Collaborative Efforts with Investigative and Forensic Sciences

• In Event: NIJ: Research at the National Institute of Justice

Abstract

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research arm for the U.S. Department of Justice, with a mission to strengthen science and advance justice. Within NIJ, there are three program/science offices: the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE), the Office of Science and Technology (OST), and the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences (OIFS). Under NIJ Director Nancy Rodriguez, NIJ has been striving toward creating more multidisciplinary approaches across the science offices. Behavioral, technological, and forensic research questions may all be covered in a single topic and solicitation, which is requiring new collaborations and partnerships between different types of researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this panel is to explore the three program offices at NIJ, and specifically discuss cross-cutting initiatives that are underway at NIJ, including but not limited to: policing, drugs and crime, corrections, sexual assault kits, and safety and wellness.

Author

• Bethany Backes, National Institute of Justice