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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.

Commentary

Cyber Threats from the U.S. and Russia Are Now Focusing on Civilian Infrastructure

Jul 23, 2019

For years, Russia and the United States have been targeting each other's infrastructure through cyberattacks. But the aggression and scope of these operations now seem unprecedented. What are the best options for U.S. policymakers?
Commentary

China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis

May 22, 2019

Given China's recent decision to ban the unauthorized manufacture of fentanyl, authorities there appear to recognize a growing problem. But China cannot solve the U.S. opioid problem. The United States could do more to reduce demand for opioids as well as drug users' exposure to these powerful drugs.

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News Release

Young Adults Who Live Near Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Use Marijuana More Often, Have More-Positive Views

Young adults who live in neighborhoods with more medical marijuana dispensaries use marijuana more frequently than their peers and have more-positive views about the drug. The associations were strongest among young adults who lived near dispensaries that had storefront signs.

Jun 17, 2019
News Release

News Release

Creating Prison-Based College Program That Continues After Release Presents Challenges, but Can Have Success

Creating a prison-based program where incarcerated individuals can take college classes and then work toward a degree upon release can be successful, but many obstacles challenge the success of such efforts.

May 22, 2019
News Release

News Release

Some Asian Nations Reforming Drug Policies; China Unlikely to Curb Fentanyl Exports in Short Term

Strict policies traditionally embraced by Asian nations to discourage illicit drug use are beginning to change, with a few nations adopting alternative approaches while other nations are taking an even harder line against drugs.

May 15, 2019
News Release

Allowing Pharmacists to Directly Dispense Opioid Antidote Can Sharply Cut Opioid Overdose Deaths

Allowing pharmacists to dispense the opioid antidote naloxone without a physician's prescription can sharply reduce the incidence of fatal opioid-related overdoses. States that adopted such laws saw fatal opioid overdoses fall by an average of 27 percent during the second year following passage and 34 percent in subsequent years.

May 6, 2019
News Release

Using Cannabis and Tobacco/Nicotine Together Is Linked to Heavier Use and Poorer Functioning Among Young Adults

More than a third of young adults report using both cannabis and tobacco or nicotine products, providing a unique challenge to public health officials as cannabis is legalized in more jurisdictions.

Apr 29, 2019
News Release

News Release

Human Smuggling Via Central America Generates Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, but Transnational Criminal Groups May ...

The smuggling of unlawful migrants from the Northern Triangle region of Central America—Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador—to the United States generated between $200 million and $2.3 billion for human smugglers in 2017. The wide range reflects uncertainty about the number of migrants that travel northward, their use of smugglers and the fees they pay.

Apr 22, 2019
News Release

Graphic Warning Labels on Tobacco Packages Can Deter Some Smokers

Placing graphic anti-smoking warning labels on cigarette packages may deter some adults from purchasing tobacco products. But the strategy is unlikely to influence smokers who are most addicted to nicotine.

Apr 9, 2019
News Release

News Release

Countering Violent Extremism Programs May Gain Insights from Each Other

As countries around the world develop countering violent extremism (CVE) programs to prevent homegrown terrorism, there is a dearth of understanding about what types of such programs exist and which approaches are most effective. A new RAND Corporation report aims to help CVE program directors and policymakers in Australia place their efforts in context and identify promising approaches domestically and internationally.

Apr 4, 2019
News Release

News Release

Women Leave U.S. Coast Guard at Higher Rates Than Men; More Equitable Personnel Policies Could Help Narrow Gap

As at other military services, women leave the active-duty Coast Guard at higher rates than men. To retain a diverse workforce the Coast Guard should continue to pursue more inclusive personnel policies, such as augmenting workforce gaps during parental leave, minimizing the impact parental leave has on evaluations and promotion, and expanding opportunities for leadership development training.

Mar 29, 2019
News Release

News Release

Seismic Safety Upgrades May Cost California Hospitals Billions, Increase Number of Hospitals in Financial Distress

After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, in which 11 hospitals were damaged and eight were evacuated, California adopted SB1953, which aims to improve hospital resilience to seismic events. The law requires hospitals to reduce their buildings' risk of collapse by 2020 and to remain operational after an earthquake by 2030. California hospitals would need to make substantial investments to meet 2030 state seismic safety standards.

Mar 28, 2019
News Release

Younger Americans Much More Likely to Have Been Arrested Than Previous Generations; Increase Is Largest Among Whites and Women

Americans under the age of 26 are much more likely to have been arrested than Americans born in previous decades, with the increase in arrest rates occurring most rapidly among white Americans and women. The rising rate of arrests and convictions is associated with a variety of negative ramifications.

Feb 25, 2019
News Release

News Release

Terrorism Prevention Programs Need Strengthening If They Are to Be Effective

National capabilities for terrorism prevention, which refers to options other than traditional law-enforcement action to respond to the risk of individual radicalization to violence, are relatively limited. Most rely on local or non-government efforts, and only a subset receive federal support.

Feb 14, 2019
News Release

Reformulation of OxyContin to Discourage Abuse Linked to Higher Rates of Hepatitis C Infections

To discourage drug abuse, the pain medicine OxyContin was reformulated in 2010, making it difficult to crush or dissolve. This led to a large rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from OxyContin to injectable heroin.

Feb 4, 2019
News Release

Study Links Long-Term Unemployment to Increase in Babies Born with Opioid Withdrawal

Babies born after being exposed to opioids before birth are more likely to be delivered in regions of the U.S. with high rates of long-term unemployment and lower levels of mental health services.

Jan 30, 2019
News Release

News Release

Middle Eastern Communities Can Resist Sectarianism

Middle Eastern communities are generally resilient to the worst sectarian impulses and even communities that experience sectarian strife can recover from it. Indeed, at least at the local level, communities can resist the slide toward sectarianism and promote resilience and cross-sectarian cooperation.

Jan 14, 2019
News Release

National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research Releases First Request for Research Proposals

The National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research, a philanthropic fund created to support scientific research on gun policy, today released its first request for proposals to support up to $10 million in projects during its first grantmaking cycle. The deadline for initial submissions is February 4.

Jan 7, 2019
News Release

Adolescent Marijuana Use Fell After Legalization in Washington; Study Highlights Need to Use Better Data to Follow Youth Use Trends

Marijuana use among teenagers in Washington state appears to have declined in the years immediately following the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012, contradicting earlier estimates about the trend.

Dec 19, 2018
News Release

News Release

Islamic State Proves Greater Draw for U.S.-Born Recruits Than al Qaeda

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been more successful than its predecessor organization, al Qaeda, in drawing Americans to its cause. Whereas al-Qaeda was more reliant on preexisting connections to the region or Islam, an ISIL candidate recruit is more likely to be younger, less educated, and a U.S.-born citizen.

Dec 18, 2018
News Release

News Release

Providing Supervised Medical-Grade Heroin to Heavy Users Can Reduce Harms; Approach Merits Pilot Study in U.S.

Providing supervised access to medical-grade heroin to people whose use continues after trying multiple traditional treatments has been successful in other countries, and should be piloted and studied in the United States.

Dec 6, 2018
News Release

Gun Violence Research Collaborative to Release First Request for Research Proposals in January, Names Advisory Committee

The National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research, a philanthropic fund that will support scientific research on gun policy, announced that it will release its first request for proposals in early January 2019 and award up to $10 million in research funding during its first round of grantmaking.

Nov 15, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Homeland Security and Public Safety

Topic Synonyms:
Homeland Defense

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