Strategic Goals
NIJ has seven strategic goals in three categories:
Creating relevant knowledge and tools
- Partner with State and local practitioners and policymakers to identify social science research and technology needs.
- 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.
- Develop affordable and effective tools and technologies to enhance the administration of justice and public safety.
Dissemination
- Disseminate relevant knowledge and information to practitioners and policy makers in an understandable, timely, and concise manner.
- Act as an honest broker to identify the information, tools, and technologies that respond to the needs of stakeholders.
Agency management
- Practice fairness and openness in the research and development process.
- Ensure professionalism, excellence, accountability, cost-effectiveness, and integrity in the management and conduct of NIJ activities and programs. NIJ has been assessed by the Office of Management and Budget using the Program Assessment Review Tool (PART). We encourage you to view NIJ’s assessment summary and details and learn more about the PART on ExpectMore.gov.
To address these strategic challenges, 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.
In addition to sponsoring research and development and technology assistance, NIJ evaluates programs, policies, and technologies. NIJ communicates its research and evaluation findings through conferences and print and electronic media.