National Research Conference 2023

NIJ was honored to have Attorney General Garland help open the 2023 NIJ Research Conference. AG Garland emphasized the importance of connecting data and research findings to policy and practice. 

"Far too often, research findings do not reach the people who can best use them to improve outcomes for individuals and communities. This conference – which brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers – gives us an opportunity to bridge that divide."

See AG Garland's prepared remarks.

NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne welcomes attendees to the conference.

U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta helped welcome attendees and stressed the importance of research in addressing the public safety challenges we face today. "Research has shown us the value of diversion and alternatives to detention as ways to improve outcomes and increase public safety. Research has played a key role in shifting the full burden of responding to behavioral health issues away from law enforcement and toward trained treatment providers in appropriate cases. And research has helped us take note of the power of community-based actors in securing public health and safety."

Read the full prepared remarks.

Assistant Attorney General for OJP Amy Solomon provided opening remarks - 

"It is thrilling to have so many of our nation’s leading criminal justice researchers and scientists gathered in one place, sharing information and exchanging ideas with our foremost public safety experts. And I’m pleased to welcome graduate students, budding criminologists, practitioners and policymakers, and others new to the field and eager to build knowledge and translate evidence into action." 

Read the full remarks as prepared.

Police use of force, while infrequently used, is a tremendous  concern to public safety in the United States when officers employ it excessively or inappropriately, causing injury or death and eroding public trust in law enforcement. This plenary,  "De-escalation Training: What Works, Implementation Lessons, and Taking it to Scale," described the Integrating, Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) de-escalation training program developed by the Police Executive Research Forum to guide officers in defusing critical incidents. A rigorous evaluation of ICAT found it reduced overall use of force as well as injuries to both officers and members of the public. 

Left to right: Justin Witt, Chuck Wexler, Maris Herold, Dr. Robin Engel, and Karhlton Moore.

NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne and Policy Advisor Alexandra Montero take in a panel. Dr. La Vigne and NIJ staff welcomed this opportunity to meet researchers and practitioners face to face. 

 NIJ invited submissions for a poster session at the 2023 NIJ Research Conference. The conference's theme is “evidence to action” and our goal was to bring researchers and practitioners together to learn about the latest research evidence and how it can be implemented to promote safety, equity, and justice for all. The conference’s poster session offered an opportunity for individuals to present research findings across a wide array of topics relating to public safety and justice system policies and practices

Reva Schwartz, from the National Institute of Standard and Technology, listens to fellow presenters taking part in the panel "Artificial Intelligence: Improving Criminal Justice Efficiencies and Mitigating Biases." Panelists discussed how AI systems can exacerbate and reinforce systemic biases and what mechanisms, such as validation, community engagement, and measures of fairness and bias, can mitigate them.

Chas Moore, Executive Director of the Austin Justice Coalition, and Linda Seabrook, OJP Senior Counsel, in discussion during plenary "Inclusive Research: How Engaging People Closest to the Issue Makes for Better Science and Greater Impact." While community-based participatory research has begun to take on greater prominence in the criminal justice realm, such efforts are largely confined to qualitative research inquiries. This panel made the case that inclusive research can and should apply to a wider array of research questions and methods and that employing it can yield more accurate and policy-relevant evidence.

Jesenia Alonso, from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, presents as part of the panel "Improving Victim Contact and Criminal Justice Response: The Impact of Law Enforcement and Victim Assistance Training." Persuading victims to engage with law enforcement can be challenging, as victims may have various reasons for not wanting to report a crime or cooperate with an investigation. This makes the training of criminal justice professionals on trauma-informed approaches, cultural competencies, and evidence-based practices essential to improving the criminal justice response to crime victims. This panel highlighted three studies examining the impact of training on criminal justice personnel.

Left to right: Bradley Campbell, Cortney Franklin, Rebecca Campbell, and Jesenia Alonso

NIJ covered the cost of attendance for selected students at the NIJ 2023 Research Conference. Here, they pose with NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne and BJS Director Alex Piquero. 

Office of Justice Programs component heads discuss how they infuse data and evidence into their work and that of their grantees. 

From left to right: Amy Solomon, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs; Alex Piquero, Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Liz Ryan, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Karhlton Moore, Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance; and Helena Heath, Director, Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking

SUNY-Albany professor Rabi Musah participated in the panel "The Problem with Cannabis: Hemp, Marijuana, Legalization, and the Farm Bill of 2018," which summarized research on cannabis ― defined as both increasingly legalized marijuana and illicit hemp ― and features presenters representing forensic science, research and statistics, cannabis policy, persons charged with crimes, and law enforcement interests. 

NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne talks with a poster session participant at the NIJ 2023 Research Conference.

The panel "The Problem with Cannabis: Hemp, Marijuana Legalization, and the Farm Bill of 2018," summarized research on cannabis ― defined as both increasingly legalized marijuana and illicit hemp ― and features presenters representing forensic science, research and statistics, cannabis policy, persons charged with crimes, and law enforcement interests. Discussions highlighted research strategies and challenges related to differentiation of marijuana and hemp required by the Farm Bill of 2018, detection of marijuana impairment, patterns and impacts in federal sentencing related to marijuana possession offenses, stakeholder perspectives, and implications for policy and practice.

From left to right: Vera Kachnowski; Ryan Vandrey; Nanda Srinivasan; Rabi Musah; and Chris Alexander

Terry Cherry, a 2020 NIJ LEADS Scholar, took part in the panel "Learning from a New Generation of Police "Pracademics”: The NIJ Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholars Program." This program is designed to support the professional development of research-minded law enforcement professionals, increasing their research capabilities and integrating research into their agencies’ policies and practices.

Women are severely underrepresented in law enforcement, representing approximately 12% of sworn officers and 3% of those in leadership positions. However, recent research indicates that women police officers garner more community trust and are less likely to use force when policing. This panel "Women in Policing: Overcoming the Barriers to Recruitment and Retention" highlighted important ongoing research on the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in law enforcement and the benefits of increasing the share of female officers in police agencies. Panelists from left to right: Jillian Barnas, Jenn Rineer, Kym Craven, Ivonne Roman, and Maureen McGough

The directors of the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics reflect on where they see the future of research and statistics and take questions from the audience, prioritizing those from student attendees.

Panelists discussed the "Emerging Drug Crises in America: A Criminal Justice and Public Health Nexus."  This panel summarized research on existing drug surveillance methods as well as the detection of emerging drugs that are subject to misuse. Panelists included Chris Delcher, Haley Greene, Dr. Alex Krotulski, Margaret Warner, and Ciena Bayard.

NIJ's Dr. Angela Moore moderates the panel "Unlocking the Mysteries: Securing Funding and Support From the U.S. Department of Justice’s Two Science Agencies" at the NIJ 2023 Research Conference. This workshop featured experts from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics and NIJ who discussed funding mechanisms (e.g., solicitations, procurements/contracts, agreements) and opportunities (e.g., assistantships, fellowships, and internships) and the application and peer review processes associated with each.

The National Institute of Justice was pleased to invite graduate student travel scholarship applicants for the 2023 conference. Selected graduate students attended a variety of panels and took advantage of this opportunity to learn and ask questions. 

University of Notre Dame professor Fanny Ye presented as part of the panel "Artificial Intelligence: Improving Criminal Justice Efficiencies and Mitigating Biases." Panelists discussed how AI systems can exacerbate and reinforce systemic biases and what mechanisms, such as validation, community engagement, and measures of fairness and bias, can mitigate them.

Conference participants were exposed to a wide array of topics, including youth mentoring, officer wellness, school safety, forensics, technology evaluation, and strategies to engage in more inclusive research processes. 

NIJ selected posters for presentation at the conference. The conference’s poster session offers an opportunity for individuals to present research findings across a wide array of topics relating to public safety and justice system policies and practices.