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Research

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.

Booker and Beyond Analyzing Sentencing Reform and Exploring New Research Directions

January 2022

This webinar features a discussion of previously published research on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Booker decision - which effectively transformed the United States Sentencing Guidelines from a mandatory, to an advisory, system. The presentation will address selected research findings from the last 15 years. Individual participants will briefly review their previous research findings with particular attention paid to the analytic methods used.

NIJ Announces $4.5M in New Funding for the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence

In January 2022, NIJ, a component of the Office of Justice Programs, announced $4.5 million for two new awards under its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) program.  The FTCOE program serves as the bridge between NIJ’s investments in research and development and forensic science laboratories, particularly at the state and local levels, by helping to transition products from those investments into operational use. In...

NIJ-Funded Research on Mass Shootings to Advance Evidence-Based Policy and Practice

November 2021

Mass public shootings continue to threaten communities in the United States, yet research on this criminal phenomenon is limited. In this full thematic panel, renowned experts will present a series of research projects summarizing NIJ-funded research projects’ newest findings on public mass shootings. The discussion will focus on NIJ’s investment to address the phenomenon of mass shootings through innovative study approaches to advance our understanding of mass shootings and inform prevention efforts. The implications of this research to criminal justice will also be discussed.

NIJ-Funded Research on Firearms Violence in Urban Cities Advancing Scientific Evidence to Inform Practice

December 2021

In this full thematic panel, renowned experts will present a series of papers summarizing the newest findings of NIJ-funded research projects on criminal offenses with firearms in urban areas. Researchers used various criminological and other theories, including routine activity theory, socio-ecological and socio-environmental perspectives, and advanced mixed-study methods, including surveys and spatio-temporal designs, to produce scientific evidence to inform practice.

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

November 2021

Most scholars would agree that desistance from crime – the process of ceasing engagement in criminal activities – is normative. However, there is variability in the literature regarding the definition and measurement of desistance, the signals of desistance, the age at which desistance begins, and the underlying mechanisms that lead to desistance. Even with considerable advances in the theoretical understanding of desistance from crime, there remain critical gaps between research and the application of that research to practice.

Webinar Transcript: W.E.B. Du Bois Program of Research on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Justice System, Fiscal Year 2021

Following is a transcript of a webinar hosted by NIJ in support of the funding opportunity "W.E.B. Du Bois Program of Research on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Justice System, Fiscal Year 2021."

DARYL FOX: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s webinar, Funding Opportunities Through NIJ, the W.E.B. Du Bois Program of Research on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in...

NIJ FY 13 Evaluation of Police and Technology in Schools

Closing Date

NIJ seeks proposals for research to evaluate the use of police and technology in schools. The proposed research should be comprehensive and include assessment of aspects such as school ecology, culture, climate, and social capital in addition to outcomes and other impacts. Logic models should be provided and include assessment of implementation processes and outputs and proximal and distal outcomes. A cost-benefit component should be...