2024 NIJ research conference advances justice through science

Can science advance justice? 

This was the driving question guiding the convening of NIJ’s 2024 National Research Conference, which brought researchers, practitioners and policymakers together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to showcase how research has yielded findings with direct relevance for safety, equity and justice.

The conference – held September 16-18 – featured plenaries, lightning round talks, poster presentations and more, with presenters sharing the latest research evidence with an audience of close to 600 academics, practitioners, local officials, advocates and other stakeholders. 

By design, nearly half of the conference’s attendees were consumers of research rather than those producing it, as NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne, Ph.D., shared in her opening remarks.

“That’s the point of this conference, to get research into your hands so you can make decisions on the ground,” she said.

Promoting NIJ Priorities

The conference built on the success from last year’s convening held in Arlington, Virginia, which was the first research conference hosted by NIJ in 12 years.

During the conference’s opening day, La Vigne spoke to the importance of conducting research through an “equity lens,” stating that, “We can’t be in the business of studying issues of the criminal justice system without recognizing the well-documented biases that are embedded in the system.” 

La Vigne advocated for more inclusive research practices that engage the people closest to the issue being studied – both people with professional expertise and those who have experienced victimization or involvement in the justice system.

“It’s vital we engage them at the front end and bring findings back to them to see if we’re getting it right,” she said.

La Vigne also announced a first of its kind $1 million award to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to establish the Center to Enhance Research Capacity at Minority Serving Institutions.

The goals of the Center are to: 

• Address financial disparities in research and development funding experienced by MSIs, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
• Bolster research infrastructure & capabilities of MSIs in the justice space;
• Increase MSIs’ competitiveness by supporting new MSI investigators; and
• Broaden the community of MSI researchers engaged in justice issues.
   

Lightning Round Talks Feature Emerging Methods

New to the NIJ Research Conference in 2024 were a series of lightning round talks from both grantees and other researchers that highlighted emerging and pioneering methods covering a wide range of subjects.

The series of 11 lightning round sessions featured ideas about using research to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, navigate challenges and fuel advancements in forensic science, inform innovations in crisis response and more.

Advancing Justice with Science

NIJ’s research conference highlighted the efforts Allegheny County officials have made to promote data-driven, evidence-based decision making in its human services and criminal justice systems. 

The county launched one of the country’s first jail reentry programs, piloted a program to assign defense counsel at time of first appearance and was an early adopter of child welfare and pretrial risk assessment tools that were locally validated and modified to reduce disparate outcomes.

Allegheny County has also contracted for an external review of its entire criminal justice system – complete with robust community engagement – to identify disparities and is in the process of making changes as a result of that report.

During a conference plenary highlighting the county’s reform efforts, Elliot Howsie – a judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas – touched on some of the pushback county officials received when trying to implement new practices but stressed the importance of using research in advocating for change.

“When you have research findings, you’re required to do something with them. I’d rather have the research to guide my efforts than spin my wheels to do what I’ve always done,” he said. 

Among other topics, the conference also celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the NIJ LEADS Scholars program, shared insights on best practices in school safety and showcased how forensic research and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System have closed decades-long cold cases.

A highlight of the conference was its robust poster session, which drew 113 submissions, of which 50 were accepted for presentation. More than half of those accepted for the conference – 58% – came from graduate students. Topics covered included corrections and reentry; crime prevention; drugs and crime; criminal justice technologies; forensic science; justice reform; school safety; and victims of crime.

On the conference’s final day, NIJ’s Executive Science Advisor Janine Zweig facilitated a conversation with Office for Victims of Crime Director Kris Rose, Office on Violence Against Women Director Rosie Hidalgo,  NIJ Senior Science Advisor Angela Moore and Ujima CEO Karma Cottman in a plenary marking 30 years of the historic Violence Against Women Act.

The panel reflected on the impacts of VAWA over three decades and discussed how it continues to inform policy, programs and practices today. Rose shared how VAWA funding allowed OVC to support research on untested sexual assault kits which led to the identification of numerous serial rapists.

“Behind every sexual assault kit is a person whose life was tragically altered because of the assault. They’re the reason VAWA got passed in the first place and the reason we do this work. Survivors of gender-based violence need the justice they deserve,” Rose said.

La Vigne closed the conference by thanking the many staff and presenters who contributed to the conference and encouraging attendees to pursue new research and practices stemming from all they learned during the three days.