Thinking Globally to Act Locally: NIJ Improves Worldwide Access to Criminal Justice Information

• NCJ Number: 184887
• Journal: National Institute of Justice Journal Issue: 230 Dated: February 1996 Pages: 2-8
• Author(s): G. Martin Lively J.D.
• Date Published: February 1996
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Journal
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical)

Annotation

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has actively promoted international information exchange in response to the new realities of crime in the United States and abroad, and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) has been recently transformed to permit electronic access and is a key component of the NIJ's new international strategy.

Abstract

With foreign-based criminal activity increasingly affecting domestic crime, NIJ research in international crime takes on an added dimension. In addition, the growing similarity of crime trends worldwide means that criminal justice agencies in the United States can benefit from the knowledge and experience of their counterparts in other parts of the world. In response, the NCJRS has functioned as a national as well as an international clearinghouse of criminal justice information. With a presence on the World Wide Web, the NCJRS points users through hypertext links embedded in the system to resources in repositories scattered all over the world. On-line access enables users to order documents or download them to their personal computers, and special software also enables users to view the documents and print them exactly as they appear in the published version. Services of the NCJRS promote the exchange of criminal justice information worldwide and the conduct of international criminal justice research. 9 notes, 2 figures, and 1 photograph