U.S. flag

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

Mental health

In Acceptance of the SEARCH 2022 Justice Policy Leadership Award

NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne, Ph.D., gives acceptance speech at 2022 SEARCH Meeting
NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne, Ph.D.

Thank you, Dave, and thanks to the SEARCH Board for choosing me as this year’s recipient of the Justice Policy Leadership Award. I am tremendously honored. I also want to thank the wait staff here for taking such good care of us this evening — please join me in thanking them all!

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that SEARCH has awarded...

The Science of School Safety

August 2022

Gun violence may be the most discussed topic surrounding school safety, but it is by no means the only one. Bullying, school climate, and mental health affect students across the country, and are some of the many other issues that NIJ researches. Mary Poulin Carlton, an NIJ social science analyst, joins host Paul Haskins to discuss these and other important school safety issues.

Reading and Resources from the National Institute of Justice:

From Successful Reentry to Stronger Communities

May 2022
What is reentry? Why is it important? And what research is being done in this field? NIJ Journal Editor Beth Pearsall hosts a conversation on reentry with Senior Science Advisor Angela Moore, Senior Social Science Analyst Marie Garcia, and Social Science Analyst Eric Martin.

Desistance: It’s a Process, Not an Event

April 2022
Desistance is the process of individuals ceasing engagement in criminal activity. It may sound simple but it is quite complex, and the more we understand it, the better equipped we are to help accelerate the process before people are incarcerated or once they leave prison or jail. NIJ Journal Editor Beth Pearsall hosts a conversation on this topic with Senior Social Science Analyst Marie Garcia, Senior Advisor Ben Adams, and Social Science Research Analyst Kaitlyn Sill.

The Changing Threat Landscape of Terrorism and Violent Extremism: Implications for Research and Policy

January 2022

This panel will provide an overview of the current terrorist threat landscape, how it has changed in the last five to ten years, and strategies to best address this threat at the local and national levels. Emphasis will be placed on how several key events in 2021 have shaped the way we think about research and policy in the fields of radicalization and extremism. Panelists will provide data on fluctuations of the most imminent terrorist threats posed to the U.S.

NIJ FY22 Research and Evaluation on the Administration of Justice: Diversion and Restorative Justice

Closing Date
Grants.gov Deadline
Application JustGrants Deadline

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects examining the impact of court tools, practices, and policies on the administration of justice and public safety in state, local, and tribal jurisdictions. The two research priorities for this FY2022 solicitation are:

  • Research and evaluation projects examining the impact on the administration of justice and public safety of diversion programs that promote alternatives...

NIJ FY22 Research on Juvenile Justice Topics

Closing Date
Grants.gov Deadline
Application JustGrants Deadline

With this solicitation, NIJ, in collaboration with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects that inform policy and practice in the field of juvenile justice. Specifically, this solicitation seeks proposals for studies that advance knowledge and understanding in the following three categories: (1) juvenile indigent defense in delinquency proceedings, (2) co-occurring mental health and substance...