Strengthening NIJ: Mission, Science and Process

• NCJ Number: 235891
• Journal: NIJ Journal Issue: 268 Dated: October 2011 Pages: 16-21
• Author(s): John H. Laub
• Date Published: October 2011
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Journal
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This article, Strengthening NIJ: Mission, Science and Process, discusses the changes being implemented at NIJ as a result of the National Research Council's evaluation of the Institute.

Abstract

This article discusses the changes being implemented at NIJ as a result of the National Research Council's (NRC's) evaluation of the Institute. The evaluation by the NRC offered recommendations for NIJ's continued improvement and growth and included the following: enhance independence and self-governance; cultivate elements that are essential for a science agency; bolster the Nation's research infrastructure; foster scientific integrity and transparency; and achieve a culture of self-assessment. In response to these recommendations, NIJ has begun the following: drafting language to change NIJ's governing statute to establish qualifications for the NIJ director's science and research experience, make the director's appointment a 6-year term, and clarify the meaning of independence in key aspects of NIJ's work; launching partnerships with the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Justice Department's Access to Justice Initiative to strengthen science and avoid research duplication efforts across the Department of Justice; transferring management of NIJ's capacity building activities to the Bureau of Justice Assistance; expanding the Graduate Research Fellowship program to encompass a wider range of social, physical, and forensic sciences; and expanding the use of peer review panels to ensure scientific integrity and transparency of operations in NIJ's research efforts.