Justice Policy Commentary

Politics and Government
State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND
Feb 5, 2020

The final State of the Union address of President Trump's four-year term may be viewed through the lens of the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the evening. But the speech touched on a range of policy challenges that will remain, regardless of how politics play out in 2020.
Substance Abuse
Policies That Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use Don't Help Mother or Baby
Jan 28, 2020
Laura J. Faherty @LauraFahertyMD

About half of all U.S. states now have policies that criminalize substance use during pregnancy, consider it grounds for civil commitment, or consider it child abuse or neglect. But research suggests that punitive policies aren't beneficial for infants or their mothers.
Opioids
Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America
Jan 13, 2020

America's fentanyl crisis is unlike previous drug epidemics and is likely to get worse. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. Solving the problem requires innovative approaches and unprecedented resources.
Drug Markets and Supply
What Will the Opioid Crisis Look Like in Five Years?
Nov 18, 2019
Jirka Taylor, Peter Reuter

Despite variations in European opioid markets, there is an overarching commonality too: Once a synthetic opioid like fentanyl becomes dominant, it stays that way. The United States should prepare for fentanyl and other synthetic opioids as a lasting phenomenon. Learning from other countries' experiences is an important part of that effort.
Civic Education
The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections
Nov 6, 2019
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

The RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ) has supplied government and private decisionmakers and the public with the results of objective, empirically based, analytic research. In this era of Truth Decay, the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life, the ICJ's mission and research have never been more important.
Prisoner Reentry
A Novel Approach to Helping People Returning from Prison
Oct 30, 2019

Many services try to address the needs of individuals returning from prison, but they're often designed without much input from the very people who need the services. A group of county agencies, service providers, and former prisoners collaborated to identify ways to improve reentry services in Los Angeles.
Opioids
Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users
Oct 14, 2019
Bryce Pardo @brycepardo, Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer

Although opioid prescriptions in the U.S. have fallen, opioid overdose deaths remain at historic levels. The continued spread of fentanyl and other illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids suggests the problem could still get worse.
Crime and Violence Prevention
'Stand Your Ground' Laws May Be Causing More Harm Than Good
Sep 12, 2019
Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Rosanna Smart @RosannaSmart

Americans have debated whether “stand your ground” laws or gun-free zones make us safer or less safe for decades. These are debates about factual matters that are, in principle, knowable. Without research on these and other topics, bad laws will inadvertently be passed or retained.
Crime and Violence Prevention
No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings
Aug 23, 2019
John S. Hollywood, Jordan R. Reimer @Jordan_R_Reimer

After three mass shootings in the span of a week left 53 wounded and 34 dead, pressure is mounting on Congress to respond with legislation to restrict access to guns and ammunition. But there is no need to wait for new laws. There are steps that can be taken immediately that evidence suggests could help prevent attacks or reduce the death toll from them.
Catastrophic Liability Risk Management
Allocating Costs for California Wildfires
Jul 24, 2019
Lloyd Dixon

Wildfires in California have caused and will likely continue to cause substantial losses for residents, businesses, and government agencies. It is important to distribute these losses in a manner that provides incentives to reduce their magnitude over time.
Drug Markets and Supply
China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis
May 22, 2019
Bryce Pardo @brycepardo, Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer

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.
Opioids
A Holistic Approach to Solving the Opioid Crisis
Apr 15, 2019

While federal, state and, local governments deploy strategies to tackle the opioid crisis, the problem continues to proliferate. RAND researchers suggest that these strategies fail to solve the larger problem because they've largely been developed in silos. The opioid crisis is an ecosystem, and mitigating the problem will require a holistic approach.
Opioids
Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences
Feb 20, 2019
David Powell

The pain medicine OxyContin was reformulated in 2010 to make it more difficult to crush or dissolve. But this had unintended consequences, including a rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from taking OxyContin to injecting heroin.
United States
State of the Union: Insights from RAND
Feb 6, 2019

To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.
Social and Emotional Learning
The Impact of Restorative Practices
Jan 17, 2019
John Engberg, Catherine H. Augustine

A recent RAND report focuses on estimates of the impact of restorative practices on comprehensive outcome measures for all students. The report defines these measures in seven outcome domains and leads with the impact on suspensions. It estimates the impact on 50 secondary measures and on the seven primary measures for numerous student subgroups defined by race, income, special needs and English language learner status.

Page 3 of 6
Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
Next

Researcher Spotlight

Lois M. Davis

Senior Policy Researcher

Lois M. Davis is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She has over 25 years research experience in the areas of public safety and public health, with a focus on justice-involved populations, health disparities, and health care and social services delivery and implementation.…

Brian A. Jackson

Senior Physical Scientist

Brian A. Jackson is a senior physical scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research focuses on homeland security, criminal justice, and emergency preparedness. His areas of research have included the evaluation of technology and policy in criminal justice, measurement of emergency…

Beau Kilmer

Director, RAND Drug Policy Research Center

Beau Kilmer is director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His research lies at the intersection of public health and public safety, with special emphasis on crime control, substance use, illicit markets, and public policy.

Media Literacy Standards to Counter Truth Decay

RAND's Impact: 2020 Year in Review

Keep the Vaccine Moving to Save the Most Lives

Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to Pennsylvania Residents

Overcoming Hurdles to Herd Immunity

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Lightening Body Armor

Justice Policy Commentary

State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND

Policies That Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use Don't Help Mother or Baby

Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America

What Will the Opioid Crisis Look Like in Five Years?

The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections

A Novel Approach to Helping People Returning from Prison

Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users

'Stand Your Ground' Laws May Be Causing More Harm Than Good

No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings

Allocating Costs for California Wildfires

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

A Holistic Approach to Solving the Opioid Crisis

Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences

State of the Union: Insights from RAND

The Impact of Restorative Practices

Connect

Contact Us

I am interested in

Follow

Stay Informed

Resources

Site Information