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Advancing Justice Through Science

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New Technique for Postmortem Drug Screening

The world of deadly, emerging drugs is evolving rapidly, evading detection and legal consequences in the process. One way to combat the rise of these drugs is quicker and more accurate detection methods. NIJ supported the Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office in developing a new method to screen fluids for hundreds of drugs simultaneously, improving the forensic toxicology workflow and supporting broader public heath efforts. 

Restoring Promise Shows Positive Outcomes for Corrections Reform

The Restoring Promise program is a designed as a flexible model for institutional reform to help young people in correctional facilities lead productive lives during incarceration and after their release. An in-depth evaluation of Restoring Promise supported by NIJ found that facility staff and incarcerated individuals participating in the program reported more positive institutional experiences than those who did not participate, as well as a significantly reduced likelihood of violent disciplinary infractions.

Tip Lines Reduce Violent Incidents in Schools

Research evidence points to anonymous tip lines as an effective tool to help protect schools from violent incidents. An NIJ-funded randomized controlled trial in Miami found that students at schools with an anonymous reporting system experienced 13.5% fewer violent incidents than students at schools without it.

Term of the Month — Financial Fraud of Older Adults

Financial fraud of older adults occurs when a perpetrator obtains the voluntary provision of personal information, property, or monetary resources from adults aged 60 or older through duplicitous tactics. Every year, older adults lose more than $36 billion to financial fraud.

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

PSYCHOPATHY.COMP (Portugal)

This is an individual compassion-focused, therapy-based intervention adapted from traditional compassionate-focused therapy to reduce psychopathic traits in youth in a correctional setting in Portugal.

Police Body-Worn Cameras (Boston, Massachusetts)

This involves police officers wearing cameras on their uniforms to improve the civility of their interactions with citizens.

Imprisonment for Individuals Who Committed a Drunk Driving Offense (New South Wales, Australia)

This involves prison time for individuals who have committed drunk-driving offenses to reduce their risk of recidivism upon their release.

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.