This webpage provides a summary of the Opening Plenary at the 2023 National Institute of Justice Research Conference.
The first research conference in more than a decade of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) focused on the theme of Evidence to Action, and the opening plenary was comprised of discussions on three key NIJ research investments: DNA use in case clearance and wrongful convictions, body armor standards, and spatial analysis of crime. After opening remarks from Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Amy Solomon, NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne introduced the plenary session, which she described as a showcase of “topics that we know, undeniably, have moved the needle of policy and practice.” The conference’s many discussions engaged with key questions about how the criminal and juvenile justice fields can take up research findings and apply them in policy and practice. The breadth of NIJ’s research portfolios means that no single topic could adequately convey the full range of the Institute’s influence.