Perspectives on Crime and Justice

The issues of crime and justice loom large in our public discourse. Most people would agree that we suffer from too much of the former and enjoy too little of the latter. Nevertheless, forging a broad policy consensus on the public response to these twin challenges can be a daunting task. Too often, the national debate on crime and justice is dominated by the crime of the day, the solution of the moment, or the favorite criminological theory of the year. In this environment it is easy for fresh insights, common sense, and solid research to be trampled in the rough exchange of opposing ideologies and competing sound bites. Proud as we are of our research and development projects to advance our understanding of crime-particularly its prevention and control-and to evaluate our society's attempts to achieve justice, NIJ recognizes that they too infrequently inform the larger effort within our society to develop policy directions that reflect the best thinking of the best minds. Other perspectives are needed to understand the larger movements and deeper currents in the flow of knowledge.