Peer Reviewers

How to Become an OJP Peer Reviewer

If you are interested in being a peer reviewer for OJP grant applications, see more information below for the expertise required for each OJP program office.  Note:  Neither you nor anyone else from your organization or entity can be a peer reviewer in a competition in which you or your organization/entity has submitted an application.

Have you been selected as a Peer Reviewer?

See the OJP Peer Reviewer Resources below to help you get started.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

BJA needs reviewers from diverse backgrounds and regions who have knowledge, expertise, and/or lived experience across a wide range of justice-related and community safety areas including, but not limited to:

• Crime prevention
• Community-based violence reduction
• Criminal justice reform
• Law enforcement
• Gang and gun crime
• Prosecution
• Courts and adjudication
• Corrections and community corrections
• Reentry and recidivism reduction
• Tribal justice
• School safety
• Forensic sciences
• Mental health and crisis intervention services
• Alcohol and substance use disorder prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services
• Information sharing and technology
• Evaluation, research, and statistics

All reviews are conducted electronically and, typically, reviewers assess and score 5 to 15 applications within a 2-week period. Before beginning their work, reviewers must participate in an orientation session covering the roles and responsibilities of the reviewers and information on the grant programs under review. Reviewers will participate remotely and will review 5-15 applications within a two-week period, receiving $125 for each application review completed.

If you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, please submit an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae, including a valid email address, to [email protected]. Please put "Peer Reviewer Candidate Resume" in the subject line.

Learn more about becoming a peer reviewer for BJA

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

BJS is seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds and regions to serve as grant application reviewers. Peer reviewers will evaluate competitive grant applications, supporting BJS's efforts to make fair, equitable, and objective funding decisions. As there are typically more reviewers available than are needed for the number of applications going to peer review, it is not always possible to invite all qualified reviewers to participate. Prospective matches will be contacted via email with an inquiry about availability and interest.

Areas of Focus

Peer review applicants should have criminal justice statistical expertise, as well as knowledge and experience across a wide range of justice-related areas, including, but not limited to:

• Adjudication and courts
• Corrections
• Crime victimization
• Dating violence
• Detention facilities
• Domestic violence
• Elder abuse
• Electronic/cyber crime
• Evaluation, research, and statistics
• Fraud and identity theft
• Guns/firearms
• Hate and bias crimes
• Information sharing and technology
• Intimate partner violence victims and victim intervention
• Justice systems
• Juvenile justice
• Law enforcement
• Parole
• Prosecution
• Recidivism
• Reentry
• Rape/Sexual assault
• Specialty courts
• Tribal justice
• Violence against women
• Violent crimes
• Reviewer Requirements

Reviewing Requirements

• Reviewers will participate remotely to review and score no more than 5 applications within a 2-week period, earning $125 for each completed application review.
• Reviewers are required to participate in an Orientation Call before beginning their review. The purpose of the Orientation Call is to define the role and responsibilities of the peer reviewers as well as the background and purpose of the grant program being peer reviewed.
• Reviewers must complete their reviews by entering their scores and comments into an automated data system.
• Most reviews also include a Collaboration Call to discuss applications with fellow reviewers.

How to Apply

If interested, send an email with "BJS Peer Reviewer Candidate" in the subject line to [email protected]. A current resume/curriculum vitae and a valid email address must be included.

National Institute of Justice

NIJ draws reviewers for both its ad hoc and standing review panels from diverse backgrounds and regions who have research knowledge, professional expertise and/or lived experience in across a wide range of justice-relevant areas, including, but not limited to:

• Crime control and prevention
• Community-based violence reduction
• Criminology, law enforcement, or corrections
• Criminal justice reform
• Racial and gender equity in the criminal justice system
• Computer sciences
• Investigative and forensic science and technology, including DNA analysis research and development
• Justice systems and youth-based interventions
• Law enforcement technologies
• Violence, victimization, and trauma-informed responses.
• Health sciences
• Economics

Some ad hoc reviews are conducted remotely, whereas others involve in-person meetings.  Reviewers score 10 to 15 applications within a two-to-four-week period.  Before beginning their work, reviewers must participate in an orientation telephone call, which covers the role and responsibilities of the reviewers and the background and purpose of the grant program under review.

If you are interested, start the enrollment process by e-mailing [email protected].  Please include your contact information and resumé.

Learn more about becoming a peer reviewer for NIJ

Office for Victims of Crime

OVC is seeking reviewers from diverse backgrounds and regions to assess grant applications.  Reviewers should have relevant experience in the field of victim assistance; experience in providing culturally relevant victim services, services for multicultural communities, and non-traditional victim services; or lived experience expertise.

Applicants should indicate their knowledge and expertise in areas, including, but not limited, to—

• child and elder abuse;
• compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma;
• criminal justice or legal advocacy;
• domestic violence and sexual assault;
• female genital mutilation and cutting;
• fraud and identity theft;
• homicide;
• human trafficking;
• language access;
• law enforcement response to victims of crime;
• mass violence and crisis response;
• victim compensation;
• victim impact;
• victims with disabilities; and
• victims' rights.

All reviews are conducted electronically and, typically, reviewers assess and score approximately 12 to 15 applications within a 2 week period.  Before beginning their work, reviewers must participate in an orientation telephone call, which covers the roles and responsibilities of the reviewers and the background and purpose of the grant program under review.  Reviewers must also enter their scores and comments to an automated data system, and participate in a consensus call with all other reviewers on their assigned panel.

Participants receive $125 for each application reviewed, including participation in both the orientation call and consensus call.

If you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, please send an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae, including a valid e-mail address, to [email protected].

Learn more about becoming a peer reviewer for OVC

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

OJJDP invites researchers and practitioners with expertise related to juvenile justice to apply to serve as peer reviewers.  Applicants should indicate their juvenile justice-related knowledge and expertise, including:  gangs, mentoring, substance abuse, tribal juvenile justice, Internet crimes against children, etc.  As there are typically more reviewers available than are needed for the number of applications going to peer review, it is not always possible to invite all qualified reviewers to participate.  Prospective matches will be contacted via email with an inquiry about availability and interest.

All reviews are conducted electronically and, typically, reviewers assess and score up to 15 applications within a 2-week period.  Before beginning their work, reviewers must participate in an orientation telephone call, which covers the roles and responsibilities of the reviewers and the background and purpose of the grant program under review.  Reviewers must also enter their scores and comments to an automated data system, and participate in a reviewer collaboration session with all other reviewers on their assigned panel.

To apply, e-mail a current résumé or curriculum vitae to [email protected].

Learn more about becoming a peer reviewer for OJJDP

Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking

The SMART Office needs grant application reviewers with relevant expertise, from diverse backgrounds, regions and experience in at least one of the following areas:

• criminology, law enforcement, and corrections
• sex offender management
• juvenile justice
• tribal communities
• victim services
• sex offender treatment and monitoring
• information technology

Reviewers will participate remotely and will not be required to attend any in-person meetings.  Participants will review and score 10 - 20 applications within a 2-week period.  Reviewers are also required to participate in an Orientation Call before beginning their review.  The purpose of the Orientation Call is to define the role and responsibilities of the peer reviewers as well as the background and purpose of the grant program being peer reviewed.

If interested in becoming a peer reviewer, please submit an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae, including a valid e-mail address, to:  [email protected].

Learn more about becoming a peer reviewer for SMART

We encourage you to apply or to pass along this information to other subject matter experts in your organization or in your community.

Thank you for your service to your country!

OJP Peer Reviewer Resources

If you have been selected as an OJP Peer Reviewer, you will need to register with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Digital Identity & Access Management Directory System (DIAMD) to proceed to the next step in accessing the Justice Grants System (JustGrants) where applications are peer reviewed.

The following job aid reference guide will assist you with registering for JustGrants access, logging into the Peer Review Portal once you have been granted access, and performing assessments:

Peer Reviewer Job Aid Reference Guide
This guide details the processes OJP Peer Reviewers use to access applications and perform initial and collaboration assessments.