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The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice is a United States Cabinet department in the United States government of the United States designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans ....
. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an office of the United States Department of Justice and a component of the Office of Justice Programs....
 (OJJDP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and other program offices, comprise the Office of Justice Programs
Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state and local Law enforcement agency and criminal justice agencies through Federal grant, and assistance to crime victims....
 (OJP) branch of the Department of Justice.

le class="wikitable" style="width:25%;float:right;">
NIJ Directors (and Acting Directors)
NameDates
Ralph Siu
Ralph Siu

Ralph Gun Hoy Siu was a distinguished American author, scholar, military, and civil servant. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and died in Washington, D.C....
 		1968-1969
Henry Ruth 1969-1970
Irving Slott 1970-1971
Martin Danziger 1971-1973
Gerald Caplan 1973-1977
Blair Ewing 1977-1979
Harry Bratt 1979-1981
James Underwood 1981-1982
W.






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The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice is a United States Cabinet department in the United States government of the United States designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans ....
. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an office of the United States Department of Justice and a component of the Office of Justice Programs....
 (OJJDP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and other program offices, comprise the Office of Justice Programs
Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state and local Law enforcement agency and criminal justice agencies through Federal grant, and assistance to crime victims....
 (OJP) branch of the Department of Justice.

History

NIJ Directors (and Acting Directors)
NameDates
Ralph Siu
Ralph Siu

Ralph Gun Hoy Siu was a distinguished American author, scholar, military, and civil servant. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and died in Washington, D.C....
 		1968-1969
Henry Ruth 1969-1970
Irving Slott 1970-1971
Martin Danziger 1971-1973
Gerald Caplan 1973-1977
Blair Ewing 1977-1979
Harry Bratt 1979-1981
James Underwood 1981-1982
W. Robert Burkhart 1982
James K. Stewart 1982-1990
Charles B. DeWitt 1990-1993
Michael J. Russell 1993-1994
Carol V. Petrie 1994
Jeremy Travis 1994-2000
Sarah V. Hart 2001–2005
Glenn R. Schmitt 2005-June 2007
David Hagy June 2007-present


The National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice was established in 1968, under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968

The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 was legislation passed by Congress of the United States that established the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration ....
, as a component of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration was a U.S. federal agency within the U.S. Dept. of Justice. It administered federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies, and funded educational programs, research, state planning agencies, and local crime initiatives....
 (LEAA). In 1978, it was renamed as the National Institute of Justice. Some functions of the LEAA were absorbed by NIJ on December 27, 1979, with passage of the Justice System Improvement Act of 1979. The Act, which amended the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, also led to creation of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In 1982, the LEAA was succeeded by the Office of Justice Assistance, Research, and Statistics (1982–1984) and then the Office of Justice Programs
Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state and local Law enforcement agency and criminal justice agencies through Federal grant, and assistance to crime victims....
 in 1984.

NIJ is notable among U.S. governmental research organizations because it is headed by a political appointee of the President rather than by a scientist
Scientist

A scientist, in the broadest sense, refers to any person that engages in a system activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of thought or philosophy....
 or a member of the civil service
Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis of merit which is proven by the use of competitive examinations....
. NIJ is currently headed by David Hagy, who was nominated as director by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 on June 5, 2007.

Research areas

NIJ is focused on advancing law enforcement and corrections
Corrections

In the theory of criminal law, corrections refers to society's handling of persons after their conviction for a criminal offense. The components of the criminal justice that serve to punish criminal offenders involve the deprivation of life, liberty or property after due process of law ....
 technology, as well as criminology
Criminology

Criminology is the social science approach to the study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. Criminological research areas include the incidence and forms of crime as well as its causes and consequences....
, criminal justice
Criminal justice

Criminal justice is the system of practices, and organizations, used by national and local governments, directed at maintaining social control, Deterrence and controlling crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties....
, and related social science research. Much of this research is facilitated by providing grants to academic institutions, non-profit research organizations, and other entities, as well as collaborating with state and local governments. Areas of social science research include violence against women
Violence against women

Violence against women is a Technical terminology used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against woman....
, corrections
Corrections

In the theory of criminal law, corrections refers to society's handling of persons after their conviction for a criminal offense. The components of the criminal justice that serve to punish criminal offenders involve the deprivation of life, liberty or property after due process of law ....
, and crime prevention
Crime prevention

Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice....
, as well as program evaluation
Evaluation

Evaluation is systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards. Evaluation often is used to characterize and appraise subjects of interest in a wide range of human enterprises, including the arts, criminal justice, foundation and non-profit organizations, government,...
.

Grants for technology development help facilitate research and development of law enforcement technology and tools, which is a need that the private sector is otherwise reluctant to meet. NIJ also supports development of product standards, as well as compliance and testing processes. Areas of technology research and development include biometrics
Biometrics

Biometrics refers to two different fields of study and application:In biological studies it refers to the collection, synthesis, analysis and management of data in biology....
, communications interoperability
Interoperability

Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to system performance....
, information-led policing, less-lethal technologies (e.g. taser
Taser

A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "Neuromuscular junction incapacitation" and device's mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology" ....
s), and standards for police including bullet-proof vests. Crime mapping
Crime mapping

Crime mapping is used by analysts in law enforcement agency to map, visualize, and analyze crime incident patterns. It is a key component of crime analysis and the CompStat policing strategy....
 and analysis is a topic that includes both technology and social science (geography
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
) aspects. The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Centers, which are located through out the United States, play a role in law enfocement technology development, testing, and dissemmination.

DNA initiative

A major area of research and support is for forensics
Forensics

Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or to a civil action....
 and the President's DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 initiative. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the primary unit in the United States United States Department of Justice, serving as both a Law enforcement agency body and a domestic intelligence agency....
 developed the Combined DNA Index System
Combined DNA Index System

The Combined DNA Index System is a DNA database funded by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation . It is a computer system that stores DNA profiling created by federal, state, and local crime laboratories in the United States, with the ability to search the database to assist in the identification of suspects in crimes....
 (CODIS) system as a central database of DNA profiles taken from offenders. In the late 1980s and 1990s, all of the states and the Federal government
Federal government of the United States

The Federal Government of the United States is the central current reigning United States governmental body, established by the United States Constitution....
 required DNA samples to be collected from offenders in certain types of cases. The demand (casework) for DNA analysis in public crime laboratories increased 73% from 1997 to 2000, and by 2003, there was a backlog of 350,000 rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 and homicide
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
 cases. In 2003, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 proposed the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology initiative, which would include $1 billion over five years to reduce backlogs, develop and improve capacity of state and local law enforcement to use DNA analysis, support research and development to improve the technology, and additional training for those working in the criminal justice
Criminal justice

Criminal justice is the system of practices, and organizations, used by national and local governments, directed at maintaining social control, Deterrence and controlling crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties....
 system.

See also

  • Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
    Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

    The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration was a U.S. federal agency within the U.S. Dept. of Justice. It administered federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies, and funded educational programs, research, state planning agencies, and local crime initiatives....
     (LEAA)
  • National Criminal Justice Reference Service
    National Criminal Justice Reference Service

    The National Criminal Justice Reference Service is a program that disseminates publications from the United States Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs agencies, as well as the Office of National Drug Control Policy , Office on Violence Against Women, National Institute of Corrections , and Community Oriented Policing Services...
     (NCJRS)


External links