Research and development

In our personal lives, most of us do some research before we buy a new tool or piece of equipment. We want to make sure that what we buy works as it is supposed to and that we get our money’s worth. When criminal justice agencies purchase equipment, the stakes are higher. Equipment is costly, budgets are tight, and most importantly the lives of officers...

This symposium presents a truly unique opportunity for you to participate in an unprecedented event on an important issue facing our nation: sexual assault.

I am pleased to announce that on September 8-9, 2016, through our longstanding commitment to improving sexual assault response, NIJ is hosting Looking Ahead: The National Sexual Assault Policy Symposium, and I invite all to attend. This event will bring...

At NIJ, we are dedicated to conducting and applying research in our efforts to find solutions to criminal justice problems. A great example of that dedication is exhibited in our robust research portfolio on domestic radicalization and countering violent extremism (CVE). NIJ has invested in almost two dozen research projects that aim to 1) understand how and why individuals radicalize to violence and 2) identify promising...

Institutional corrections and, more specifically restrictive housing and other strategies that facilities use to manage and control incarcerated individuals, have become a national priority.

Restrictive housing, commonly known as solitary confinement or administrative segregation, is a common practice in corrections. A recent national estimate by the Bureau of Justice Statistics...

Planning NIJ’s Future Research Investments

Frequent readers of the Director’s Corner are well aware of my commitment to strengthening NIJ’s scientific endeavors while also strengthening the science that supports the criminal justice system. By advancing multidisciplinary research, connecting researchers and practitioners, and encouraging diversity in our investments, NIJ will be better able to inform our nation’s police officers, judges, lawyers, corrections officers, and policymakers of...

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...