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Less Prison, More Police, Less Crime: How Criminology Can Save the States from Bankruptcy

April 2010
Series
Research for the Real World

Professor Lawrence Sherman explains how policing can prevent far more crimes than prison per dollar spent. His analysis of the cost-effectiveness of prison compared to policing suggests that states can cut their total budgets for justice and reduce crime by reallocating their spending on crime: less prison, more police.

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The Evaluation of NIJ by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences: NIJ's Response

June 2011

The National Academies conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the National Institute of Justice. This panel provides an overview of the evaluation and NIJ's response to it. NIJ has accepted many of the recommendations in the NRC report, and you will learn what the agency is doing to implement them. A few of the recommendations were challenging and created considerable debate within NIJ. Plans to address these thorny issues also are discussed.

Transcript
The Evaluation of NIJ by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences: NIJ's Response
Audio file
The Evaluation of NIJ: NIJ's Response to the Evaluation by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences

Research Assistantship Opportunities at NIJ

December 2016

The NIJ Research Assistantship Program (RAP) is designed to provide highly qualified doctoral students with practical and applied research experience in criminal justice issues. NIJ provides funds to participating universities to pay salaries and other costs associated with research assistants who work on NIJ research activities.

This webinar reviews the opportunities that are currently available for the 2017-2018 academic year and will cover the application process, eligibility requirements and application deadlines.

Presenters include:

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Funding Opportunities for Publicly Funded Crime Labs, Fiscal Year 2017

January 2017

This webinar will inform the audience of the changes to three programs available for publicly funded forensic laboratories and introduce a new program for FY 2017. Changes to existing programs will be highlighted and presenters will discuss the background and goals of the solicitations, recommendations for successful applications, application expectations and requirements, the review process, and the application checklist. There will also be time for questions and answers at the end of the webinar.

Solicitations discussed include:

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Homicide in the United States

June 2009

The 2009 NIJ Conference kicked off with a blue-ribbon panel of leaders with expertise in urban issues as they relate to homicide. These experts will discuss promising approaches that have resulted in reduced violence and community empowerment.

Transcript
Homicide in the United States
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1 of 6: Homicide in the United States, Kristina Rose, Acting Director, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 6: Homicide in the United States, Laurie Robinson, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs , 3 of 6: Homicide in the United States, James Alan Fox, The Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy, Northeastern University , 4 of 6: Homicide in the United States, Gary Slutkin, Executive Director, The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention , 5 of 6: Homicide in the United States, M. Kim Ward, Baltimore County Police Department , 6 of 6: Homicide in the United States, Question and Answer Session

Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders

June 2009

The panel presentations from the 2009 NIJ Conference are based on an NIJ-sponsored evaluation of the effectiveness of Kansas Senate Bill 123, which mandates community-based drug abuse treatment for drug possession by nonviolent offenders in lieu of prison. 

Transcript
Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders
Audio file
1 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Linda Truitt, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Roger Werholtz, Secretary of Corrections, Kansas Department of Corrections , 3 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Don Stemen, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Loyola University Chicago , 4 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Andres F. Rengifo, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis , 5 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Question and Answer Session

Gang Membership Prevention

June 2010

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NIJ collaborated on a book that focuses on promising principles for gang membership prevention. This NIJ Conference Panel discusses the risk and protective factors that influence gang membership as well as efforts to reduce such factors. Panelists also explored the direction of gang research for the future.

Transcript
Gang Membership Prevention
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1 of 4: Gang Membership Prevention, Louis Tuthill, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 4: Gang Membership Prevention, Gretchen C.F. Shappert, Project Safe Neighborhoods National Coordinator and Anti-Gang Coordinator, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, U.S. Department of Justice , 3 of 4: Gang Membership Prevention, James Buddy Howell, Senior Research Associate, National Youth Gang Center in Tallahassee, Fla.; and Special Advisor, Life History Research Program, University of Pittsburgh , 4 of 4: Gang Membership Prevention, Jorja Leap, Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Welfare, School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles

Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research

June 2010

Forensic examinations involving specific forensic science disciplines are typically dependent upon qualitative analyses and expert interpretation of observed patterns based on a scientific foundation, rather than quantitative results. These disciplines include latent fingerprints, questioned documents, footwear, and other forms of impression and pattern evidence.

Transcript
Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research
Audio file
1 of 3: Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research, Gerry LaPorte, National Institute of Justice; Tom Busey, Indiana University, Bloomington , 2 of 3: Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research, Lynn Abbott, Virginia Tech , 3 of 3: Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research, Sargur Srihari, SUNY University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process

June 2010

NIJ has established a new standards development process based on Special Technical Committees whose members include practitioners, scientists, researchers, subject matter experts, staff of test laboratories and major criminal justice stakeholder organizations, and representatives knowledgeable in standards development and conformity assessment. The members collaborate to develop the standard and ensure that practitioner needs are addressed.

Transcript
Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process
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1 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, Debra Stoe, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, Gordon Gillerman, National Institute of Standards and Technology , 3 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, Philip Mattson, Program Manager, U.S. Department of Homeland Security , 4 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, William Haskell, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 5 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, Robert Vondrasek, Vice President, National Fire Protection Association , 6 of 6: Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process, David McBath, InterAgency Board Chair, New York State Police

Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research

June 2010

Forensic examinations involving specific forensic science disciplines are typically dependent upon qualitative analyses and expert interpretation of observed patterns based on a scientific foundation, rather than quantitative results. These disciplines include latent fingerprints, questioned documents, footwear, and other forms of impression and pattern evidence.

Transcript
Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research
Audio file
Speaking: Gerry LaPorte, National Institute of Justice; and Tom Busey, Professor of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington , Speaking: Lynn Abbott, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech , Sargur Srihari, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York