Resource Results
Why does crime prevention fail? And under what conditions does it succeed? Routine Activity Theory provides the foundation for understanding crime and its patterns by focusing on variations in the convergence of offenders, targets and controllers in space and time. But Routine Activity Theory does not provide a full understanding of why the controllers may be absent or ineffective.
This study, using a blocked randomized experimental design, found that, at least in cites like Dallas with large geographies, automated vehicle locator (AVL) information will not aid patrol allocations in large geographic areas. This is because patrol coverage in beats is largely a function of cross-district dispatch to specific incidents rather than commander-directed deployment; however, AVL is effective in achieving higher levels of patrol as needed in “hot spots” of crime as… Read More
The National Body-Worn Camera Toolkit is a website that provides an extensive range of information in one place, serving as a clearinghouse to assist agencies in making decisions about adopting the use of body-worn cameras. The toolkit organizes frequently asked questions and resources by topic areas, including research, policy, technology, privacy, and training. The website address is https://www.bja.gov/bwc/.
Law enforcement agencies increasingly demand sophisticated information technology (IT) capabilities to support their operations. These capabilities depend on records management systems (RMSs), which maintain agencies’ case histories, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems, which maintain agencies’ calls for service and call response histories. There are also increasing demands to share information with regional, state, and federal repositories of criminal justice information.
This study of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court compares participants in a neighborhood-based reentry program to similar parolees on traditional parole. Results indicate that the reentry court, which implemented a validated and reliable tool for assessing the risks and needs of individuals returning from prison, produced a 22% reduction in the reconviction rate and a 60% reduction in the felony reconviction rate over an 18-month follow-up period. The reentry court also produced a 45%… Read More
This article explains how various states have used evidence-based practices (EBPs) in their policymaking.
How and why do many serious adolescent offenders stop offending while others continue to commit crimes? This series of bulletins presents findings from the Pathways to Desistance study, a multidisciplinary investigation that attempts to answer this question. Investigators interviewed 1,354 young offenders from Philadelphia and Phoenix for 7 years after their convictions to learn what factors (e.g., individual maturation, life changes, and involvement with the criminal justice system)… Read More
The NIJ is hosting a Real-Time Forecasting Challenge in hopes of harnessing the power of data science used to develop forecasting algorithms to help improve policing practices. The Challenge will examine how efficiently and effectively a contestant's algorithm can forecast crime in Portland, Oregon, based on five years of calls-for-service data provided by the Portland Police Bureau.
Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) are an increasingly prominent research area in criminal justice. This trend mirrors current practice, with more and more law enforcement agencies implementing or procuring BWCs. Yet the evidence on BWCs is substantially long on evidence but rather short on theory. Why should BWCs 'work' and under what conditions or on whom? This article offers a more robust theoretical composition for the causal mechanisms that can explain the efficacy of BWCs.
This brief was developed in response to growing concerns regarding the increasing number of people with mental illnesses in jail. In order to better understand the issue, researchers researched existing data, analyzed millions of individual arrest, jail, and behavioral health records in a cross-section of counties across the United States, examined initiatives designed to improve outcomes for this population, and met with countless people who work in local justice and behavioral health… Read More
