DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

This partnership serves as a catalyst to identify cutting-edge areas of research in the area of crime and criminal justice.

At NIJ, we are dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that our agency is only one of several important organizations on the cutting edge of social, technological, and forensic sciences. Therefore, partnerships and collaborations with other federal and nonfederal entities are at the...

While NIJ is proud of the progress we have made, we know there is still a great deal more to be done to improve sexual assault investigations, provide trauma-informed support to victims, and strengthen the efficiency of sexual assault kit testing.

–Nancy Rodriguez

Sexual assault is a traumatic crime with a wide range of impacts on both the victim and public safety. Over the last...

One of NIJ’s most crucial tasks as a science agency is making decisions about which research proposals to fund. I’m pleased to report that for fiscal year 2015, NIJ made over $156 million in grant awards to more than 210 research projects. These awards reflect NIJ’s commitment to funding rigorous research that helps practitioners and policymakers make criminal justice decisions based on sound scientific evidence...

Every wrongful conviction is a miscarriage of justice that impacts every level of our society, often leading to questions about the fairness of the justice system. Wrongful convictions have a life-long impact on individuals who have been wrongfully convicted, the original victims of crime, and their families. To provide the wrongfully convicted an opportunity to prove their innocence through DNA analysis and to  seek justice...