International Center Grants
| Program Title: | A Cross-National Comparison of Inter-agency Coordination between Public Health and Law Enforcement |
| Researcher/Institution: | Kevin Strom and Joe Eyerman, Research Triangle Institute |
| Description: | Investigates how public health surveillance systems can be mechanisms for communication among and coordination of law enforcement and public health responses to terrorism. The study will compare procedures in the U.S., Canada, and United Kingdom. |
| Program Title: | A Descriptive and Productive Model of Organized Crime |
| Researcher/Institution: | Jay S. Albanese, Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Description: | The will develop a model to explain how organized crime becomes organized and shifts its focus. More specifically, the research will clarify the relationship among five factors in relation to organized crimes: social, economic, and technological changes and trends; how the changes create criminal opportunities, how motivated groups develop to exploit these opportunities; the kinds of skills needed to take advantage of criminal opportunities; and the specific kinds of criminal activity engaged in. Two sites will be selected in the United States and Ukraine. Structured interviews will then be conducted at both sites. The model can then be used to target law enforcement strategies against organized crime, better inform public policy decisions, and provide information to be used devising prevention programs. |
| Program Title: | An Assessment of the Preparedness of Private Security in Shopping Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack |
| Researcher/Institution: | Robert Davis, Vera Institute of Justice |
| Description: | Assesses security in large retail spaces through a mail survey with 2,000 mall security managers, site visits, and analysis of laws that regulate private security. The need for any additional regulation and examination of best practices will be conducted. |
| Program Title: | Assessing Organized Crime across Groups, Products, and Nations |
| Researcher/Institution: | Ko-lin Chin, Rutgers University |
| Description: | Assesses emerging organized criminal trends in other countries that are having measurable impacts in the United States. The project examines the structure, activity, and impact of Asian transnational organized crime; and studies multiple criminal groups and organizations in China and Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States, and the types of organized criminal activity that occur in these countries. The project focus is on the current and future threat of these forms of transnational organized crime on the United States. |
| Program Title: | Assessing the Fit Between U.S. Sponsored Training and the Needs of Ukrainian Police Agencies |
| Researcher/Institution: | Dennis Jay Kenny, Police Executive Research Forum |
| Description: | This partnership between NIJ and the Police Executive Research Forum is assessing the training and technical assistance needs of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, reviewing the training assistance being provided, documenting the process by which U.S.-sponsored training is being delivered in the Ukraine, and assessing the impact of the training on both the agencies and officers who receive it. |
| Program Title: | Building the Rule of Law Foundation Network in Moldova |
| Researcher/Institution: | Sergey Chapkey, Rule of Law Foundation |
| Description: | This project will create the infrastructure for the Rule of Law Information Network in Moldova by installing Internet Studios at 10 (ten) legal institutions and criminal justice agencies in Moldova. The studios will serve as demonstration and training facilities, constitute a technical base and a prototype for building a nation-wide virtual network for the legal and criminal justice community in Moldova. The duration of this program is 12 months from the date of the award. Funds for the project are available through an interagency agreement between NIJ and the Department of State. |
| Program Title: | Building the Rule of Law Foundation Network in Moldova: Content Development |
| Researcher/Institution: | Sergey Chapkey, Rule of Law Foundation |
| Description: | The Rule of Law Foundation will develop a Web presence for Moldovan criminal justice agencies and legal institutions and a body of online materials to jump start the Rule of Law Foundation Network in Moldova. This network will strengthen civil society in Moldova, promote the rule of law and introduce more transparency to the Government of Moldova. The duration of this program is 12 months from the date of the award. Funds for this project are available through an interagency agreement between NIJ and the Department of State. |
| Program Title: | Community Oriented Policing in Poland |
| Researcher/Institution: | Maria Haberfeld, John Jay College of Criminal Justice |
| Description: | Community-oriented policing, one of the reforms being introduced into the criminal justice system in Poland, is being evaluated through a combination of self-reports by and interviews of local law enforcement; members of the criminal justice community, including attorneys, probation and parole officers, and correctional officers; and local politicians. |
| Program Title: | Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups |
| Researcher/Institution: | Mark Hamm, Indiana State University |
| Description: | Studies how offenders create criminal opportunities, comparing domestic right-wing terrorist groups to international groups. Assesses the distinguishing features of terrorist-oriented criminality and promising ways to reduce or eliminate criminal opportunities. |
| Program Title: | Defining the Role of Law Enforcement in Protecting American Agriculture from Bioterrorism |
| Researcher/Institution: | Terry Knowles, Kansas Bureau of Investigation |
| Description: | Identifies the vulnerabilities of the livestock industry and the agricultural economy to bioterrorism. Assesses law enforcement prevention and emergency response measures to respond to terrorist attacks. Develops a training module for law enforcement agencies based on current needs. |
| Program Title: | Developing a Structure to Link U.S. and Non-U.S. Researchers: The International Crime and Justice Research Collaboration Project |
| Researcher/Institution: | Harry Dammer, University of Scranton |
| Description: | Conducts an assessment of existing options to link U.S. and foreign researchers. Studies the feasibility of a proposed system by which NIJ might join with other agencies (U.S. and foreign) to link criminal justice researchers on specific projects of interest in both countries that would be both cost effective and promote truly international research. Utilizes focus groups and individual interviews of academics and individuals employed within international, governmental, and private research agencies to assess the best strategy to promote the global collaboration of criminal justice research. |
| Program Title: | Estimating the Flow of Illegal Drugs Through Ukraine |
| Researcher/Institution: | Terence Dunworth, Abt Associates |
| Description: | The will estimate and develop flow models that identify the types of drugs that are trafficked, the sources of these drugs, supply routes taken, and the amounts that are trafficked. Flow models can provide a consistent means to measure effectiveness of law enforcement efforts by examining trends revealed in these models. Additionally, countries on trafficking routes often experience an increase in the consumption of illegal drugs. The research will consequently also consider consumption trends in relation to drug flow trends. |
| Program Title: | Evaluation of Services for Trafficking Victims |
| Researcher/Institution: | Heather Clawson, Caliber Associates |
| Description: | Conduct an in-depth evaluation of two sites funded by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Trafficking Victims Protective Act Grant Program for Victim Services. The evaluation will provide knowledge to ensure that services provided to human trafficking victims are conceptually well-developed and have been rigorously field-tested. |
| Program Title: | Exploring the Links between International Organized Crime and Terrorism |
| Researcher/Institution: | Louise Shelley, American University |
| Description: | Analyzes the overlap between international organized crime and terrorist groups to develop watch points and indicators of convergence, using open source information and intelligence analysis tools. |
| Program Title: | Identifying Links between White Collar Crime and Terrorism to Enhance Investigation and Prosecution |
| Researcher/Institution: | John Kane, National White Collar Crime Center |
| Description: | Carries out an intensive case study assessment of a successful investigation and prosecution of a Colorado-based cell of a militant Islamic sect to identify how white collar crimes were used to advance the terrorist conspiracy. The study will develop training materials for law enforcement and prosecution in linking white collar crimes and terrorism. |
| Program Title: | Improving Cooperation between Law Enforcement and Arab Communities |
| Researcher/Institution: | Tim Ross, Vera Institute of Justice |
| Description: | Uses interviews with law enforcement and leaders of 20 Arab communities within the U.S. with the greatest concentration of people of Arab descent to assess approaches for building mutual trust and cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts. |
| Program Title: | Informal Value Transfer Systems, Terrorism & Money Laundering |
| Researcher/Institution: | Nikos Passas, Temple University |
| Description: | NIJ partnership with the (FinCEN) to study the organization and function of informal value transfer (hawala) systems and enforcement and regulatory strategies to disrupt them. U.S. Customs data is also being analyzed to assess suspicious trade diversion transactions in support of terrorist objectives. |
| Program Title: | Intellectual Property–Causes and Implications for Prevention |
| Researcher/Institution: | Nicole Leeper Piquero, University of Florida |
| Description: | Examines the causal and preventive implications for crime involving the theft and misuse of intellectual property. Assesses what is known about its nature and, extent, and trends in the United States and other countries. Looks for common causalities in known cases, distinguishing offender characteristics, typologies, and how skills and resources are obtained. How law enforcement has responded and the effectiveness of its intervention and prevention measures are also examined. |
| Program Title: | Intellectual Property and Organized Crime |
| Researcher/Institution: | Jeffrey McIllwain, San Diego State University |
| Description: | Assesses the extent to which organized crime groups are involved in intellectual property crimes. Examines what is known about individuals and groups that copy, manufacture, and distribute stolen intellectual property; its nature and extent in the United States and in other countries; and how law enforcement is applied to combat it. |
| Program Title: | Intellectual Property and the Law |
| Researcher/Institution: | Hedi Nasheri, Kent State University |
| Description: | Reviews current law as it applies to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property. Examines how the law has been used in past cases of intellectual property theft: whether or not it has been used in civil or criminal courts, what are its deterrent effects, and what are the nature of sanctions imposed. |
| Program Title: | Intellectual Property and White Collar Crime |
| Researcher/Institution: | John Kane, National White Collar Crime Center |
| Description: | Examines intellectual property crime as a form of white collar crime. Studies the relationship between intellectual property use/misuse and specific types of white collar crime; the level of knowledge on its nature and extent in the United States and abroad; and how law enforcement responds to intellectual property crime. |
| Program Title: | Inventory and Assessment of Databases relevant for Social Science Research on Terrorism |
| Researcher/Institution: | Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |
| Description: | Describes and assesses Internet-accessible databases relevant for social science research on terrorism. Specifically, those web sites that provide actual data, e.g., names of terrorist organizations, incidents of terrorist activity, those with search capabilities. The sites are maintained primarily by U.S. government agencies, non-U.S. research centers, and international organizations. |
| Program Title: | Learning from 9/11: Comparative Case Studies of the Law Enforcement Response in New York |
| Researcher/Institution: | Gerald Murphy, Police Executive Research Forum |
| Description: | A comparative case study of the of the responses in the New York City and Arlington County police departments to 9/11/01. The project creates a framework for the analysis of critical incident management systems, based on the four major components of such systems: Prevention/Preparedness; Response/Crisis Management; Consequences Management; and Mitigation/Prevention. |
| Program Title: | Lessons in Projecting Police Reform Abroad |
| Researcher/Institution: | David Bayley, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany |
| Description: | This award supports a literature review on police reform in developed democratic countries, especially the United States. Bilateral and multilateral experience in police reform abroad and efforts by nongovernmental organizations to increase adherence to international standards of human rights also are reviewed. In addition, the award supports the development of a research plan to explore these issues in four countries. |
| Program Title: | Local and National Counterterrorism Intelligence Gathering: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| Researcher/Institution: | Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |
| Description: | Examines the organization of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in eight countries - United States, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Information-gathering functions, statutory authorization related to counter terrorism measures, methodologies, levels of efficiency, and issues related to the systems in each country. |
| Program Title: | Local Prosecutors Respond to Terrorism: Responsibilities, Priorities, and Challenges |
| Researcher/Institution: | Elaine Nugent, American Prosecutor’s Research Institute |
| Description: | Surveys more than 300 prosecutors’ offices to assess their experiences with the more than 50 State statutes that deal with terrorism, passed since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Identifies changed responsibilities of local prosecutors, how these changes are being implemented, and challenges associated with the new legislation will be examined—to provide local prosecutors with the benefit of the experiences in other jurisdictions in addressing similar issues. |
| Program Title: | Needs Assessment for Service Providers and Trafficking Victims |
| Description: | Conduct a needs assessment of service providers to victims of international human trafficking in the United States. The assessment survey documents the range of services that currently exist for international human trafficking victims, and how responsive the service providers to these victims. The assessment also documents what services and capabilities are needed to improve services provided to victims of international trafficking in humans. Project complete. The draft final report is available on the web site of Caliber Associates |
| Program Title: | Pre-incident Indicators of Terrorist Activities |
| Researcher/Institution: | Brent Smith, University of Arkansas |
| Description: | Examines the relationship between preparatory and ancillary behaviors, both criminal and non-criminal, of terrorist group members and the terrorist acts they eventually plan or carry out. The goal of the study is to identify patterns of conduct that might lead to intervention prior to the commission of actual terrorist incidents. |
| Program Title: | Preventing Corruption and Crime in the Republic of Georgia: A Three-Pronged Cultural Approach |
| Researcher/Institution: | National Strategy and Information Center (NSIC) |
| Description: | The cooperative agreement entitled, "Preventing Corruption and Crime in the Republic of Georgia: A Three-Pronged Cultural Approach" coordinated with and funded by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the Department of State, will develop and implement a strategy to foster a culture of lawfulness in the Republic of Georgia. Under this program, the National Strategy and Information Center (NSIC), with the support of Georgian government and civil society, will conduct a needs assessment that will focus on three key sectors: school, mass media, and centers of moral authority. If this assessment determines that a cultural approach can be effectively applied in Georgia, NSIC proposes to create a detailed plan of action for fostering such a culture. In addition, NSIC will establish a research design to evaluate the programs to ascertain lessons learned that may be applicable in other regions. Initially, NSIC will work with each sector individually. This will subsequently allow NSIC to assess how the sectors can develop a synergistic relationship with each other to complement and reinforce the efforts of each. |
| Program Title: | Protecting America’s Ports: Assessing Coordination between Law Enforcement and Industrial Security |
| Researcher/Institution: | Gerald Murphy, Police Executive Research Forum |
| Description: | Obtains and examines information about security systems in all 185 American seaports, and how public-private partnerships operate and focus on the threat of terrorism around ports. Lessons learned and partnerships that function at a high level will be analyzed to help guide law enforcement efforts in this area. |
| Program Title: | Publishing the Documents of the Lyon Group of Senior Experts on Transnational Organized Crime and G8 Videoconferencing Support |
| Researcher/Institution: | Sergey Chapkey, Rule of Law Foundation |
| Description: | Approximately 150 documents generated by the Lyon Group of Senior Experts in Transnational Organized Crime from the Group of Eight are being published on CD-ROM and on a private Internet channel on the World Justice Information Network. Funds for this project are available through an interagency agreement between NIJ and the Department of State. |
| Program Title: | State and Local Law Enforcement Response to Transnational Crime in the United States |
| Researcher/Institution: | Caliber Associates |
| Description: | Identify common indicators and links between traditional and transnational crime. The study builds on an NIJ funded national survey of local law enforcement agencies and their experiences with transnational crime. The research examines how local law enforcement agencies currently respond to apparent instances of transnational organized crime; existing and proposed typologies of transnational organized crime; and practical methods to link local investigations to multi-state and Federal investigations. The research is intended to provide the basis for a training, policy, or educational tool for identifying and responding to transnational organized crime at the local level. |
| Program Title: | Survey of Practitioners to Assess the Impact of Transnational Crime |
| Description: | Design and administer a survey to personnel at state and local law enforcement agencies to determine their awareness of the potential and actual impacts of transnational crime in their jurisdictions. The survey examines regional impacts, types of crimes committed, special efforts to combat transnational crime, their success/failure, cooperation with Federal and foreign law enforcement agencies. Project completed in September. The final report will be available in several months. |
| Program Title: | Tactical and Operational Learning by Terrorist Groups |
| Researcher/Institution: | Brian Jackson, RAND Corporation |
| Description: | Examines how terrorist groups enhance their capabilities to stage terrorist operations through tactical and operational learning. A model will be tested through case studies to explore the processes through which terrorist organizations acquire knowledge and skills of weapons, tactics, and operational strategies. |
| Program Title: | Terrorist Finance and the Nexus with Transnational Organized Crime: Commodities Trade and the Social Organization of al Quaeda Groups |
| Researcher/Institution: | Nikos Passas, Northeastern University |
| Description: | Studies the role of the commodities trade in funding terrorist groups. The markets in gold, precious stones, tobacco, and alcohol are examined for trade diversion and smuggling to transfer funds without leaving traces of the transaction. The project will identify the relationships between terrorists and the legitimate sector, and effective financial controls that will limit access to these markets that support terrorist groups. |
| Program Title: | The Impact of Economic, Political, and Social Variables on the Incidence of World Terrorism |
| Researcher/Institution: | Gary LaFree, University of Maryland |
| Description: | Analyzes the Pinkerton Corporation’s Global Intelligence Service data base, which includes every threatened or actual case of domestic or international terrorism in the world from 1970 to 1997. The dataset contains information on 74,000 terrorist events (about ten times more events than the other publicly-available data sets on terrorism). The project will conduct extensive comparative analysis between the Pinkerton data and other major publicly-available quantitative terrorism data bases (e.g., RAND, ITERATE, U.S. State Department) and assess patterns over time. |
| Program Title: | The Internet Studio: Building the Infrastructure for the World Justice Information Network |
| Researcher/Institution: | Sergey Chapkey, Rule of Law Foundation |
| Description: | The proposal is a continuation of program activities started under the cooperative agreement between the Rule of Law Foundation and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), No.98-IJ-CX-K004 of September 25, 1998. This project is a reallocation of time, an increase of funds, and an increase in duration of the ongoing project, "The Internet Studio: Building the Infrastructure for the World Justice Information Network," until 9/30/2000. In addition, the project involves coordinating research conferences in support the NIJ research partnership with Ukraine. The revisions involve further building of the Internet capacity for NIJ's international partners in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan, improvement in communications for law enforcement and criminal justice agencies involved in the Big Seven Senior Expert Group on Transnational Crime (The Lyon Group or P8), development of electronic information repositories on issues related to transnational organized crime in Russia and the NIS, the European Union and South-East Asia and technical assistance to the United Nations Program Network Institutes. Funds are also requested for a technical upgrade of the NIJ Internet Studio in Washington, DC. Office of Research and Evaluation. |
| Program Title: | The States’ War on Terrorism: Implications for State Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Systems |
| Researcher/Institution: | John Mountjoy, Council of State Governments |
| Description: | Examines state-level terrorism-related responsibilities and their implications for state police and criminal justice systems. Identifies specific needs and suggest specific practices and procedures for state agencies address their needs and to improve communication, cooperation, and collaboration with agencies at other levels of government. |
| Program Title: | Trafficking in Persons in the United Statese |
| Researcher/Institution: | Kevin Bales, Croft Institute for International Studies |
| Description: | This award will permit the Croft Institute for International Studies to (1) show ways to improve identification, investigation, prosecution, and conviction of traffickers; (2) give good and bad examples of how victims have been approached and processed and ultimately had their situations resolved; (3) determine victims' needs and ways to meet them; and (4) find ways to bring together and improve the interaction of entities involved in these cases. |
| Program Title: | Trafficking in Women From Ukraine |
| Researcher/Institution: | Donna M. Hughes, University of Rhode Island |
| Description: | The will conduct a qualitative descriptive research study on the nature and extent of trafficking in women from Ukraine. This exploratory study will address factors that lead to involvement in the sex trade, how these trade operations are organized, and who is involved. The will assess the effectiveness of services and protections for the victims and determine if there are identifiable factors that differentiate potential victims from actual victims. In addition, the will investigate the destination countries of trafficked women and the operational procedures and organization of the traffickers. Sources of data include victims of trafficking, law enforcement officials, non-governmental organizations, and government officials in Ukraine. Data will be collected through interviews and content analysis of advertisements and solicitations used to recruit victims of trafficking. |
| Office of Research and Evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Program Title: | Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the US, Mexico, and Canada |
| Researcher/Institution: | Richard Estes, University of Pennsylvania |
| Description: | Investigators are studying the prevalence and causes of child sexual exploitation in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and the modes of operation of adult criminal networks. Findings will be used to help law enforcement, human service, and other officials strengthen their ability to protect children. Data will be collected in 21 cities: US=10; Canada=4; and Mexico=7 |
| Program Title: | Criminal Violence in Russia |
| Researcher/Institution: | Mark A. Pridemore, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany |
| Description: | Researchers are developing structural equation models that describe trends over time and space and provide a framework for evaluating explanatory variables. The researchers will compare Russian models with U.S. models through an analysis of unemployment, divorce, mortality, and homicide rates; ethnic and religious composition; migration patterns; and standard-of-living index information. |
| Program Title: | The Effect of Juvenile Justice System Processing on Subsequent Delinquent Behavior: A Cross-National Comparison |
| Researcher/Institution: | David Huizinga, University of Colorado at Boulder |
| Description: | Investigators are analyzing data from two ongoing longitudinal research projects in Denver, Colorado, and Bremen, Germany, to examine the effect of juvenile justice processing on subsequent juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. |
| Program Title: | International Assessment of Birth Cohort Research |
| Researcher/Institution: | Paul C. Friday, University of North Carolina - Charlotte |
| Description: | This award continues a birth cohort study undertaken in Wuhan, China, by the late Dr. Marvin Wolfgang, who sought to replicate a study of delinquency done in the United States. Data and followup interviews are being translated and transferred, with an analysis of identifiable social and economic changes over the time period being studied. |
| Program Title: | The Social Organization of Human Trafficking |
| Researcher/Institution: | Sheldon Zhang, California State University at San Marcos |
| Description: | A collaborative project with researchers in Fuzhou (China) is examining the structure and operation of Chinese human smuggling organizations, including the characteristics of people smugglers; the financial and violent aspects of illegal migration; the relationship between human smuggling, Chinese gangs, and organized crime; and the connection of smuggling to government corruption. |
| Program Title: | Urban Policing in the Democratic Third World |
| Researcher/Institution: | Frederick P. Roth, University of Connecticut |
| Description: | This study is exploring whether, in the 3 decades since independence, a similar pattern of policing was reproduced in Botswana and Mauritius. These countries share similar socioeconomic features, a thriving economy, and a sustained tradition of democratic practices approximate to the Western model. The study seeks to determine whether a class-control strategy of policing emerged commensurate with rational-legal forms of social control. |
| Office of Science and Technology Projects | |
| Program Title: | Firearms Identification System (FIS) |
| Institution: | Department of Defense, Office of Special Technology |
| Grantee: | James Lawrence |
| Grant Number: | 1999-LT-VX-A065 |
| Amount Funded: | $150,000 |
| Description: | This award supports Department of Defense oversight of the development of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police FIS database (a searchable CD-ROM including text and digitized images), which assists the law enforcement community in the identification of firearms for administrative, forensic, or investigative purposes. |
Date Entered: February 5, 2008