NIJ’s Courts Research: Examining Alternatives to Incarceration for Veterans and Other Policy Innovation

• NCJ Number: 300986
• Journal: NIJ Journal Volume: 284 Dated: November 2021
• Author(s): Linda Truitt
• Date Published: November 2021
• Publication Series: NIJ Journal
• Grant Number(s): 2008-IJ-CX-0022; 2009-IJ-CX-0040; 2006-IJ-CX-4032; 2015-VV-BX-K020
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Reducing Courts' Failure to Appear Rate: A Procedural Justice Approach; The Anatomy of Discretion: An Analysis of Prosecutorial Decision-Making in County Prosecutors' Offices; Multi-Site Evaluations of Courts on the Frontline: Systematically Assessing Implementation and Intermediate Outcomes in Veterans Treatment Courts; Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Kansas Senate Bill 123

Annotation

This NIJ Journal article details NIJ’s multisite evaluations of veterans treatment courts as the latest example of rigorous applied research under its Courts Research Portfolio.

Abstract

This article profiles key studies in NIJ’s Courts Research Portfolio on pretrial, prosecution, and sentencing policies that address alternatives to incarceration, including veterans treatment courts and other problem-solving courts. Collectively, these research projects demonstrate a history of successful collaborations with federal agencies, court professionals, and expert research teams. This article also highlights findings from NIJ’s Multisite Evaluation of VTCs and discusses recommendations for practice and future research. Together, all of these underscore the need to promote data and research capacity to inform practice and policy, which inspired NIJ’s Courts Strategic Research Plan, 2020-2024. The plan documents NIJ’s commitment to furthering the Department of Justice’s mission through court research, evaluation, and policy analysis.