National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (N-JOV)
FAQ's
What is the N-JOV Study? N-JOV is a study of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to collect information from across the nation about technology-facilitated crimes with juvenile victims, in particular sex crimes and child sexual exploitation image cases. The results will be reported to the U.S. Department of Justice and be available to law enforcement agencies.
Why is the N-JOV Study being conducted? The N-JOV Study measures growth and change in technology-facilitated sex crimes against juveniles. We have conducted three previous surveys. The 1st asked about cases ending in arrest in 2000, the 2nd asked about arrest cases in 2006, and the 3rd about arrest cases in 2009. Policy makers and law enforcement officials will use the final study results to help secure resources for investigators and encourage citizens to report these crimes. The enclosed bulletin is an example of the information this research provides to law enforcement policy makers.
Who sponsors the N-JOV Study? The N-JOV Study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Who is conducting the N-JOV Study? Researchers at the Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) at the University of New Hampshire are conducting the N-JOV Study. The CCRC has completed numerous studies about crimes with juvenile victims. Information about us and copies of reports from the previous three N-JOV Studies can be downloaded from our website at www.unh.edu/ccrc.
How was our agency chosen? Your agency was chosen randomly from a list of U.S. law enforcement agencies. You are part of a national sample of approximately 2500 agencies.
Why is our participation important, even if we don’t have any of these cases? Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. However, we need your response to make the study results accurate. Even if your agency did not investigate any relevant cases please complete and return this survey. Whatever your agency’s experiences, they represent the experiences of other agencies like yours across the nation.
What will you do with the completed mail surveys? If your agency has a case related to the N-JOV Study, we will contact you to schedule a short telephone interview with the key investigating officer. Interviews should last approximately 30 minutes and will ask about case characteristics.
What security and confidentiality protections are in place for the N-JOV Study? Agency names, names of individuals, and other identifying information will not be used in any reports, published materials or discussions of the study results. In fact, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) approves a Privacy Certificate for every study funded by their agency. If we call you back to gather more information about a case, we will not ask you for information, like names, that would identify specific victims. Also, information that could link a specific agency with any data gathered will be accessible only to the researchers, all of whom have signed non-disclosure agreements, as required by federal law. Further, federal law states that information gathered for research studies is immune from legal process, including subpoenas, and may be used for research and statistical studies only (34 USC 10231a).
Who can we contact for questions? If you have questions about the survey, or if your agency has made too many arrests to list on this form, please call the study director, Kimberly Mitchell, at our toll-free number, 1-877-XXX-XXXX. If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject you may contact Melissa McGee in the UNH Research Integrity Services Office at 603-862-2005 or Melissa.McGee@unh.edu to discuss them.
For more information, contact:
Kimberly Mitchell, Ph.D.
Crimes against Children Research Center
University of New Hampshire
10 West Edge Drive, Ste. 106
Durham, NH 03824-3586
Phone (603)862-4533; Fax: (603)862-2899
Email: kimberly.mitchell@unh.edu
