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Interview and interrogation

Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders

June 2009

The panel presentations from the 2009 NIJ Conference are based on an NIJ-sponsored evaluation of the effectiveness of Kansas Senate Bill 123, which mandates community-based drug abuse treatment for drug possession by nonviolent offenders in lieu of prison. 

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Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders
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1 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Linda Truitt, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Roger Werholtz, Secretary of Corrections, Kansas Department of Corrections , 3 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Don Stemen, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Loyola University Chicago , 4 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Andres F. Rengifo, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis , 5 of 5: Alternative Sentencing Policies for Drug Offenders, Question and Answer Session

Custody Evaluation in Domestic Violence Cases

June 2009

Panelists will examine practices, beliefs and recommendations of professional and custody evaluators in domestic violence cases. Panelists will discuss current NIJ studies that use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the impact of personal attitudes and beliefs on custody evaluation.

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Custody Evaluation in Domestic Violence Cases
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1 of 3: Custody Evaluation in Domestic Violence Cases, Daniel G. Saunders, Professor, School of Social Work, University of Michigan , 2 of 3: Custody Evaluation in Domestic Violence Cases, The Honorable Dale R. Koch, Senior Judge, State of Oregon , 3 of 3: Custody Evaluation in Domestic Violence Cases, Chris S. O'Sullivan, Research Consultant, New York Legal Assistance Group

What Is Research and Evaluation Evidence and How Can We Use It?

June 2010

This NIJ Conference Panel will explore the development and use of evidence-based policies, programs and technologies to improve effectiveness and efficiencies related to government. Through casual observation, practices and programs may appear to be effective, but under closer scrutiny the results may look much different.

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What Is Research and Evaluation Evidence and How Can We Use It?
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Phelan Wyrick, Senior Social Science Analyst, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice , Stephanie Shipman, Assistant Director, Center for Evaluation Methods and Issues, Applied Research and Methods, U.S. Government Accountability Office , Ed McGarrell, Director and Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University , Phelan Wyrick — Part II

Making Sense of the DNA Backlog - NIJ Conference Panel

June 2009

Panelists will present findings from two NIJ studies that examined the DNA backlog in law enforcement agencies and crime labs. Panelists will discuss research findings related to new and potential time- and cost-saving approaches.

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Making Sense of the DNA Backlog - NIJ Conference Panel
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1 of 5: Making Sense of the DNA Backlog, Mark Nelson, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 5: Making Sense of the DNA Backlog, Kevin Lothridge, Chief Executive Officer, National Forensic Science Technology Center , 3 of 5: Making Sense of the DNA Backlog, Kevin J. Strom, Senior Research Scientist, Crime, Violence, and Justice Research Program, RTI International , 4 of 5: Making Sense of the DNA Backlog, Greg Matheson, Director, Los Angeles Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory , 5 of 5: Making Sense of the DNA Backlog, Question and Answer Session

Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA

June 2010

Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, a majority of the more than 250 research and evaluation studies funded by NIJ examined domestic violence issues. This research has been collected in the Compendium of Research on Violence Against Women, which includes an abstract of each grant and the results of completed studies.

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Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA
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1 of 4: Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA , Bernard Auchter, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 4: Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA , Claire M. Renzetti, Endowed Chair, Center for Research on Violence Against Women and Professor of Sociology, University of Kentucky , 3 of 4: Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA , Connie Beck, Associate Professor, Psychology, Policy and Law Program, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson (mp3, 170 MB) , 4 of 4: Domestic Violence Research 15 Years After VAWA , Barbara Hart, Director of Law and Policy, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, Portland

Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions

May 2010

The management of sexual offenders in the community post-release is an issue of increasing concern to law enforcement, policymakers and the public. In recent years, efforts to strengthen registration and notification have been enhanced. At the same time, comparatively little attention has been paid to related matters, such as how residency restrictions may impact offenders' efforts to find stable work and living arrangements once they are released from prison, whether rates of recidivism have changed, and whether these policies increase the safety of potential victims.

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Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions
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1 of 4: Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions, Karen J. Bachar, National Institute of Justice , 2 of 4: Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions, Elizabeth Letourneau, Assistant Professor, Medical University of South Carolina , 3 of 4: Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions, Kristen M. Zgoba, Research Scientist, New Jersey Department of Corrections , 4 of 4: Sex Offenders in the Community: Post-Release, Registration, Notification and Residency Restrictions, Alisa Klein, Public Policy Consultant, Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers

Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research

June 2010

Forensic examinations involving specific forensic science disciplines are typically dependent upon qualitative analyses and expert interpretation of observed patterns based on a scientific foundation, rather than quantitative results. These disciplines include latent fingerprints, questioned documents, footwear, and other forms of impression and pattern evidence.

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Impression Evidence: Strengthening the Disciplines of Fingerprints, Firearms, Footwear, and Other Pattern and Impression Sciences Through Research
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Speaking: Gerry LaPorte, National Institute of Justice; and Tom Busey, Professor of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington , Speaking: Lynn Abbott, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech , Sargur Srihari, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York