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Research and development

Desistance from Crime: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice

Why do people stop their involvement in crime? What factors help shape this process? How can policy and practice improve individuals’ chances of ending their criminal behavior?

No single criminal justice agency can promote desistance on its own. Partnerships across state, local, and federal agencies — along with the support of family and community stakeholders — are instrumental in supporting desistance from crime and reducing recidivism.

In NIJ’s new publication Desistance From Crime: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice, experts explore these and other...

The Search for a Microbial Death Clock

Date Published
September 24, 2021

Criminal investigators use physiological changes and insect development to determine how long a body has been dead, but scientists are using the trillions of microbes involved in human decomposition to find more accurate postmortem intervals.