National Institute of Justice

NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. We are dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. We provide objective and independent knowledge and tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal and juvenile justice communities to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local levels. We accomplish our [mission](https://nij.ojp.gov/about/national-institute-justice-mission-and-guiding-principles) through the "Listen, Learn, Inform" model — we "listen" to the needs of the field; "learn" ways to meet those needs by funding research, development, and evaluation projects; and then "inform" the field of what we learned.