The National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) 2009 Annual Report provides data and information on the agency's activities in research, development, and evaluation.
NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. The report's first chapter describes NIJ's efforts in advancing law enforcement research and technology in fiscal year 2009. In 2009, NIJ funded various research and technology activities, including evaluations of violence-reduction programs and license plate recognition technology. It also launched predictive policing demonstration projects that will help agencies take the next step in preventing and controlling crime. The second chapter focuses on courts and corrections. NIJ work in these criminal justice domains included an effort to understand the role sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs play in investigations and prosecutions. Other studies addressed reentry needs of released inmates and safety concerns both inside and outside prisons. The report's third chapter describes NIJ's activities in general forensics and DNA. In 2009, NIJ continued to assist crime laboratories improve their capacity and reduce backlogs, and it continued to fund significant research focused on improving forensic techniques. NIJ's efforts in helping crime victims are reported in the fourth chapter. These efforts serve to provide practitioners with the information they need to identify abuse or risk factors for future victimization and respond effectively to victims' needs. The report's concluding chapter reviews NIJ's efforts in setting standards for public safety equipment. In fiscal year 2009, NIJ standards were under development for the following equipment: bomb suits; electronic countermeasures against explosive devices; metal detectors; handcuffs and other restraints; holsters; offender tracking systems; a chemical biological radiological, and nuclear ensemble for law enforcement; and vehicular digital multimedia recording systems. Appended financial data