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Data from the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Grant Program

The goal of NIJ's DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) program is to assist States and units of local government with existing crime laboratories to increase the capacity of publicly funded forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis and/or prevent a backlog of forensic and database DNA samples.

CEBR Award Data

NIJ has posted this grid of grantee-submitted data to our website in an effort to make the outputs of the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Grant Program available at the grant recipient level.  This grid is composed of 2015 CEBR award data from each grant recipient in the CEBR program. The data is derived, compiled, and primarily validated by grant recipients.  Questions regarding the data in this grid should be directed to the appropriate grant recipients.

The data is presented in a file also containing a disclaimer and general information about the data, definitions and clarifying information for each measure. 

Download the data (pdf, 12 pages).

See also clarifying information and definitions for the casework and database metrics (pdf 2 pages).

Helpful Hints

Casework laboratories test forensic evidence from on ongoing cases and investigations. The metrics they report come from the DNA analysis of this evidence. Database laboratories analyze DNA samples collected from persons convicted of a crime and arrestees as the State’s legislation dictates. Every state has at least one database laboratory, and those laboratories are generally managed by the state laboratory system. The metrics they reported are from the analysis of these database samples. Note that not all database laboratories collect arrestee samples and not all the grantees listed in this grid collect database samples.

 January 1, 2016 – June 30, 2018

 Yes, the backlog reported in these metrics includes the SAK backlog. The CEBR program is designed to support DNA analysis for all crimes including homicide, sexual assault and robbery, thus NIJ does not focus on obtaining data associated with one category of evidence or crime

A CODIS hit may involve the linking of crimes to each other and/or to persons convicted of a crime or arrestees. The system’s hits are tracked as either an offender hit (where the identity of a potential suspect is generated) or as a forensic hit (where the DNA profiles obtained from two or more crime scenes are linked but the source of these profiles remains unknown (FBI, 2019)).

Accordion content 1.

Grantees who record zero for measures D-F or J-L did not use their Federal award money for one or more of the following activities: overtime for existing scientists to analyze forensic biology/DNA cases or database samples, DNA testing supplies for forensic biology/DNA cases or database samples, outsourcing forensic biology/DNA cases or database samples, or hiring and supporting additional scientists whose main activity was analyzing forensic biology/DNA cases or database samples. If grantees are using their Federal award money for one or more of the above activities, they should have data to report for cases analyzed, database samples analyzed, profiles uploaded from forensic cases and database samples, and hits.

Date Published: December 7, 2019