The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is committed to advancing the criminal justice field by supporting the integration of evidence into programs, policy decisions and practices within the Department of Justice and throughout the broader criminal justice community. Criminal justice and public safety practitioners can leverage the existing resources as well as training and technical assistance available through OJP to support the implementation of evidence-based solutions.

Office of Justice Programs

The following OJP components support the integration of evidence into practice through research, data, evaluations, training and technical assistance focused on specialized criminal justice fields:

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) supports programs and initiatives in law enforcement, justice information sharing, counter-terrorism, corrections, substance abuse and mental health, adjudication, crime prevention and tribal justice through policy, funding, training and technical assistance.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collects, analyzes, and publishes justice data. Data focus on crimes, offenders, victims of crime and justice systems operations. BJS is responsible for compiling and analyzing data.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) conducts research and evaluation of justice issues to translate research into practice, using scientific approaches to evaluation and using results to inform the justice field on approaches to reduce crime and promote justice.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides training and technical assistance to juvenile justice practitioners, supporting state and local governments in implementing effective programs.

TheOffice for Victims of Crime (OVC) supports programs and services that help victims of crimes. OVC offers training, technical assistance, and capacity building programs to help providers support victims of crimes in their communities.

The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) administers grants programs relating sex offender registration and notification, as well as provides technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments in areas of protection from sexual abuse.

Additionally, the OJP Science Advisory Board whose membership consists of experts – scholars and practitioners in criminology, statistics, sociology and practitioners in the criminal and juvenile justice fields – was formed in 2011. This advisory board provides advice and counsel to the Department of Justice, including the Diagnostic Center and Crime Solutions, on how to bridge the divide between research and practice in criminal justice fields.

Department of Justice

In addition to the resources available through Office of Justice Programs, there are a number of additional resources available through other Department of Justice components, such as:

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) provides funding, training, and technical assistance on a wide-range of policing issues.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) supports the Violence Against Women Act by providing services on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has been a leader in working with the correctional community to integrate evidence-based programs and practices into their operations, particularly reentry programs.