Justice Innovation Center for technology in small, rural, tribal, and border criminal justice system agencies

• In Event: Measuring Effectiveness of New Criminal Justice Initiatives: Methodological Innovations in Research from the RAND Corporation

Abstract

The Justice Innovation Center (JIC) was created by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to provide current, rigorous, and actionable information on the use and effectiveness of technology specific to small, rural, tribal, and border (SRTB) criminal justice agencies – including law enforcement, courts, and institutional and community corrections. JIC’s Year 1 efforts have considered the role of technology through a number of different methods including a literature review, in-depth interviews with nearly 150 practitioners and topical experts, and focused discussions with an advisory panel of expert-practitioners. This presentation will review lists of challenges faced by these agencies, ranked by an expert panel to prioritize those where technology could make the largest impact. We will then discuss research activities, including three field trials, being conducted to inform technology that meet the challenges faced by criminal justice systems in these settings.

Authors

• Jess Saunders, CNA Institute for Public Research

• Meagan Cahill, RAND Corporation

• Vince Webb, Arizona State University