U.S. flag

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

Strengthen science. Advance justice.

Learn more about NIJ
Five Things about Teen Dating Violence
peshkova/stock.adobe.com (see reuse policy).

Five Things About Teen Dating Violence

Addressing teen dating violence, which includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, is a priority for healthy youth development and prevention of negative outcomes like violent adult behavior. A new publication outlines five pieces of evidence stemming from long-term, NIJ-supported research that can help improve prevention and response.

Persistence of Touch DNA for Analysis
vitstudio/Shutterstock.com (see reuse policy).

How Long Does DNA Last on Different Surfaces?

Touch DNA can be essential for forensic casework, but it also comes with challenges. Variables such as surface type, environmental conditions, and exposure time affect the quality of touch DNA samples and create difficulties with collection, analysis, and interpretation. NIJ-funded researchers developed a methodology to help address these challenges.

Q&A with Director La Vigne
argus/Shutterstock.com (see reuse policy).

Q&A with Director La Vigne on NIJ’s Latest Priorities

Director La Vigne was recently interviewed by the Thailand Institute of Justice, which, along with NIJ, is part of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network of Institutes. Learn about NIJ’s current and forthcoming research priorities through the lens of the director.

Image of the National Mall in Washignton, DC with the capital building in the center. National Institute of Justice 2023 National Research Conference Evidence to Action
Andy Feliciotti (see reuse policy).

Thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the conference or watched the live-streamed events. We are both energized and exhausted and hope you found the panels and plenaries as exciting and informative as we did. Over the coming weeks we will be posting some follow-up content so stay tuned.

June 2023 TOTM - Forensic Toxicology
Golden Dayz/Shutterstock.com (see reuse policy).

Term of the Month - Forensic Toxicology

Forensic Toxicology uses contextual information and analysis of biological samples for medicolegal investigations of drug use, poisoning, and death. The principles of analytical chemistry, clinical chemistry, and pharmacology are applied to determine the presences of toxic substances.

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.

List of Compliant Ballistic Resistant Body Armor
Cali9/iStock (see reuse policy).

List of Compliant Ballistic Resistant Body Armor

NIJ certifies torso-worn ballistic resistant body armor for law enforcement that complies with the requirements our Compliance Testing Program. If you’re in the law enforcement profession, review a newly updated list of all compliant armor, searching by manufacturing company, gender, threat levels, and other factors.

Listen, Learn, Inform - About NIJ

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.

CrimeSolutions Program and Practice Ratings

Formal Mentoring to Prevent Youth Substance Use

This practice encompasses programs that provide youths with formal supportive relationships and various positive, community-based activities and experiences to reduce their need to use alcohol and/or drugs.

School-Based Cyberbullying Prevention Programs

This practice aims to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and promote cyber-bystander behaviors among students in kindergarten through grade 12.

School-Based Law Enforcement Framework (Texas)

This is a framework of recommended practices for integrating police into the educational environment to enhance a safe school climate.

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 risk and needs assessment system for incarcerated individuals, and develop recommendations regarding effective evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and activities.