Closing Cases Using Gunshot Residue
Not every crime scene will have definitive evidence, such as DNA, to link an individual to a crime. In those cases, law enforcement relies on other evidence to build the burden of proof. NIJ graduate research fellow Dr. Shelby Khandasammy developed a tool to analyze organic gunshot residue and distinguish between different firearms calibers and manufacturers. She joins Marie Garcia, office director for the Office of Criminal Justice Systems at NIJ, to talk about her work and experience as a research fellow.
Enhancing Corrections Spaces and Cultures
The nations prisons and jails are struggling to recruit and retain staff. These staffing challenges impact re-entry efforts and overall public safety. In this episode of Justice Today, hear from Bureau of Justice Assistance former fellow Dr. Danielle Rudes on how leaders can make correctional institutions better for staff and residents.
Read the corresponding blog post.
OJJDP Administrator Ryan Announces FY23 Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success Award
On April 11, 2024, OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan announced the inaugural cohort of grantees for the FY 2023 Building Local Continuums of Care To Support Youth Success initiative. Awards total more than $17 million to 23 grantees and 3 training and technical assistance providers. This initiative is designed to prevent youth from entering or moving deeper into the juvenile justice system.
Revise las Condiciones de servicio de YouTube y la Política de privacidad de Google
Employing Mental Health Clinicians to Improve Police Outcomes
Law enforcement agencies are teaming up with mental health clinicians to improve behavioral health responses and allow police officers to focus on crime reduction.
In this episode of Justice Today, our host discusses how Denver police work side-by-side with mental health clinicians to treat residents experiencing mental health emergencies and connect them with treatment.
What's Known and Unknown About Marijuana (Part Two)
Marijuana legalization poses many challenges — especially those related to drug chemistry and toxicology — for researchers, law enforcement, and policy makers. In the latest episode of Justice Today, NIJ Communications Assistant Josh Mondoro hosts a conversation with NIJ Scientist Frances Scott about marijuana toxicology, including comparing its effects to alcohol, measuring impairment, and maintaining public safety as more and more states legalize recreational marijuana.
What's Known and Unknown about Marijuana (Part One)
Marijuana poses many challenges for researchers, law enforcement, and policy makers, challenges that fall into two fields: drug chemistry and toxicology. NIJ scientist Dr. Frances Scott joins this episode to explain the complications in drug chemistry and how difficulties defining marijuana lead to backlogs in crime labs around the country. NIJ Communications Assistant Josh Mondoro hosts.
Reading and Resources from NIJ:
A Data-Informed Response to Emerging Drugs
The emerging drug crisis in the U.S. touches both criminal justice and public health, and experts from both fields came together at NIJ’s 2023 National Research Conference to discuss strategies and tools to fight this problem. Dr. Frances Scott, NIJ scientist and program manager, continues the conference discussion with two fellow panelists: Ciena Bayard, the Method Development and Validation Program Manager for D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Haley Greene, the Deputy Epidemiologist for the Central Region for the Virginia Department of Health. Read the transcript.
A Conversation With Nancy Blaney: Shelter Services for Survivors and Their Companion Animals
The Power of Prosecutors
Cold Cases and Serial Killers (Part 1)
In April 2018, the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo was arrested. NIJ support helped lead to his arrest, and in the aftermath of the arrest, NIJ Social Science Analyst Eric Martin was among those tasked with finding other cases NIJ helped law enforcement solve. Eric joins the show to talk about some of those cases, and answer some broader questions about serial killers: What is a serial killer? Are they on the rise? How do we know how many serial killers are currently active?