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RAND work on public safety issues ranges from policing and prisons to violent crime and the illegal drug trade, as well as homeland security and emergency preparedness. RAND research helps inform policy debates that are often riddled with arguments driven not by evidence but by emotion and ideology.

Commentary

Fentanyl Makes an Already Dangerous Drug Market Deadlier Than Ever

May 2, 2022

Failure to recognize and respond to how rapidly illegal drug markets have changed with the arrival of illegally manufactured synthetic opioids will continue to put many Americans at risk of exposure to fentanyl, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands more for years to come.
Project

Informing the Gun Policy Debate

Mar 2, 2018

RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative provides information on what scientific research can tell us about the effects of gun laws. Our goal is to establish a shared set of facts that will improve public discussions and support the development of fair and effective gun policies.

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Report

Research Road Map to Reduce Police Killings

Preventing killings committed by police will require research funding, research-practitioner partnerships with police agencies and unions, and standardized data collection. Research should focus on training, policies, technology, consequences for officers, and foundational issues such as racial inequities.

May 18, 2022
Journal Article

Rapid Changes in Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Products and Prices in the United States

This analysis used data from drug seizures and undercover purchases to address two questions: To what extent does supply of illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) vary over time and geography? What has happened to the purity-adjusted price of IMF?

May 13, 2022
Journal Article

Supportive Housing for Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals With Criminal Justice Histories: Challenges and Opportunities Identified by Providers and Clients

To explore the service needs of sexual and gender minority individuals, we interviewed providers and clients from eight supportive housing organizations working with SGM populations in L.A. County.

May 12, 2022
Report

Managing Response to Significant Cyber Incidents: Comparing Event Life Cycles and Incident Response Across Cyber and Non-Cyber Events

This report examines U.S. structures and processes for non-cyber emergency management and whether U.S. officials can learn from these other incidents to help public and private sector stakeholders improve preparations for response to cyber incidents.

May 12, 2022
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2022

The cover story explores what prison-based programs are available to help incarcerated parents and their children. Another feature examines ways to help social media users navigate the online extremist ecosystem.

May 11, 2022
Blog

How Data Can Help Refugees, Homelessness in L.A., Harm Reduction: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tapping into Facebook data to help refugees, addressing homelessness in Los Angeles, understanding burnout among health care providers, and more.

May 6, 2022
Commentary

Lebanon: Challenges and Successes in COVID-19 Pandemic Response

In Lebanon, COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and daily deaths continue to decline. This is an accomplishment worthy of celebration in the midst of hyperinflation, all-time high unemployment, nadir purchasing power, and a health sector on the verge of collapse.

May 6, 2022
Multimedia

Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking

This video provides an overview of the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, including its purpose, research, and findings.

May 3, 2022
Essay

How to Avoid Extremism on Social Media

Extremist groups have been trolling the internet for decades, and they have learned to temper their words and disguise their intentions. A new scorecard can help users—or parents, or advertisers, or the social media companies themselves—understand when they might be interacting with extremist content.

May 3, 2022
Report

Leveraging Technology to Support Prisoner Reentry

How can technology help ease the transition from jails or prisons back into the community—and ensure better outcomes for individuals who have been incarcerated?

May 3, 2022
Essay

What Programs Can Help Parents in Prison and Their Children?

Around 2.3 million people live in U.S. jails and prisons, and most of them are parents. What are prisons doing to help them be better parents when they get out? It's more than just a policy question—it's a social justice question.

May 2, 2022
Commentary

A Greater Focus On Harm Reduction Will Save Lives

For decades, elected officials brushed off harm reduction as a viable option for reducing the harms of drug use over concerns of enabling drug consumption. But now, these strategies are front and center, spoken aloud, from the largest podium in the land, and during prime time. What caused this historic about-face?

Apr 29, 2022
Blog

A Peacekeeping Operation in Ukraine, Synthetic Opioids, Geoengineering: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why it may be time to consider a peacekeeping operation in northern Ukraine, supporting veterans with traumatic brain injury, a new response to synthetic opioids, and more.

Apr 29, 2022
Journal Article

Assessment of Point-of-Care Testing Devices for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Prevention and Control: A Mapping Exercise

This document provides the final report of a mapping exercise undertaken as part of a wider study that was commissioned by ECDC and undertaken by RAND Europe between November 2019 and April 2020.

Apr 29, 2022
Journal Article

A Scoping Review of Point-of-Care Testing Devices for Infectious Disease Surveillance, Prevention and Control

This document provides the final report of a scoping review undertaken as part of a wider study that was commissioned by ECDC and undertaken by RAND Europe between November 2019 and April 2020.

Apr 29, 2022
Report

Response Options to Cyberattacks on U.S. Government Networks

The United States has proved vulnerable to cyber incidents, and a lack of response has emboldened Russia and China to expand their cyber espionage activities. Have U.S. responses changed over time or affected adversary behavior? What lessons do these cases offer for future policymaking?

Apr 29, 2022
Testimony

Extremist Use of Online Spaces

Extremist content can be found on all corners of the internet. How do the characteristics of online spaces contribute to individual radicalization? And how may the internet have helped foster conditions that contributed to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol?

Apr 27, 2022
Q&A

A New Approach to Fighting Synthetic Opioids: Q&A with David Luckey and Jayme Fuglesten

The opioid crisis isn't just about drug policy or law. It involves national security, homeland security, intelligence, diplomacy, supply chain issues, and cryptocurrency. Drawing on RAND's expertise across all those areas, the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking delivered a plan, a call to action about what it's going to take to save lives.

Apr 26, 2022
Commentary

Iran: Challenges and Successes in COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Iran has faced an uphill battle since the first cases of COVID-19 were found in the country. Despite limited resources, Iran has also had its share of successes and innovations in combating the virus.

Apr 20, 2022

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