Justice Policy Publications

Publications from the RAND Justice Policy program cover topics related to public safety and the performance of the U.S. criminal justice system for federal law enforcement and other agencies, police departments, and other clients.

RAND Justice Policy also conducts research on topics related to civil justice through the RAND Institute of Civil Justice (ICJ).

Featured Research

Recidivism

Implementation and Evaluation of LA DOOR: A Program to Prevent New Misdemeanor Offenses Related to Substance Use, Mental Illness, or Homelessness
May 24, 2023
Violent Extremism

Veterans Don't Support Extremist Groups Any More Than the Public Does
May 23, 2023
Crime

Diversion Instead of Courts: Improving Outcomes for People Arrested for Low-Level Crimes
May 16, 2023
Recidivism

Wraparound Services Are Key to Helping Justice-Involved Los Angelenos Get and Keep Jobs
May 15, 2023

Browse by Topic

RAND Justice Policy publications are categorized in the following issue areas; some publications are cross-listed in multiple categories:

Law Enforcement

Occupational Safety

Crime, Violence, and Public Safety

Drug Abuse and Drug Policy

Courts and Corrections

Children and Adolescents

Civil Justice

Access to Justice

The Civil Legal Aid Crisis in Eviction Cases: Options and Opportunities

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Report
Prevalence of Veteran Support for Extremist Groups and Extremist Beliefs: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey of the U.S. Veteran Community
The authors conducted a nationally representative survey of the U.S. veteran community to examine the prevalence of support for specific extremist groups and ideologies, including support for political violence.
May 23, 2023
Todd C. Helmus, Ryan Andrew Brown, Rajeev Ramchand
Research Brief
Diversion Instead of Court: Improving Outcomes for People Arrested for Low-level Crimes
This research brief summarizes results of a process and outcome evaluation of Project Reset, a program that diverts adults arrested for low-level crimes into community-based support programs and out of the court system.
May 16, 2023
Shamena Anwar, Melissa M. Labriola, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Matthew L. Mizel
Report
A Process and Outcome Evaluation of Project Reset
In this report, RAND researchers share results of a process and outcome evaluation of Project Reset, a program that diverts adults arrested for low-level crimes into community-based support programs and out of the court system.
May 16, 2023
Shamena Anwar, Melissa M. Labriola, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Matthew L. Mizel
Research Brief
Wraparound Services Are Key to Helping Justice-Involved Los Angelenos Get and Keep Jobs
A team of researchers from the RAND Corporation and Harder+Company Community Research partnered with the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Reentry to evaluate Cohort 2 of Project imPACT. This brief highlights program implementation and outcome findings.
May 12, 2023
Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Katya Migacheva, Amy Goldman, Veronica Awan, Nicole Bracy, Sarah B. Hunter
Report
Implementation and Outcome Evaluation of Project imPACT — A Proposition 47–Funded Program in Los Angeles: Cohort 2 Final Evaluation Report
This report presents findings related to individuals served by Project imPACT, an employment-focused reentry program, between June 2020 and September 2022, demonstrating how service providers helped Fellows achieve several of the program's goals.
May 12, 2023
Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Katya Migacheva, Amy Goldman, Veronica Awan, Nicole Bracy, Sarah B. Hunter
Journal Article
The Impact of Defense Counsel at Bail Hearings
Roughly half of U.S. counties do not provide defense counsel at bail hearings, and few studies have documented the potential impacts of legal representation at this stage.
May 11, 2023
Shamena Anwar, Shawn D. Bushway, John Engberg
Journal Article
Martin Y. Iguchi (1955-2021)
This article memorializes Martin Y. Iguchi (1955-2021). Dr. Iguchi was a pioneering clinical scientist and lifelong champion of equity and racial justice and he died after a lengthy illness on June 5, 2021.
Apr 27, 2023
Leo Beletsky, Katie McCreedy, Beau Kilmer, Ricky N. Bluthenthal, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Rosanna Smart
Journal Article
Failing to Follow the Rules: Can Imprisonment Lead to More Imprisonment Without More Actual Crime?
We find that people involved in low-level crime receiving a prison sentence are more likely than those with non-prison sentences to be re-imprisoned due to technical violations of parole, rather than due to new crimes.
Mar 30, 2023
Catalina Franco Buitrago, David J. Harding, Shawn D. Bushway, Jeffrey D. Morenoff
Report
Evaluability Assessment and Evaluation Options for an Elder Abuse Shelter Model
RAND researchers conducted a formative evaluation and evaluability assessment of the Weinberg Center's EAS in New York and designed three rigorous studies to test the impact of the Elder Abuse Shelter (EAS) model.
Mar 23, 2023
Sierra Smucker, Jirka Taylor, Ivy Todd, Emily Hoch, Monique Martineau, Deven Clark, Meagan Cahill, Esther M. Friedman
Report
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Prison Education: Survey Results
The authors examine trends in the coronavirus disease 2019 infection rate for the U.S. state prison population and present the results of their 2022 survey to assess the impact of the pandemic and response efforts on prison system education programs.
Mar 23, 2023
Lois M. Davis, Susan Turner, Michelle C. Tolbert, Allison Kirkegaard, Beverly A. Weidmer
Research Brief
The Weinberg Center's Elder Abuse Shelter Model: Ready for Impact Evaluation
RAND researchers conducted a formative evaluation and evaluability assessment of the Weinberg Center’s Elder Abuse Shelter (EAS) in New York and designed three rigorous studies to test the impact of the EAS model.
Mar 23, 2023
Sierra Smucker, Jirka Taylor, Ivy Todd, Emily Hoch, Monique Martineau, Deven Clark, Meagan Cahill, Esther M. Friedman
Report
Rethinking Case Management and the Process of Civil Justice Reform: Summary and Papers Presented at a UCLA-RAND Center for Law and Public Policy Conference
This publication summarizes the discussions and presents four pieces of scholarship presented during the UCLA-RAND Center for Law and Public Policy-sponsored "Rethinking Civil Case Management" conference.
Mar 15, 2023
Eric Helland, Carolyn Kuhl, Richard Sander
Journal Article
Association of Polysubstance Use Disorder with Treatment Quality Among Medicaid Beneficiaries with Opioid Use Disorder
Ongoing progress toward increasing access to and quality of evidence-based treatment for OUD requires further efforts to ensure that individuals with co-occurring SUDs are engaged and retained in effective treatment.
Mar 10, 2023
Rosanna Smart, Joo Yeon Kim, Susan Kennedy, Lu Tang, Lindsay Allen, Dushka Crane, Aimee Mack, Shamis Mohamoud, Nathan Pauly, Rosa Perez, Julie M. Donohue
Tool
Visualizing Firearm Mortality and Law Effects: An Interactive Web-Based Tool
This tool provides users with information about the distribution of firearm deaths across states and demographic subgroups. Users can explore how those deaths might be affected by the implementation of a set of commonly enacted state firearm laws.
Feb 23, 2023
Andrew R. Morral, Terry L. Schell, Theo Jacobs, Rosanna Smart
Report
Finding a Broadly Practical Approach for Regulating the Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement
This report examines current and near-future uses of facial recognition by law enforcement and identifies the various concerns and related policy domains that could be used to guide public policy.
Feb 15, 2023
Samuel Peterson, Brian A. Jackson, Dulani Woods, Elina Treyger
Journal Article
Racial Disparities in Criminal Sentencing Vary Considerably Across Federal Judges
Substantial race-based disparities exist in federal criminal sentencing. We analyze 380,000 recent (2006–2019) sentences in the JUSTFAIR database and show that these disparities are large and vary considerably across judges.
Feb 15, 2023
Nicholas Goldrosen, Christian Michael Smith, Maria-Veronica Ciocanel, Rebecca Santorella, Shilad Sen, Shawn D. Bushway, Chad M. Topaz
Journal Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Workers with a Criminal History
In this article, we use data from the NLSY97 COVID-19 Supplement to examine the extent to which workers with a criminal history record had employment disruptions during the early months of the pandemic.
Feb 14, 2023
Daniel Schwam, Shawn D. Bushway, Jeffrey B. Wenger
Report
Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Needs for Law Enforcement
As cryptocurrency is increasingly used for both legitimate business transactions and illegal activities, law enforcement must adapt. In this report, researchers describe cryptocurrency-related research and development needs for law enforcement.
Jan 12, 2023
Dulani Woods, John S. Hollywood, Jeremy D. Barnum, Danielle Fenimore, Michael J. D. Vermeer, Brian A. Jackson
Report
Gun Buyback Programs in the United States
Gun buyback programs compensate individuals who turn over firearms to a public agency or private organization. This essay provides an overview of gun buyback programs in the United States and concludes with an exploration of policy considerations.
Jan 10, 2023
Amanda Charbonneau
Report
The Science of Gun Policy: A Critical Synthesis of Research Evidence on the Effects of Gun Policies in the United States, Third Edition
This report, now in its third edition, synthesizes the available scientific evidence for the effects of various firearm policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, the gun industry, defensive gun use, and other outcomes.
Jan 10, 2023
Rosanna Smart, Andrew R. Morral, Rajeev Ramchand, Amanda Charbonneau, Jhacova Williams, Sierra Smucker, Samantha Cherney, Lea Xenakis