The Center for Criminal Justice Research (CCJR) provides research and training services to communities, criminal justice agencies, and other organizations. Through grants and contracts with local partners, CCJR conducts innovative research activities to address current crime problems and security concerns. These partnerships between academia, practitioners, and the community are what keep the field moving forward.
Some of the prior projects conducted by CCJR include important criminal justice policy issues concerning local and regional agencies. Among these projects are: evaluations of services provided to at-risk populations like the homeless and juvenile delinquents and assessments of specialty courts; advanced crime and intelligence analysis, such as staffing/workload analysis and criminal network analysis; and, international workshops and research training seminars. By offering expert research and evaluation assistance to community groups, non-profit organizations, and criminal justice agencies, CCJR aims to strengthen crime prevention policy and practice.
Housed within CCJR is the Dale K. Sechrest Criminal Justice Research Lab wherein undergraduate and graduate students acquire in-depth training to prepare for careers in criminal justice policy analysis or advanced research degrees. The Research Lab offers internship opportunities to work closely with faculty. This mentorship affords students a chance to acquire research experience and develop skills unattainable through conventional education programs. Support is given to interns wanting to present at professional conferences and publish scholarly papers.
The Center for Criminal Justice Research is an independent, research and training facility that contributes to the body of criminal justice knowledge, supports crime and intelligence analysis, and informs criminal justice policy.
The Center is a member of the Inter-University Network of Criminal Justice Research Centers (INCJRC), an association of university-based research centers focused on wide range of criminal justice research and evaluation issues and topics. Participation in the INCJRC builds on our capacity to connect and share ideas, methodologies, and approaches that support evidence-based and data-driven policy and decision making with a broad range of scholars from across the country.