U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Strengthen science. Advance justice.

Learn more about NIJ
A man sitting next to a boy who is looking troubled.
kali9 (see reuse policy).

Promising Mentoring Programs for Youth

Mentoring programs are a prominent strategy in the United States for preventing negative outcomes and promoting resilience among at-risk youth. Our NIJ Journal article takes stock of the current state of mentoring research on program effectiveness and population-level impact including research to note, key challenges and remaining questions

Read about these promising programs.
A classroom with a young person centered on their mobile device while classmates are talking with each other
wahyusetyanto/Lucky Business (see reuse policy).

How Can Schools Help Stop Cyberbullying?

Schools are in prime position to help stop cyberbullying of or by students. But not all school-based bullying programs have the same impact.  An NIJ-funded meta-analysis of 90 independent interventions found that programs specifically designed to prevent or curb cyberbullying are better at reducing cyberbullying than general anti-bullying programs.  

Learn more about the study.
An animated photo of the globe with several photos of women and girls around it.
baldygran, fizkes, Atstock, Stephen Coburn, Who is Danny, Photographee.eu, wavebreakmedia (see reuse policy).

A Complex Problem Demands a Multisector Approach

Female genital mutilation/cutting is internationally recognized as a serious violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence and child abuse yet is occurring at an alarming rate across the globe. Improved prevalence data, increased understanding, and collaboration between stakeholders are key elements to mounting an effective response to female genital mutilation. 

Read the NIJ Journal article.
Young Black person sitting on the curb with his head down looking forlorn.
SW Productions (see reuse policy).

Who are Dual System Youth?

Dual system youth are a subset of “crossover youth” — juveniles who have been victims of maltreatment and have also engaged in delinquent acts. The dual system youth population consists of crossover youth who have entered, at some point, both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. 

NIJ’s Term of the Month promotes research-based definitions of criminal justice terms.

Learn more about dual system youth.
orange graphic displaying a bar graph and text that reads "Criminal Justice Dataset Releases"

Criminal Justice Data Archives

The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data archives data on crime and justice and contains data from over 2,700 curated studies or statistical data series. The website is home to several large-scale datasets, including the National Crime Victimization Survey, FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and National Incident-Based Reporting System, and the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. 

Download data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.

NIJ Virtual Conference on School Safety

Find funding opportunities

Find funding opportunities

NIJ awards research, development, testing, and evaluation grants.
Read the latest

Read the latest

Review a list of publications and articles from both NIJ and the researchers we fund.
Register for events

Register for events

Check out a list of our upcoming events. If you don't see anything of interest, we also offer a number of recorded, on-demand event and training opportunities.
Browse all topics

Browse all topics

Find articles and other information on a wide variety of criminal justice topics.

Criminal Justice Program and Practice Ratings from CrimeSolutions

CrimeSolutions - Reliable Research. Real Results.
NIJ (see reuse policy).

Psychosocial Interventions for Antisocial Behavior of Juveniles

This practice involves the use of psychosocial interventions to reduce antisocial behavior in juveniles. Psychosocial interventions consist of both preventive and therapeutic interventions but share the common goal of improving psychosocial functioning. 

Learn about this practice and rating.
CrimeSolutions - Reliable Research. Real Results.
NIJ (see reuse policy).

Chance UK

This is a one-to-one mentoring program in which children (ages 5-11) meet weekly over 12 months with an adult volunteer. Mentors engage in structured activities to help reduce behavior and emotional problems in children by developing self-esteem, self-efficacy, social skills, and future aspirations. 

Review the rating for this mentoring program
CrimeSolutions - Reliable Research. Real Results.
NIJ (see reuse policy).

Routine Inquiry About Violence Victimization and Follow-Up Support (Sweden)

This is a program for young women in nonemergency health centers in Sweden. It involves routine inquiry about their experiences with violence victimization and offers empowerment strategies for victimized women. 

Read the program overview and rating.
Person holding a pen at an event.
Motorion/iStock (see reuse policy).

The First Step Act

The First Step Act of 2018 aims to reform the federal prison system and reduce recidivism. NIJ is working to assess and develop an existing prisoner risk and needs assessment system, and develop recommendations regarding effective evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and activities.

Learn about NIJ’s role under the First Step Act.