NIJ’s Courts Research Portfolio supports research, evaluation, data collection, and dissemination aimed at identifying court tools, practices, and policies that advance criminal justice goals such as public safety, cost-efficiency, and the fair treatment of victims and defendants.
Courts play a crucial role in the administration of justice, serving as collaborators and intermediaries between defendants, victims, law enforcement, corrections, and the community. With limited staffing and other resources, court personnel must address the needs of every case and individual charged, as well as those of the victims and witnesses involved. In their role of protecting the community, the court system must address violent crime and other public safety offenses and consider the mental and physical health of all individuals entering the criminal justice system. Each decision — from charging to pretrial release and sentencing — must be delivered while adhering to professional ethics, due process, case law, and relevant legislation. NIJ’s Courts Research Portfolio has four focus areas:
- Court operations and case management : courthouse and criminal justice administration of hearings and other legal proceedings applicable to pretrial and other stages of criminal case processing.
- Specialized or problem-solving courts : diversion and court-based interventions that address substance use disorder, mental health, and other criminogenic needs of individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
- Adjudication and sentencing: criminal case procedures for judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, and juries from charging through trial and sentencing.
- Forensics and technology: forensic and ·other scientific technologies that support criminal case processing through information sharing, evidence testing and management, and other investigative and trial functions. (See also the Forensic Science Research and Development Portfolio).
The Courts Research Portfolio encompasses evaluations of process, impact, and cost; policy analysis; and tool assessment tasks across multidisciplinary qualitative and quantitative research projects. Tools can include screeners and risk assessments administered to defendants, software used by court clerks to collect and analyze information, or hardware supporting hearings. Methods range from randomized controlled trial field experiments to quasi-experimental protocols using statistical controls, to analyzing data from court records, observation, interviews, and other contextual data. Funding opportunities are developed in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office for Victims of Crime, and other federal agencies, and in collaboration with staff experts across NIJ. Research is conducted in collaboration with state, local, and tribal justice system agency partners to inform the administration of justice in these sites and other jurisdictions. Findings are widely disseminated to inform the practices and policies of judges, court personnel, law enforcement, jail officials, researchers, and criminal justice policymakers and stakeholders.
Research Priority 1: Advance court operations and case management to ensure secure and efficient use of staff and other resources.
| Number | Question |
|---|---|
| Research Question 1.1 | How can courts protect staff, others involved in cases, and vulnerable resources like computer systems? (See also Research Priority 4). |
| Research Question 1.2 | What are efficient pretrial processes concerning assessment, court notifications, bail, and other pretrial conditions? |
| Research Question 1.3 | Which victim and witness management approaches are most effective in soliciting input and cooperation with the prosecutor and court proceedings? |
Research Priority 2: Advance specialized programs and problem-solving courts to enhance their effectiveness in obtaining successful case and individual outcomes.
| Number | Question |
|---|---|
| Research Question 2.1 | What are efficient strategies for diversion and other prosecutor-led programs and their case outcomes? |
| Research Question 2.2 | What effects do problem-solving courts and other programs that address criminogenic needs have on case outcomes? |
| Research Question 2.3 | Which problem-solving court and other program models produce improvements in substance use, recidivism, and other defendant outcomes? |
Priority 3: Advance case adjudication and sentencing for more effective court practices and policies on case outcomes.
| Number | Question |
|---|---|
| Research Question 3.1 | What are the effects of prosecution and defense models (e.g., vertical or horizontal staffing and specialized case units) on case outcomes? |
| Research Question 3.2 | Which practices concerning hearings and procedures, not limited to competency determinations and plea bargain agreements, are most efficient in reaching case outcomes? |
| Research Question 3.3 | What are the effects of case law and legislated policies (e.g., offense severity and sanctions, mandatory minimums, and other sentencing and resentencing guidelines) on case outcomes? |
Priority 4: Enhance the utility of technology applications to support court functions.
| Number | Question |
|---|---|
| Research Question 4.1 | What are efficient methods for remote hearings, and what accommodations best serve defendant and victim needs, as well as court record requirements? |
| Research Question 4.2 | What are efficient means for protecting information sharing, evidence integrity, court data, and other records available for court and research purposes? |
| Research Question 4.3 | How can evidence based on records from digital and other evolving technologies be leveraged to support case building and prosecution? |
Reports -
- Effects of Pretrial Risk Assessments on Release Decisions and Misconduct Outcomes Relative to Practice as Usual
- Assessing the Impact of Plea Bargaining on Subsequent Violence for Firearm Offenders
- A Forensic Science Informational Video Can Help Mock Jurors Evaluate Forensic Expert Testimony
- Research on Videoconferencing for Pretrial Release Hearings, Version 1.0
- NIJ’s Courts Research: Examining Alternatives to Incarceration for Veterans and Other Policy Innovation
Datasets -
- Improving the Accuracy and Fairness of Pretrial Release Decisions: A Multi-Site Study of Risk Assessments Implemented in Four Counties, Indiana, 2015-2018
- Understanding Prosecutorial Discretion in Florida Felony Courts, 2017
- Research on District Attorneys' Pretrial Diversion Programs: A Proposal for a Comprehensive Multi-Method Study, Vermont, Illinois, and Wisconsin, 2012-2016
Use the links below to find additional information and resources related to courts.