NCJ Number
209274
Date Published
July 2004
Length
69 pages
Annotation
This annual report details the accomplishments of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) during 2004.
Abstract
NIJ focused much of its attention during 2004 on five broad areas: solving crimes, improving law enforcement, ensuring justice, improving corrections, and increasing community safety. The changing nature of crime and criminal justice means that new types of technologies are being utilized to detect different types of crime. NIJ has worked to ensure that DNA analysis becomes a routine and affordable tool for State and local law enforcement and has awarded $66.5 million in grant monies to reduce the DNA testing backlog that currently stands at more than 542,000 samples awaiting testing. In terms of improving law enforcement, NIJ focused mainly on interoperability and the impact of human factors, such as fatigue, on policing. Additionally, NIJ has supported many initiatives to enhance police officer safety, such as grants for body armor and the development of training materials. NIJ continued to support key innovations that have improved the court system, such as the development of specialized courts and the increased use of science in the courtroom. In the area of corrections, NIJ sponsored research and evaluations focused on improving the problems faced by correctional officers and administrators, including the problems of sexual assault in prisons and correctional officer safety issues. During 2004, NIJ also sponsored research designed to improve community and citizen safety, such as research on risk assessment instruments for battered women and on police interventions for gang and gun violence. Appendixes include NIJ financial information and publications. Footnotes, references, appendixes