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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.

Report

Violent Extremism in America: Firsthand Accounts

Apr 1, 2021

The January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol emphasized the need for more research to inform violent extremism prevention and deradicalization strategies. Interviews with former extremists and their family members shed light on what leads people to join—and later leave—extremist groups.
Report

Challenges in Implementing Physical Security Measures in K–12 Schools

Jun 3, 2021

Creating safe and secure environments is essential to supporting effective teaching and learning in America's classrooms. What are the most common challenges to physical security planning in schools?

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Blog

Trust in the CDC, Teaching Students with Disabilities, Russian Mercenaries: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses declining trust in the CDC, insights from educators about teaching students with disabilities, Russian mercenaries, and more.

Apr 9, 2021
Commentary

Loose-Fit Infrastructure Can Better Account for Climate Change

As climate change accelerates there is a growing disconnect between what our infrastructure systems can do and what we need them to do. Policymakers should view infrastructure investments as not simply hardware fixes and upgrades, but as efforts to close this gap.

Apr 8, 2021
Report

Lessons Learned from the Justice System's Pandemic Response

Incarcerated populations, corrections staff, court personnel, and law enforcement were hit hard by COVID-19. At the same time, national protests after the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans increased pressure for criminal justice reform. Insights from this time could help the justice system prepare for future challenges.

Apr 8, 2021
Commentary

Don't Muddy the Objectives on Fighting Domestic Extremism

The U.S. Capitol attack on January 6 has fueled momentum for new approaches and laws to counter attacks by domestic violent extremists. It will be crucial for policymakers to reckon with what new laws and law enforcement can achieve, and what they can get wrong.

Apr 7, 2021
Commentary

The USPS Is a Public Service, Not a Business

As Congress and the White House debate how to assist the Postal Service, it will be important to understand the effects of proposed cost-cutting measures on mail delivery of vital services, smaller and rural communities, low-income communities, and the USPS's broader public safety and security functions.

Apr 6, 2021
News Release

Public Trust of the Centers for Disease Control Falls During Coronavirus Pandemic

Public trust in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic, with the decline bringing overall population-level trust in the agency to the same lower level of trust long held by Black Americans about the agency.

Apr 5, 2021
Report

Trust in the CDC Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic

From May to October 2020, some Americans lost trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop in trust was particularly significant among people who intended to vote for a candidate other than Joe Biden in the 2020 election or did not intend to vote at all. This suggests that views of the CDC are now strongly politicized.

Apr 5, 2021
Blog

Understanding Violent Extremism, 'Blockships,' VMT Fee: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on firsthand accounts of violent extremism, lessons from the recent blockage in the Suez Canal, and if a federal Vehicle Miles Travel fee could replace the gas tax.

Apr 2, 2021
News Release

Interviews with Former Extremists Reveal Multiple Paths to Developing Extreme Ideologies; Rejection of Extremism Often ...

People who radicalize to extremist ideologies often are triggered by negative life events or exposure to propaganda, and those who escape from extreme groups frequently are aided by an individual or group that intervenes to help them reject the philosophy.

Apr 2, 2021
Commentary

Now Is (Finally) the Time to Future-Proof Our Infrastructure

The world is barreling toward a more volatile climate with infrastructure designed for the past. With infrastructure widely expected to be prioritized in Congress soon, every infrastructure bill is also a climate bill. It is critical that we make our infrastructure climate-safe.

Apr 1, 2021
Report

Developing Metrics and Scoring Procedures to Support Mitigation Grant Program Decisionmaking

To develop metrics that can inform decisionmaking for awarding predisaster mitigation grants, the authors established three lines of effort (LoEs) for analysis. Each LoE produced a metric or framework that could support grant decisionmaking.

Mar 31, 2021
Report

Third Offset Fostered Real Intellectual Change Within DoD

In 2014, U.S. defense leaders began promoting the Third Offset, a strategy centered on the potential of technology to offset Chinese and Russian advances. Its core principles were adopted by the 2018 National Defense Strategy. DoD started to look at security problems in a new light and develop closer ties with Silicon Valley.

Mar 31, 2021
Commentary

The Suez Grounding Was an Accident. The Next Blocked Chokepoint Might Not Be

The recent spectacle of a hulking container ship wedged into the Suez Canal is a reminder of how vulnerable maritime transportation is to blocked chokepoints. The fragility of maritime lifelines may encourage the use of this tactic in future conflict.

Mar 30, 2021
Report

Perceived Retaliation Against Military Sexual Assault Victims

Fear of retaliation is often identified as a barrier to reporting sexual assault in the military. To improve the likelihood that victims will choose to engage in response services after an assault, it is critical to understand and mitigate the consequences they face, including the risk of retaliation.

Mar 29, 2021
Commentary

The Pentagon Could Help Improve Resilience of the U.S. Electric Grid

The resilience and robustness of the U.S. electric grid needs to be improved, especially given the likely increased occurrence and magnitude of natural disasters due to climate change. This is where government entities that operate large facilities in the United States, such as the Department of Defense, can potentially play a role.

Mar 25, 2021
Journal Article

Does Marijuana Legalization Affect Work Capacity? Evidence from Workers' Compensation Benefits

We study the effect of state recreational marijuana laws on workers' compensation benefit receipt among adults 40–62 years old.

Mar 23, 2021
Journal Article

Mapping the Risk of Serious and Organised Crime Infiltrating Legitimate Businesses: Final Report

This report examines the infiltration of organized crime into legitimate European businesses, and its involvement in various illegal markets, including drugs and human trafficking.

Mar 23, 2021
Journal Article

Mapping the Risk of Serious and Organised Crime Infiltrating Legitimate Businesses: Technical Annexes

This annex provides a description of the cross-cutting data-collection activities that were undertaken to address the research questions and the major outputs of the study.

Mar 23, 2021
Commentary

Asian American Lives and Livelihoods Don't Just Deserve Our Qualified Support

Racism against Asian Americans is deeply rooted in the history of the United States. Enduring stereotypes about and bias towards Asian Americans, as well as lack of concern about them, have had long-standing harm on Asian American lives and livelihoods. What can the Asian American community and its allies do?

Mar 22, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Homeland Security and Public Safety

Topic Synonyms:
Homeland Defense

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