Drugs, Alcohol and Crime High Priority Goals

To inform and assist policymakers and practitioners grappling with the myriad issues and demands of drugs and their impact on crime, the National Institute of Justice has identified high-priority research, development and evaluation needs. Those high-priority goals include: 

• Increase understanding of relationships between drugs, alcohol and crime.
• Identify ways to disrupt/deter drug markets and drug sales.
• Develop strategies to prevent or detect drug or alcohol-related crime.
• Evaluate strategies to reduce drug dependency among offenders, including drug courts and drug treatment in correctional settings.

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.