Frequently Asked Questions

The National Institute of Justice's CrimeSolutions website provides results of rigorous research to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

Go to CrimeSolutions to find:

• Research on the effectiveness of programs and practices as reviewed by CrimeSolutions researchers and reviewers
• Easily understandable ratings (Effective, Promising, No Effects) based on the evidence that indicates whether a program or practice achieves its goals
• Key program and practice information and research findings

For youth programs, see the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)'s Model Program Guide.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide (MPG) includes program information on several juvenile topics. Access MPG's Diversion page for program information, the Diversion Programs Implementation Guide, and a Diversion literature review.

Created by the Office of Justice Programs and operated by OJP's National Institute of Justice, the CrimeSolutions website uses rigorous research to inform practitioners and policymakers about what works in justice-related programs and practices. Visit the Courts section of the site to view research on program effectiveness reviewed and rated by CrimeSolutions Researchers and Reviewers.

Also visit the Courts section of our site for additional publications and resources.

Information on the effectiveness of drug courts is available on the following websites:

• the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation site;
• the Courts section of the CrimeSolutions site;
• and the Drug Courts Special Feature section of our site.

Information about establishing community courts is available in Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) publication, What is a Community Court? How the Model is Being Adapted Across the United States. For more information on community courts, visit the Center for Court Innovation website.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsored publication, Offender Race and Case Outcomes: Do Crime Seriousness and Strength of Evidence Matter? Final Activities Report, examines the effect of race on a series of case processing decisions and compares case outcomes for offenders charged with a variety of felonies.

Information on the minimum age, in each state, at which a juvenile can be transferred to criminal court is available in the "Juveniles Tried as Adults" section of the Juvenile Justice System Structure & Process FAQs on the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Statistical Briefing Book website. Also see the Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics: 1985-2017 section for additional information.