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Drugs and Crime Research

The National Institute of Justice sponsors research on alcohol and others drugs in the context of the criminal justice system to promote effective law enforcement, court and corrections responses to illegal drug markets and criminal behavior related to illicit drug use.

Research Portfolio

NIJ's drugs and crime research informs crime reduction through several approaches:

• Epidemiology
• Prevention and Intervention
• Drug Markets
• Market Disruption
• Forensics

See an overview of NIJ-Funded Research Projects.

Epidemiology

NIJ funds research to increase the field's understanding of relationships between drugs, alcohol, violence and crime. For example, read the research about whether domestic violence abusers are likely to be drug and/or alcohol abusers, part of the report Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research.

Prevention and Intervention

NIJ funds projects to identify and evaluate strategies (including treatment) to prevent, deter or reduce drug- and alcohol-related crime. See:

• Panel on Medication-Assisted Treatment
• Drug Courts
• Evaluating the "Decide Your Time" Program 
• HOPE Program Evaluation

Drug Markets

NIJ funds projects to increase the field's understanding about the dynamics of drug production and distribution in domestic and international markets. See:

• Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Programs 
• NIJ and National Institute on Drug Abuse study of retail drug markets (pdf, 2 pages)

Market Disruption

NIJ funds projects to identify and evaluate strategies to disrupt drug markets at different levels and by type of market.

Forensics

NIJ funds projects to identify and assess new drug-testing and detection methods, technologies and strategies. See:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Controlled Substance Forensics and Detection

Research Projects

Historically, NIJ's Office of Research and Evaluation managed multimillion-dollar drugs and crime projects including the Breaking the Cycle demonstration, the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners evaluation and the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program.

Between fiscal years 2005 and 2010, NIJ funded nearly $18 million in drugs and crime research. About $5 million are invested in studies managed by NIJ's Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences. 

NIJ's projects are often developed in collaboration with other federal agencies including:

• Bureau of Justice Assistance
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration