U.S. flag

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

W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship for Research on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Justice System

Fiscal year 2024 award made!

NIJ has made one award in fiscal year 2024. See award details.

The W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship for Research on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Justice System supports quantitative and qualitative research that furthers the Department’s mission by advancing knowledge regarding the intersections of race, crime, violence, and the administration of justice within the United States.

The program funds of investigator-initiated research examining how observed racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system might be reduced through public policy interventions at any point during the administration of justice. NIJ seeks applications for funding from two categories of researchers:

  • W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars – Researchers who are advanced in their careers may apply for grants for research, evaluation, and mentoring less-experienced researchers.
  • W.E.B. Du Bois Fellows – Researchers who are early in their careers  may apply for grants for research and evaluation.

About W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was an early leader in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. As a social scientist, Du Bois used objective methods to challenge discriminatory ideologies and institutions to advocate for social change. His classic study "The Philadelphia Negro," published in 1899, was a groundbreaking sociological study of the city's Black community, and one of the first research projects to combine urban ethnography, social history, and descriptive statistics.

W.E.B. Du Bois Fellows and Scholars

Fellows and Scholars
YearAward NumberFellow or Scholar [1]Project Title
(links to description or final report if available)		Amount
202415PNIJ-24-GK-03091-MUMUVanessa Bouché, Life After JusticeIncentivized Informants and Wrongful Convictions: Understanding the Risks and Mitigating the Effects$1,133,976
202315PNIJ-23-GG-01363-NIJBSpencer Lawson, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolBuilding Equity in Objective Prison Classification: A Model for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities$599,976
202315PNIJ-23-GG-01365-NIJBClare Strange, Drexel UniversityA Statewide Mixed-methods Evaluation of Pennsylvania’s 8th Edition Sentencing Guidelines and their Impacts on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing Outcomes$730,834
202315PNIJ-23-GG-01367-NIJBS. Rebecca Neusteter, University of Chicago911, What’s Your Emergency? Factors Impacting Call Coding$500,000
202115PNIJ-21-GG-04710-NIJBJessica Salerno and Cassia Spohn, Arizona State UniversityA Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of the Impact of Arizona’s Ban on Peremptory Challenges: A Focus on Racial Bias in Jury Selection and Case Outcomes$636,038
202115PNIJ-21-GG-04708-NIJBTasha Perdue and Alex Fraga, The Ohio State University; Sadé Lindsay, Cornell University Assessing the causes of racial disparities in drug courts: An intersectional approach to eliminating barriers to admittance$533,204
202115PNIJ-21-GG-04709-NIJBKristin Warren, The RAND CorporationExamining the Effect of Oregon’s Measure 110 on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Criminal Justice Outcomes$598,053
202115PNIJ-21-GG-04707-NIJBBryan L. Sikes (PI), Emily Owens (Co-PI), The University of California IrvineShadow Costs: The Effect of Economic and Informational Inequality on Court-Order Compliance$885,090
20182018-R2-CX-0022Joseph R. Cohen, University of IllinoisA Novel, Trauma-Informed Screening Approach for Teen Dating Violence Perpetration in Racially Diverse Adolescents: A Multi-Site Study$1,013,422
20182018-R2-CX-0020Joel Capellan, Rowan UniversityDoes the Detention and Deportation of Illegal Immigrants Reduce Crime? A Nationwide Examination of the Impact of 287(g) agreements on Violent and Property Crime$248,077
20182018-R2-CX-0023Bradley Ray, Indiana UniversityImproving the Accuracy and Fairness of Pretrial Release Decisions: A Multi-Site Study of Risk Assessments Implemented in Four Counties$77,768
20182018-R2-CX-0021Ojmarrh Mitchell, University of South FloridaUnderstanding Prosecutorial Discretion in Florida Criminal Courts$438,152
20172017-IJ-CX-0116Brian Renauer, Portland State UniversityAssessing the Impact of Pre-Adjudication Assessment Approaches on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Oregon$360,620
20172017-MU-MU-0055Kimberly Bernard, County of MultnomahDisrupting the Pathways to Gang Violence for Youth of Color$468,740
20172017-IJ-CX-0044Mona Lynch, The Regents of the University of California, IrvineCan Jury Instructions Have an Impact on Trial Outcomes$489,085
20172017-IJ-CX-0033Amy Lerman, University of California, BerkeleyThe Downstream Effects of Prison Reform$500,000
20162016-R2-CX-0004Brandi Blessett, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Camden; Tia Sherèe Gaynor, Marist CollegeIntersectional Subjection and Law Enforcement: Examining Perceptions Held by LGBTQ People of Color in New Orleans, LA$150,000
20162016-R2-CX-0055Rodney Green, Howard UniversityDo DOJ Intervention and Citizen Oversight Improve Police Accountability$292,979
20162016-R2-CX-0045Christina Campbell, University of CincinnatiThe Influence of Race/Ethnicity on Disparities in Correctional Dispositions: Examining How Risk Assessment & Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context Affects Sentencing Decisions of Adjudicated Juveniles$134,762
20162016-R2-CX-0042Shamena Anwar, RAND CorporationRacial Disparities in Virgina Felony Court Cases$99,517
20162016-R2-CX-0043Melinda Tasca, Sam Houston State University; Jillian Turanovic, Florida State UniversityExamining Race and Gender Disparities in Restricted Housing Placements$100,000
20162016-R2-CX-0041William Horrace, Syracuse UniversityPolice Officer Learning, Mentoring, and Racial Bias in Traffic Stops$279,810
20162016-R2-CX-0044Maria João Lobo Antunes, Towson State University; Eileen Ahlin, Pennsylvania State University-HarrisburgMoving to Collective Efficacy: How Inner-City Mobility Impacts Minority and Immigrant Youth Victimization and Violence$99,993
20152015-IJ-CX-0003Kevin H. Wozniak, University of Massachusetts BostonRacialized Cues and Support for Justice Reinvestment: A Mixed-Method Study of Public Opinion$144,329
20142014-IJ-CX-0031Kevin Drakulich, Northeastern UniversityImplicit Racial Bias, Community Context, and Perceptions of Crime and Justice$49,279
20132013-IJ-CX-0021Irshad Altheimer, Rochester Institute of TechnologyEnhancing Knowledge of Dispute-Related Violence$99,727
20132013-IJ-CX-0022Callie Burt, Arizona State UniversityRacial Discrimination, Racial Socialization, Gender, and Crime: Understanding Mechanisms and Developmental Pathways$98,120
20132013-IJ-CX-0020Charles F. Klahm, IV, and Yuning Wu, Wayne State UniversityVictimization and Fear of Crime among Arab Americans in Metro-Detroit$99,788
20122012-IJ-CX-0004Jana Arsovska, John Jay College, City University of New YorkCulture, Migration and Transnational Crime: Ethnic Albanian Organized Crime in New York City$99,868
20112012-IJ-CX-0003Anthony A. Peguero, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State UniversitySocial Bonds Across Immigration Generations and the Immigrant School Enclave$99,122
20112011-IJ-CX-0004Ojmarrh Mitchell, University of South FloridaRace and Drug Arrests: Specific Deterrence and Collateral Consequences$93,553
20112011-IJ-CX-0002Bianca Bersani, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Stephanie DiPietro, University of Missouri, St. Louis		An Examination of the "Marriage Effect" on Desistance from Crime Among U.S. Immigrants$99,149
20102010-IJ-CX-0005Hung-En Sung, John Jay College of Criminal JusticeThe Forsaken "Out-Laws": Crime and Justice Among Undocumented Migrant Workers in Palisades Park, New Jersey$99,843
20082008-IJ-CX-0003Chris Gibson, University of Florida
Holly Ventura Miller, University of Texas, San Antonio		Crime and Victimization Among Hispanic Adolescents: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Acculturation and Segmented Assimilation$74,934
20072007-IJ-CX-0032Cynthia Lum, George Mason UniversityThe Impact of Racial and Ethnic Composition on Police Decision Making Pathways in African, Asian, Hispanic and Immigrant Communities$74,872
20062006-IJ-CX-0009Amy Farrell and Geoff Ward, Northeastern UniversityThe Contextual Significance of Courtroom Workgroup Racial Diversity to Crime Case Outcomes$75,523
20052005-IJ-CX-0035Eric Stewart, University of Missouri, St. LouisThe Impact of Race, Structure, Discrimination and Culture on Youth Violence: A Multilevel Longitudinal Investigation$75,237
20042004-IJ-CX-0043Johnna Christian, Rutgers UniversityExploring the Factors Influencing Family Members' Connections to Prisoners$78,767
20032003-IJ-CX-1006Ivory Toldson, Southern UniversityEvaluating the Predictive and Structural Validity of an Actuarial Method for Screening Civil Liabilities Among Police Officer Candidates$74,815
20032003-IJ-
CX-0002		Valli Kalei Kanuha, University of HawaiiExploring the Construction of Violence Against Women and Children in an Indigenous Cultural Context: Applications of Alternative Justice Strategies in Contemporary Society$76,488
20012001-IJ-CX-0012Ramiro Martinez, Florida International UniversityThe Impact of Immigration in Ethnic-Specific Violence: Identifying Individual and Community Characteristics in Miami$61,997
20002000-IJ-CX-0032Becky Tatum, Georgia State UniversityThe Role of Social Support on Adolescent Crime: Identifying Race, Class and Gender Variations$45,343

Date Published: December 20, 2024