Law Enforcement

The Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center staff members conduct research and evaluations and provide technical assistance to improve justice policy and practice at the national, state, and local levels. Urban researchers examine the development, implementation, and impact of policing, crime prevention, and gang disruption initiatives. The work includes a large breadth of topics ranging from risk assessment, community corrections and reentry, human trafficking, forensic science, courts and sentencing, to gun violence.

The Vera Institute of Justice combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.

Vera is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit center for justice policy and practice, with offices in New York City, Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. Their projects and reform initiatives, typically conducted in partnership with local, state, or national officials, are located across the United States and around the world.

The mission of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation is to support the neighborhood revitalization efforts of community groups by providing them with financing (e.g., grants, loans, and equity capital), technical and management assistance, training opportunities, and policy support.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1994 by pioneers from the first 12 drug courts in the nation.

This extraordinary group of innovative judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and clinical professionals created a common sense approach to improving the justice system by using a combination of judicial monitoring and effective treatment to compel drug-using offenders to change their lives.

Chartered in 1940, the National Sheriffs' Association is a professional association dedicated to serving the Office of Sheriff and its affiliates through police education, police training, and general law enforcement information resources. NSA represents thousands of sheriffs, deputies and other law enforcement, public safety professionals, and concerned citizens nationwide.

Founded in 1976 as a nonprofit organization, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a police research organization and a provider of management services, technical assistance, and executive-level education to support law enforcement agencies. PERF helps improve the delivery of police services through the exercise of strong national leadership, public debate of police and criminal justice issues, and research and policy development.

The purpose of the National Policing Institute is to help the police be more effective in doing their job, whether it be deterring robberies, intervening in potentially injurious family disputes, or working to improve relationships between the police and the communities they serve. To accomplish their mission, they work closely with police officers and police agencies across the country, and it is in their hard work and contributions that their accomplishments are rooted.

The Research Foundation (RF) is a private, nonprofit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation’s largest urban public university. The RF supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award). According to the most recently published annual report, 2011, awards exceeded $383 million.

The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) bridges the gap between research and practice with data-driven solutions that drive bold, transformative improvements in criminal and juvenile justice systems. CJI works with local, state, tribal, and national criminal justice organizations, providing nonpartisan policy analysis, implementation consulting, capacity building assistance, and research services to advance evidence-based practices and create systems-level change.

Some of CJI’s major projects include:

THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS

Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled international, national, and regional opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate, and create problem-solving partnerships. CSG's national headquarters is in Lexington, Kentucky.