National Institute of Justice Awards More Than $259 Million to Enhance the Science of Crime and Justice

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice's (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded more than $259 million in FY 2010 to build knowledge about crime and justice. NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, providing objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice at the state and local levels.  

"The Institute's goal is to develop an innovative, integrated, cutting-edge portfolio of research," said NIJ Director, Dr. John Laub, while attending the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in San Francisco. "Our research agenda will bring together the three sciences that are the bedrock of NIJ—the social, forensic, and physical sciences. These awards demonstrate our strong commitment to scientific inquiry as a way to understand crime and solve criminal justice problems."  

The American Society of Criminology Annual Conference is the largest gathering of criminologists in country.  Dr. Laub is participating in several major sessions highlighting NIJ's research agenda and plans for the coming year.

NIJ focuses resources in areas where federal assistance will generate the greatest benefit. Some of the awards made in FY 2010 include evaluations of the Attorney General's Defending Childhood initiative and several reentry programs as well as a follow-up evaluation of an innovative probation program for drug offenders in Hawaii. In the forensic sciences, NIJ funding will be used to develop and test innovative concepts; for example, more than $69 million was awarded to help states and local governments reduce DNA backlogs.  In the area of science and technology, NIJ awarded $17 million to establish seven new technology centers of excellence to be an authoritative resource for scientists and practitioners and to help transition technology from the laboratory into practice.   A complete list of the NIJ's awards is available at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/awards/2010-table.htm.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.  OJP has seven bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).  More information about OJP and its components can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

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SOURCE Office of Justice Programs

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