Moving the National Institute of Justice Forward: July 2010 through December 2012

Criminologists are often frustrated by the disconnect between sound empirical research and public policy initiatives. Recently, there have been several attempts to better connect research evidence and public policy. While these new strategies may well bear fruit, I believe the challenge is largely a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary criminal justice 2021-05, Vol.37 (2), p.166-174
Main Author: Laub, John H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Criminal justice
Criminologists
Criminology
Public policy
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Summary:Criminologists are often frustrated by the disconnect between sound empirical research and public policy initiatives. Recently, there have been several attempts to better connect research evidence and public policy. While these new strategies may well bear fruit, I believe the challenge is largely an intellectual one. Ideas and research evidence must guide public policy and practice. In this article, I present highlights from my tenure as the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research, development, and evaluation agency in the Department of Justice. One of the ideas that I emphasized at NIJ was “Translational Criminology.” I believe translational criminology acknowledges NIJ’s unique mission to facilitate rigorous research that is relevant to the practice and policy. I also discuss the challenges I faced in bringing research to bear on public policy and practice. I end with a call for my colleagues in criminology and criminal justice to become more involved in government.
ISSN:1043-9862
1552-5406
DOI:10.1177/1043986221999857