Research Priorities for Crime Prevention and the Causes of Crime

The National Institute of Justice has identified high-priority research, development and evaluation needs for the prevention of crime and understanding the causes of crime. Those high-priority goals include:

• Increase the practical knowledge of those factors (individual, peer, community and societal) that may lead to delinquent or criminal behavior.
• Develop knowledge of programs, interventions and strategies that prevent crime by at-risk populations.
• Improve the ability to prevent crime in specific contexts, including schools, using selected physical design, access control strategies and technologies.
• Develop knowledge relevant to community-based and faith-based approaches that prevent crime.
• Improve the understanding of deterrence mechanisms that prevent crime.

These priorities inform decisions about the scope of future work and the dissemination of NIJ-sponsored knowledge and technologies. At the same time, NIJ maintains the flexibility to respond to emerging needs and to consider the merits of individual projects that may contribute to other worthwhile goals.