Articles Published by NIJ

Criminal investigators use physiological changes and insect development to determine how long a body has been dead, but scientists are using the trillions of microbes involved in human decomposition to find more accurate postmortem intervals.

Executive Summary

A new postmortem image database will be a resource for research in forensic anthropology, pathology, and radiology.

Researchers created an open-access computer program for estimating the age of skeletal remains that outperforms current methods. The algorithm is based on 20 age-related skeletal changes identified by experienced forensic anthropologists.

Youth who have experienced both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems have complex needs that require collaborative, multipronged interventions.

Researchers counsel caution on interpreting probationer cognitions — thoughts and thought patterns — as predictors of desistance from crime.

Improved prevalence data, increased understanding, and collaboration between stakeholders are key elements to mounting an effective response to female genital mutilation.

“Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him.” Edmond Locard (1877-1966), forensic science pioneer

A sweeping synthesis of 90 independent interventions points to benefits of school programs specifically designed to stop cyberbullying.

Too often crime victims experience unmet civil legal needs. The Office for Victims of Crime set up a legal assistance network demonstration to help those victims. An NIJ evaluation of the new model returned mixed results.

As more states legalize marijuana, the search for better methods of proving and preventing drug impairment on the road accelerates.

A new area of research suggests that schools should have a systematic and coordinated approach in place to gather and process information on threats, respond appropriately, and document the response.

Improving postmortem interval estimation with standardized and simplified protocols could significantly impact medicolegal death investigations by providing more accurate and reliable data for determining time since death.

Researchers investigated how marijuana affects skills required for safe driving and found that biofluid levels of THC did not correlate with field sobriety test performance or marijuana intoxication, regardless of how the cannabis was ingested.

The emergency communications ecosystem can be supported by planning in advance, developing relationships, and implementing new technology where appropriate.

Researchers integrate two independent, validated drug-testing techniques – mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy – onto a single platform prototype for fast and accurate analysis of seized substances.

First responders can help those who commit offenses who also become crime victims connect with services, but an NIJ- sponsored study reveals scant progress against systemic barriers.

An NIJ-sponsored evaluability assessment of the Collective Healing Initiative found that although the outcomes of the initiative’s five demonstration sites could be evaluated individually, they were too dissimilar to compare.

A study of Kentucky’s safe harbor laws revealed they have helped decriminalize sex-trafficked youth. However, the study also highlighted a lack of resources and training for child welfare personnel and judges who work with these youth.

New database to serve as a first step to better understanding pharmaceutical, electronic, and food counterfeiting. An initial analysis revealed pharmaceutical counterfeiting was the most common counterfeit scheme in the U.S. between 2000-2015.

The National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are working to improve data on juvenile residential placement facilities and the youth they hold.