RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment
RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment provides insights and solutions to public- and private-sector decisionmakers across numerous domains, including criminal and civil justice; public safety; environmental and natural resources policy; energy, transportation, communications, and other infrastructure; and homeland security.
Research Topics

Through the Safety & Justice Program and the Insitute for Civil Justice, as well as the Drug Policy Research Center, JIE conducts research on civil and criminal justice and public safety. Our focus ranges from drug policy and policing to workplace health and safety and corporate governance. Read More »

JIE researchers examine issues surrounding the supply chain, transportation infrastructure, and the development of critical technologies through the Homeland Security and Defense Center as well as the Transportation, Space, and Technology Program. Read More »

Water resource management, energy policy, sustainability, and robust decisionmaking in response to climate change are all important issues that require innovative ideas and policies. Within JIE, the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program takes the lead in exploring these topics. Read More »
Blog

Driving Mexican marijuana out of the U.S. would probably reduce the traffickers' export revenue by a few billion dollars a year, writes Beau Kilmer. But would reducing that revenue lead to a corresponding decrease in trafficker violence?
Blog

The fact is that the United States needs to gear up for the coming era of cyber threats — and start by ensuring its financial flank is not catastrophically compromised, writes Mark Sparkman.
Blog

An aircraft's capacity and speed largely determine the rate at which water or retardant can be applied to a fire. Very large air tankers (VLATs) certainly have the capacity to apply large amounts of fluids to a fire, but because of the distances travelled they may not be able to get a second load very quickly.
Blog

If the “user pays” idea is worth saving, the United States needs a different calculation, writes Liisa Ecola. Some states are looking at mileage fees. With mileage fees, you pay based on the number of miles you drive, rather than the number of gallons of gas used.
Blog

Basic questions have been raised about the evolving role of boards, at a time when scandal and perceptions of corporate opportunism have resulted in a loss of public trust in the business community, writes Michael Greenberg.
Blog

Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and coauthor of
Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know, hosted an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session on Reddit this week. He fielded questions from participants on a variety of drug policy issues.
Blog

Policymakers in Washington and Colorado are confronting some new and tricky issues that have never been addressed. For them, and for anyone else thinking about changing their pot laws, there are seven key decision areas that will shape the costs and benefits of marijuana legalization.
Blog

Basing public safety decisions on risk analysis allows authorities to devote public resources to those counterterrorism measures that have the potential to do the most good, writes Henry Willis.