In addition to reviewing significant data on crime, victims of crime, criminal offenders, and operations of justice systems at all levels of government, the guide serves as an introduction to the various publications and programs that BJS has developed since its creation 7 years ago to disseminate criminal justice statistical information. Individual topics covered include characteristics of various types of crime; drugs, alcohol, and crime; the cost of crime; adjudication and sentencing; corrections; and recidivism and career criminals. Final chapters present a discussion of the privacy, security, and confidentiality of criminal justice data and a list of individual BJS Bulletins, Special Reports, and other publications that can be obtained from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Figures.