NIJ FY 14 Research on Sentinel Events and Criminal Justice System Errors

NIJ is interested in stimulating research in a new area of study in criminal justice research – an exploration of the use of sentinel event reviews to improve the justice system overall. Sentinel event review processes have been used in other fields, notably aviation and medicine, and NIJ would like to explore whether similar reviews would be feasible in the criminal justice field. With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for research that can add to our understanding of how the concept of sentinel events can be used to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. Funding under this solicitation will support multiple awards for either basic research or for applied studies (including evaluations). Though NIJ acknowledges that some projects involving field research may be more costly, NIJ anticipates that many relevant basic research projects could be supported at more modest funding levels. This is an open solicitation and all high-quality research proposals regarding some aspect of sentinel events pertaining to the criminal justice system will be considered.​