Syracuse -- Under a new pricing system, news reporters, editors and producers across the country are now able to obtain unlimited access to detailed federal enforcement data for only $95 per three-month quarter.

The data -- obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the Justice Department and other agencies -- provide previously unavailable information about how the government enforces the law in the United States.

In addition to the new introductory subscription pricing system, the information and research capabilities of TRACFED have been substantially enhanced. As now configured, a reporter with access to the service can:

 Easily obtain matter-by-matter listings in a special area of interest with detailed information about all referrals. Information covers the date the referral was made, the agency making it, the initials of the assistant U.S. Attorney handling the matter, and the outcome -- including sentencing details. And for all of the referred matters that were declined for prosecution, the reason for this decision.

 Instant access to extensive demographic and economic information by individual counties, states or the 90 federal judicial districts. Information concerns age, sex, race, ethnic background and adjusted gross income received from wages and salaries, interest and dividends, rents and royalties and claimed exemptions.

 With Going Deeper, a new research tool, swiftly explore federal criminal enforcement actions of interest according to the criteria of choice. This special "drill down" capacity offers users an easy way to spot unusual and newsworthy patterns and trends.

As always, TRACFED continues to offer TRAC Express and TRAC Analyzer services. With TRAC Express reporters can obtain quick summary data on a range of enforcement issues such as matters referred for prosecution by each of the investigative agencies working in a geographic area of immediate interest. Or the median prison sentence for drug convictions in each of the 90 federal judicial districts. Or audit rates by income level in the IRS's 33 districts. With TRAC Analyzer, reporters can create their own specialized data slice -- such as health fraud referrals in a selected district from 1993 to 1997 -- and then subject the custom-designed data slice to detailed analysis. Possible questions: which agencies made the referrals and what statues were cited as the lead charge.

The new three-month introductory subscription offer is only available to individual reporters and editors, not multiple users at a single news organization. Discounts on five and ten-pack licenses for multiple users at a single news organization are also available. The base subscription price comes with a 20,000 record quota for storage in the "web locker" provided each individual user. This base quota is sufficient for creating a one-year data slice covering all of the enforcement activities of any one U.S. Attorney or any single federal agency except the FBI and DEA. When the analysis is completed on a particular data slice it can be deleted and the quota re-used. Larger quotas can be established for special projects.

TRACFED was developed in part under a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. It began operating in April of 1998 and now has 162 subscribers. While TRACFED is reserved for news organizations, TRAC also maintains public sites on the IRS, FBI, DEA and ATF. TRAC is a non-profit tax exempt research organization associated with Syracuse University. It has been supported by the university, groups like the Rockefeller Family Fund and the New York Times Company Foundation and numerous news organizations and public interest groups. The home page for TRAC is http://trac.syr.edu

For more information, call (202) 544-8722
email registration information to: trac@syr.edu or Fax: (315) 443-3196