Strengthening Justice in the U.S. - The Impact of Scientific Research

• NCJ Number: 250156
• Author(s): Nancy Rodriguez
• Date Published: July 2016
• Length: 5 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Policy; Issue Overview

Annotation

In this column for the "Criminologist," the official newsletter of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), Nancy Rodriguez, the Director of the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), addresses the impact of scientific research, as promoted by NIJ, in stimulating and guiding criminal justice reform, policy development, and practice.

Abstract

NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the Department of Justice. It advances scientific work on a variety of crime and justice topics and advocates for criminal justice research funding. Rodriguez calls attention to two issues: NIJ's work in supporting Federal partners and the role of the NIJ academy in developing, training, and measuring the success of scholars who will lead in the future to bridge research and criminal justice practice. Other agencies and offices within the Justice Department provide leadership and services in grant administration to support local, State, and tribal justice systems on an array of crime and justice issues. NIJ is responsive to the needs of these Federal partners and guides the work they do in scientific research pertinent to their particular missions. NIJ also promotes researcher-practitioner partnerships, which are important in relating research to needs identified by practitioners in the field. In addition, NIJ supports the next generation of scholars. As mentors of future scholars, it is important to recruit, train, and develop scholars who will appreciate the opportunities and responsibilities of being a criminologist, who contributes to community safety and the development of positive behaviors.