Serve And Protect

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues. NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels. The NIJ create scientific, relevant, and reliable knowledge – with a particular emphasis on terrorism, violent crime, drugs and crime, cost-effectiveness, and community-based efforts – to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. The Institute has established the following program areas: crime control and prevention, including policing; drugs and crime; justice systems and offender behavior, including corrections; violence and victimization; communications and information technologies; critical incident response; investigative and forensic sciences, including DNA; less lethal technologies; officer protection; education and training technologies; testing and standards; technology assistance to law enforcement and corrections agencies; field testing of promising programs; and international crime control. With online publication of NIJ Journal 253 comes an expanded NIJ Journal Web page, featuring an easy link to past articles and an article search feature.