The 2012 NIJ Conference
June 18-20, 2012
Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va.
Register now.
View the Agenda At-A-Glance (pdf, 4 pages)
The theme for 2012:
Turning to Science
- Enhancing justice
- Improving safety
- Reducing costs
Keynote Speaker
Joan Petersilia, Ph.D., Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Looking Back to See the Future of Prison Downsizing in America
The recent declines in U.S. prison populations are causing many reformers to suggest that we are at the end of America’s experiment
with mass incarceration. But current prison downsizing policies may well backfire if we fail to heed the lessons learned from
the intermediate sanctions movement of the 1990s. Dr. Petersilia will summarize these lessons and discuss why they must be
considered if there is any chance of reversing — for — good four decades of prison expansion.
Plenary Sessions
Game Change: How Research-Practitioner Partnerships Are Redefining How We Study Crime
Monday, June 18
When researchers and practitioners work side-by-side, they can double their problem-solving abilities. The research partner
can focus on the data and the science; the practitioner partner can focus on interpreting the findings and applying them in
the field. Panelists will describe the benefits, challenges and pitfalls of researcher-practitioner partnerships with a focus
on the financial benefits to the practitioner.
- Jeff Rojek, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina, discussing a study that examined police-practitioner partnerships.
- Tami Sullivan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Yale University, discussing a study that examined violence against women research-practitioner partnerships.
- Vivian Tseng, Ph.D., Vice President, Program, William T. Grant Foundation, discussing research about the ways educators learn about and use research.
Protecting our Protectors: Using Science to Improve Officer Safety and Wellness
Wednesday, June 20
Each year, 100-200 officers die in the line of duty. Last year, 177 officers lost their lives — a 16-percent increase from
2010. As Attorney General Eric Holder noted after this increase in fatalities, "this is a devastating and unacceptable trend."
NIJ has developed a robust research portfolio to improve officer safety and wellness, and ultimately save lives. This panel
will discuss some of NIJ's most promising work to reduce shooting and traffic-related fatalities — consistently the leading
causes of officer line-of-duty deaths — and improve officer wellness, which is inextricably linked with officer safety.
Panelists:
- Bryan Vila, Ph.D., Professor, Washington State University, discussing his work to develop a method for measuring police officer performance in fatal encounters.
- Carrick Williams, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Mississippi State University, discussing his work using a driving simulator to evaluate how distractions such as responding to dispatch calls and monitoring communications devices affect an officer's driving ability.
- Karen Amendola, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Police Foundation, discussing her work examining the impact of shift length on several measures of officer wellness and performance.
- John Violanti, Research Professor, SUNY Buffalo, discussing his work on officer fatigue and occupational stress.
About the NIJ Conference
For more than a decade, NIJ's annual conference has brought together criminal justice scholars, policymakers and practitioners at the local, state and federal levels to share the most recent findings from research and technology.
The conference showcases what works, what doesn't work, and what the research shows as promising. It puts a heavy emphasis on the benefits to researchers and practitioners who work together to create effective evidence-based policies and practices.
Who Should Attend
- Researchers interested in criminal justice.
- Policymakers responsible for shaping public safety or social services.
- Practitioners in criminal justice interested in technology and DNA.
- Students interested in criminal justice issues.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the NIJ Conference, please contact Maureen McGough at maureen.q.mcgough@usdoj.gov. Exhibits are now closed.
