National Institute of Justice

We submitted a panel proposal on enhancing equity in forensics.

The panel will highlight the intersection between science, justice, and equity, featuring practitioner, research, and victims’ advocacy perspectives, including advancements in technology that have had a positive impact on serving diverse populations.

The community can vote for SXSW panels through Sunday, August 18:

https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/153511

How are researchers advancing the detection and identification of drugs, especially given the challenges of emerging novel psychoactive substances like fentanyl?

Unlike current fast screening methods in forensic laboratories that cannot differentiate which drugs may be present, scientists at West Virginia University's Department of Forensic and Investigative Science have found a method that can identify specific drugs in seized samples.

Find out about the research: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/whats-drug-fast-screening-seized-drugs?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, victims received support from a service provider in 9% of violent victimizations in 2021. What else can their data tell us?

Our new NIJ Journal article dives into who’s getting support from providers and how the services are being used – from the perspectives of both the victims and the providers themselves:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/building-knowledge-about-victim-services?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=nijjournal

🚨 Registration for the Research Conference is CLOSING SOON!🚨

The conference will cover the latest research evidence advancing forensic science, victim services, data-driven practices, artificial intelligence in criminal justice, crisis response and more!

Secure your spot now: https://web.cvent.com/event/bbab6735-afe9-4ba6-9bce-d5ce2fc6026c/regProcessStep1:817ca2d1-a426-4f0a-b8e2-029b0df59fc5

Five Things About Youth and Delinquency

Education, child welfare, behavioral health, and youth justice system practitioners can apply the latest research findings to respond to youth misbehavior and support positive development.

✅An evaluation of Restoring Promise showed positive results in addressing violence and adversarial environments to improve conditions for both staff and incarcerated individuals in correctional facilities.

How can this be used to transform corrections culture and outcomes?

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/restoring-promise?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

NIJ Journal Issue 285 is available for free download! This issue covers:

👉Data on the radicalization process, how to interrupt it, and how to address those who commit violence because of it.

👉Roles of practitioners who work with radicalized individuals.

👉Synthesized findings on violent extremism.

Get the full issue:https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/306122.pdf

Term of the Month Welcome to NIJ’s Term of the Month. Each month we are featuring a term from our scientific research portfolios informing significant American justice system issues and solutions.

An innovative drug screening method discovered by NIJ-supported researchers at the West Virginia University's Department of Forensic and Investigative Science is helping to improve analysis of seized samples in forensic labs and out in the field.

What sets this technique apart from current fast screening techniques? It can detect specific drugs in samples, as well as is low-cost and improved accuracy.

Read about the research: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/whats-drug-fast-screening-seized-drugs?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

An intelligence-led policing strategy for gun violence prevention was found to generate more violent crime leads, coinciding with a lower gun homicide rate than the national average since 2013 — widening to 55% lower by 2021.

Read more findings:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/reducing-gun-violence-through-integrated-forensic-evidence-collection-analysis-and?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

What have we learned from a decade of research on radicalization, extremism, and terrorism?

The latest edition of the NIJ Journal presents actionable knowledge that can aid violence prevention efforts and bolster community resilience.

Download and share the full issue: https://nij.ojp.gov/nij-journal/nij-journal-issue-285-domestic-radicalization-violent-extremism-and-terrorism?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=nijjournal

In policing, instilling a culture of valuing data and building infrastructure to support it are important steps toward achieving better measures of justice.

This report developed RAND Corporation and the Police Executive Research Forum, with support from NIJ, lists high-priority needs to develop better metrics in policing:

Identifying High-Priority Needs to Improve Data and Metrics in Policing Despite various data collection initiatives, the usability of police data remains significantly limited. Subject-matter experts convened to identify and prioritize 24 needs related to policing data.

How do researchers and practitioners in justice work use phased evaluations to determine a program's success? Each program stage - formative, process, outcome, and impact - can be a critical point in improving the odds of positive outcomes.

Learn how this strategy helps increased the likelihood of program success: https://nij.ojp.gov/term-month?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=totmaug24 -2024-%E2%80%94-phased-evaluation

We’re working to increase minority representation in criminal and youth justice research.

With a new award to lead our Center to Enhance Research Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), John Jay College of Criminal Justice will help these institutions address funding and infrastructure gaps, and catalyze long-term, systemic change in the research landscape of MSIs and the field of criminal justice overall.

Learn more: https://www.ojp.gov/news/news-release/nij-announces-investment-enhance-research-minority-serving-institutions

In 2006, New Jersey implemented a comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy. The results?

The Northeastern University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice found the approach coincided with a 55% lower gun homicide rate in 2021 than the national average.

Read all the findings:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/reducing-gun-violence-through-integrated-forensic-evidence-collection-analysis-and?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

📳Are tip lines an effective preventative measure against violence in schools?

Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center researchers found an anonymous reporting system to be effective, but training is a key component to have greater impact.

Read the findings: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/tip-lines-can-lower-violence-exposure-schools?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

We’re hiring a Social Science Research Analyst!

The GS-13 level analyst will provide scientific oversight of a portfolio within NIJ's Office of Crime Prevention and Youth Justice, with a focus on child protection, delinquency prevention, youth justice systems, school safety, human trafficking, and/or hate crimes.

Apply via USAJOBS by Tuesday, August 13, 2024:

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/802326100

Human trafficking is an issue without a simple solution, but research is helping us develop tools to better understand, prevent, and respond.

Dive into an Office of Justice Programs Justice Today podcast episode to learn more for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons:

https://nij.ojp.gov/library/multimedia/podcasts/understanding-preventing-responding-to-human-trafficking?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=worlddayagainstht2024

JUST RELEASED: Evidence-based and actionable guidance for law enforcement to strengthen interviewing practices with human trafficking victims.

Get the research report:

https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/practices-law-enforcement-interviews-potential-human-trafficking-victims?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=worlddayagainstht2024

The fight to is stronger with rigorous research on what works.

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, check out resources from decades of NIJ-funded projects, including efforts to improve detection and prosecution of traffickers and key details about labor and s*x trafficking:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/crime/human-trafficking?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=worlddayagainstht2024

New criminal justice datasets are available via the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, including data from studies on:
- The impact of stress and traumatic events on corrections officers
- DNA contamination, degradation, damage, and associated microbiomes

Get all the data📊: https://icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/NACJD/news.html?node=5631

🧬How do forensic investigators use DNA sequencing to link individuals to a crime or solve a missing persons case?🧬

By analyzing repeated DNA sequences, called short tandem repeats, they can create unique individual DNA profiles in the FBI’s CODIS database and help close cases:

https://nij.ojp.gov/term-month?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=totmjul24 -2024-%E2%80%94-short-tandem-repeats

We supported the Vera Institute of Justice and MILPA Collective in conducting an evaluation of .

Researchers found that young adults who participated in the program:

⬇️ Had an 83% decreased likelihood of spending time in a restrictive housing unit

⬇️ Were 73% less likely to be convicted of a violent infraction in prison during their first year in their first year of the program, compared to those who did not participate

Read more: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/restoring-promise?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=articles

Pre-trial, probation, and parole work can be emotionally, physically, and technologically challenging. NIJ’s research aims to help!

JUST ANNOUNCED: We awarded $1 million to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to lead our Center to Enhance Research Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).

The Center will improve MSI competitiveness and long-term funding growth and increase the pool of MSI researchers engaged in criminal and juvenile justice efforts.

Learn more: https://www.ojp.gov/news/news-release/nij-announces-investment-enhance-research-minority-serving-institutions

Save the date! Thursday, August 1, from 1:00PM - 2:00PM ET join us as we present objective criteria for classification. Learn how to develop these objective patterns using fluid dynamic concepts and mechanisms.

Register Now: https://ow.ly/VCo850SFoVq

Pretrial service programs supervise released defendants to ensure they comply with the conditions of their release.

Our pretrial research portfolio focuses on scientific studies, development, and evaluation of pretrial release and detention policies and practices.

Get resources for :

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/courts/pretrial-research-and-safety?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=pppsweek2024

Do you work in community corrections and supervision? There’s a ton of research and development efforts aimed at advancing your field.

As we commemorate , we encourage you to check out what we’ve been working on, from evaluating innovations in reentry tech to understanding the desistance process:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/corrections/community-corrections?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=pppsweek2024

Understanding how we can support successful reentry, from new knowledge in brain science to technology innovations, contributes to the advancement of community supervision fields.

Here are some resources outlining the breadth of our research:

https://nij.ojp.gov/library/podcast/from-successful-reentry-to-stronger-communities?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=pppsweek2024

Today, we’re proudly celebrating 10 years of NIJ’s LEADS program with our partners International Association of Chiefs of Police, RAND Corporation, Police Executive Research Forum, and National Policing Institute, who have all helped to support and develop the program.

Our network of LEADS Scholars and alumni continues to grow, with over 115 sworn officers, civilians, and academics across the country who are committed to using evidence and data to better inform law enforcement policy and practice.

Learn more about NIJ’s LEADS program: https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/national-institute-justices-law-enforcement-advancing-data-and-science-leads-programs?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=leads2024