U.S. flag

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

Restorative justice

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:

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...

State Responses to Mass Incarceration

June 2011

Researchers have devoted considerable attention to mass incarceration, specifically its magnitude, costs, and collateral consequences. In the face of economic constraints, strategies to reduce correctional populations while maintaining public safety are becoming a fiscal necessity. This panel will present strategies that states have undertaken to reduce incarceration rates while balancing taxpayer costs with ensuring public safety.

Less Prison, More Police, Less Crime: How Criminology Can Save the States from Bankruptcy

April 2010

Professor Lawrence Sherman explains how policing can prevent far more crimes than prison per dollar spent. His analysis of the cost-effectiveness of prison compared to policing suggests that states can cut their total budgets for justice and reduce crime by reallocating their spending on crime: less prison, more police.

Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders

June 2009

The panel presentations from the 2009 NIJ Conference are based on an NIJ-sponsored evaluation of the effectiveness of Kansas Senate Bill 123, which mandates community-based drug abuse treatment for drug possession by nonviolent offenders in lieu of prison. 

Discussing the Future of Justice-Involved Young Adults

September 2015

New science in brain development is transforming young adult involvement with the justice system. On Tuesday, September 8, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Assistant Attorney General Karol Mason, and experts from NIJ and the Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice who serve on the Executive Session on Community Corrections discussed the future of justice-involved young adults.

What Works in Probation and Parole

June 2009

How can we prevent reoffending and reduce costs? Research points to a number of solutions. At the Tuesday plenary, Judge Steven Alm from Hawaii will describe his successes with hard-core drug offenders. “Swift and sure” is his motto. West Virginia Cabinet Secretary James W. Spears will discuss the issues from his state's perspective, and Adam Gelb, Director of the Pew Charitable Trust's Public Safety Performance Project, will lend a national overview.

What Is Research and Evaluation Evidence and How Can We Use It?

June 2010

This NIJ Conference Panel will explore the development and use of evidence-based policies, programs and technologies to improve effectiveness and efficiencies related to government. Through casual observation, practices and programs may appear to be effective, but under closer scrutiny the results may look much different.

Establishment of a National Center on Restorative Justice, FY2019

Closing Date

This program was transferred to the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Within the funds available for the NIJ, the Committee provides $3,000,000 for NIJ to enter into a partnership with an accredited university of higher education and/or law school for the purposes of establishing a National Center on Restorative Justice with the purpose of (1) educating and training the next generation of justice leaders. The Center...