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Homeland Security and Public Safety

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RAND conducts analyses and makes recommendations to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security across its full set of missions to prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage America's borders, enforce and administer immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, and strengthen preparedness and resilience. In the area of public safety, RAND research addresses drug policy, crime, prison reform, and prisoner reentry, and other topics.

Tool
A Toolkit for Community-Police Dialogue
Most efforts to improve community-police relations end up being ad hoc, are led by a few officers or motivated community members, and tend to be abandoned over time. A new guide can help communities implement a structured community-police dialogue that could lead to more productive relationships between police and the communities they serve.
Nov 27, 2023
Commentary
Terror and the Secondary Trauma of Social Media
As graphic images from Israel and Gaza proliferate on social media, it is likely that these images are having significant negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of many. Mitigating their impact on global mental health might require making hard choices and doing the work to forge community bonds that prioritize everyone's well-being.
Nov 4, 2023

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Explore Homeland Security and Public Safety

News Release
Rise in Child Suicide in the U.S. Linked in Part to the Nation's Opioid Crisis
The rise in child suicides in the United States since 2010 was fueled in part by the nation's opioid crisis, which previous studies found increased rates of child neglect and altered household living arrangements.
Dec 4, 2023
News Release
Crime-Free Housing Policies Increase Evictions in Minority and Low-Income Neighborhoods, but Do Not Lead to Reductions ...
Policies that encourage landlords to evict tenants who have involvement with the criminal justice system do not appear to reduce crime, while increasing evictions among Black residents and people with lower incomes.
Nov 17, 2023
News Release
U.S. Armed Forces Capabilities in Arctic Region Pose National Security Risks, Need Strengthening
The United States needs to strengthen its ability to protect its Arctic interests as the region becomes a more active security environment. Key areas for improvement include communications, infrastructure, training, equipment, tactics and the ability to scale presence.
Nov 1, 2023
News Release
Rise in Overdose Deaths Increasingly Affects Those with Lower Educational Attainment
Drug overdose deaths increased sharply among Americans without a college education and nearly doubled over a three-year period among those who don't have a high school diploma. The findings further highlight a potential association between the rise in drug overdose deaths and barriers to education access, a social determinant of health.
Oct 6, 2023
News Release
1 in 5 Teachers Feel Carrying Gun to Class Would Make Schools Safer; More Than Half Think Armed Teachers Would Make ...
U.S. teachers are divided on whether arming themselves would make schools safer, with one in five saying they would be interested in carrying a gun to school.
May 31, 2023
News Release
State Policies Requiring Education for Buprenorphine Prescribers Boosts Use of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
States that want to increase access to buprenorphine, a lifesaving medication used to treat opioid use disorder, should consider efforts to enhance professional education and clinician knowledge.
May 26, 2023
News Release
Support for Extremism Among U.S. Military Veterans Is Similar to Public at Large
Support among military veterans for extremist groups and extremist ideals appears similar to or less than levels seen among the U.S. public in general, despite fears that it could be higher.
May 23, 2023
News Release
Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Rises After Medicare Expands Coverage for Methadone
The use of methadone among Medicare beneficiaries to treat opioid use disorder increased sharply after the program began covering the drug, with evidence suggesting the change created new treatment rather than displacing use of other medications.
May 19, 2023
News Release
New Book by Hoehn and Shanker Asserts America's National Security Machine Has Gone Astray, Fails To Keep U.S. Safe—But Can Be Fixed
A new book by RAND senior vice president Andrew Hoehn and bestselling author Thom Shanker looks at the major challenges facing America—from superpowers China and Russia to emerging threats like pandemics, cybersecurity, climate change, and drones—and reimagines the national security apparatus into something that can truly keep Americans safe.
May 11, 2023
News Release
Providing Legal Counsel at Initial Bail Hearings Reduces Use of Cash Bail, Lowers Incarceration
Providing defendants with legal counsel during their initial bail hearing decreases use of monetary bail and pretrial detention, without increasing the likelihood that defendants fail to appear at the subsequent preliminary hearing.
May 5, 2023
News Release
U.S. Opioid Crisis Best Viewed as Connected Ecosystem; Changing Policymakers' Approach Can Aid Solutions
The nation's opioid crisis, which kills thousands of Americans annually, is best viewed as an ecosystem where all parts of the vexing problem are interconnected, underscoring the need for holistic solutions that address the broad needs of those with substance use disorders, their families, and the communities where they live.
Mar 16, 2023
News Release
Frequent Alcohol Testing Combined with Swift and Certain Sanctions Is Associated with Lower Death Rates
A statewide alcohol-monitoring program that requires people arrested for drunk driving and other alcohol-involved offenses to be tested frequently for alcohol use can reduce the likelihood that participants die for several years after their involvement with the program.
Mar 1, 2023
News Release
Online Tool Allows State-by-State Analysis of Firearm Policies and Death Rates
States in the northeast and the coastal west region of the United States have among the lowest firearm death rates in the nation, while states in the south and mountain west have firearm death rates that are especially high.
Feb 23, 2023
News Release
Evidence About Effects of Gun Policies Grows and Supports Laws Intended to Restrict Child Access to Guns
There is now supportive evidence that child-access-prevention laws reduce firearm homicides and self-injuries among youth, and that shall-issue concealed-carry laws and stand-your-ground laws increase levels of firearm violence.
Jan 10, 2023
News Release
Buprenorphine Use Remained Stable During First Year of Pandemic, but New Prescriptions Dropped During Period
The number of active prescriptions for the opioid disorder treatment drug buprenorphine remained constant during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of new prescriptions for the treatment was far below what would normally have been expected.
Dec 7, 2022
News Release
Second Annual RAND-AUC Consortium Policy Hackathon to Focus on Justice Reinvestment
Undergraduate students from four Atlanta University Center (AUC) Consortium schools will collaborate with Pardee RAND doctoral students to identify potential justice reinvestment policy options during a virtual hackathon offered by the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and the AUC.
Oct 26, 2022
News Release
Out-of-Pocket Cost of Naloxone May Keep Many Uninsured from Using Lifesaving Treatment
The cost of buying the opioid antidote naloxone is out of reach for many uninsured Americans, a hurdle that may keep the treatment from saving more people who overdose on opioids.
Aug 19, 2022
News Release
L.A. Program to Divert Homeless from Jail into Supportive Housing Decreases Use of County Services
A program that diverts some people with a history of homelessness from Los Angeles County jails into permanent supportive housing can significantly lower taxpayer spending on services such as hospital care and shelter use.
Aug 16, 2022
News Release
Rise in U.S. Firearm Homicides Disproportionately Affecting South-Central and Midwest States
A rise in U.S. firearm homicides in recent years has primarily affected states in the South-Central and Midwest portion of the nation, as well as disproportionately affecting people who are American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Black.
Jul 14, 2022
News Release
Preparedness Appears Low for Rollout of National 988 Mental Health Hotline
A survey of a large group of public health officials responsible for helping to roll out the nation's new 988 emergency mental health telephone service found that fewer than half expressed confidence their jurisdiction was prepared in terms of financing, staffing, or infrastructure.
Jun 2, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Homeland Security and Public Safety

Topic Synonyms:
Homeland Defense

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

James D. Powers

Quality Assurance Manager, RAND National Security Research Division

James D. Powers is a RAND senior engineer and the Quality Assurance Manager for the National Security Research Division. Since joining RAND, Powers has led or co-led projects on F-35 cost reduction, cybersecurity in Air Force acquisition, Air Force energy assurance, and advanced manufacturing…
Felipe De Leon

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND, and Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Felipe De León Denegri (he/him) is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has a B.S. in industrial engineering from Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. Prior to joining Pardee RAND, he was…

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