within the networks of the participating PBRNs. The study will focus on public health delivery measures in three domains of activity: communicable disease control, chronic disease prevention, and environmental health protection. While not comprehensive, these three domains are representative of the breadth of activities carried out by public health systems across the U.S. and are designed to address priority population health outcomes. These domains also represent areas where significant measurement development activities are already underway within one or more public health PBRNs that can be expanded and replicated across networks.