27th Annual Walter C. Reckless-Simon Dinitz Memorial Lecture

Over the last two years, criminal justice issues and the need for reform – on topics such as mass incarceration, police-community relations, sexual assault and forensic science – have been debated publicly in a way not seen for decades. Before creating new legislation, purchasing new technology or instituting new policies, it is important for policy makers and criminal justice practitioners to understand the critical role that science plays in criminal justice reforms, practices and policies.  What can scientific research tell us about what criminal justice reforms, practices and policies that are successful? Nancy Rodriquez, Director of the National Institute of Justice, the Federal Government’s lead agency for criminal justice research and development, will discuss how science can support the fair administration of justice and how researchers can be an instrumental part of criminal justice reform efforts.

Nancy Rodriguez was appointed by President Obama and sworn into office as the Director of the National Institute of Justice on Feb. 9, 2015. Rodriguez’s research expertise covers a wide range of criminal justice issues from the collateral consequences of imprisonment; the intersection of race, ethnicity, crime and justice; to evaluations of drug courts and restorative justice programs.  Her most recent work includes a longitudinal study of families affected by maternal and paternal incarceration. A native of El Paso, Texas, Rodriguez earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. She received her doctorate from Washington State University, in Pullman Washington, where she concentrated in administration, justice and applied-policy studies. The National Institute of Justice is the scientific research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice.

For more information, visit the Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC).