NIJ Year in Review 2002

As the U.S. Department of Justice's research, development, and evaluation agency, NIJ is a reliable source for the latest knowledge on criminal justice. In 2002 NIJ developed seven strategic goals in the following three main areas: creating knowledge and tools, disseminating information, and managing the agency's programs. In addition to these strategic goals, NIJ selected 10 high-priority subject areas: law enforcement and policing; justice systems (sentencing, courts, prosecution, and defense); corrections; investigative and forensic sciences (including DNA); counterterrorism and critical incidents; crime prevention and causes of crime; violence and victimization; drugs, alcohol, and crime; interoperability, spatial information, and automated systems; and program evaluation. In 2002 NIJ expanded its focus on and capacity to perform research on terrorism. One section of this report describes NIJ's 2002 activities that helped the Nation's public safety institutions be better prepared and equipped to respond to a terrorist incident and to investigate terrorist planning and activity. Another section of this report describes NIJ's 2002 activities in the area of research on violence against women/family violence, with attention to when domestic violence and child maltreatment co-occur, responding to campus sexual assault, transferring child protective investigation to law enforcement, and research on the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Further, NIJ continued its leadership role in developing, testing, and evaluating technology tools to assist criminal justice. Efforts in the area of protecting communities addressed reducing firearms violence, understanding gangs and gang-related crime, and the provision of funding for Project Safe Neighborhoods. NIJ helped knowledge on criminal justice to travel faster and farther in 2002 by redesigning its print and electronic products, better equipping the agency to reach its audience electronically, and disseminating research results. Appendixes present NIJ financial data, NIJ awards in fiscal year 2002, NIJ publications and products in fiscal year 2002, the number of visits to NIJ web site, and key conferences.