1970NIJ Tracking an Era
A Transformation in Criminal JusticeThe First Decade 1970-'79
- NIJ evaluates methadone maintenance as a means for dealing with drug abuse and related crime.
- Family Crisis Intervention Teams tested by New York City and Public Housing police.
1971
1972
- National Center for State Courts (NCSC) established.
- Computerization of U.S. police departments begins. The 1970s sees applications such as Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), management information systems (MIS), centralized call collection (1991).
- NIJ establishes the Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory under the auspices of the National Bureau of Standards, to begin filling a longstanding need for scientifically based standards for criminal justice equipment. The program continues today with the National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST) at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Wolfgang's "delinquency in birth cohort" finds small proportion of criminals committed most of the crime.
- NIJ develops soft body armor for police, which has saved thousands of officers from serious injury or even death.
- "Defensible space" links physical design of buildings to neighborhood's vulnerability to crime, leads to models of crime prevention through urban design.
- National Victimization Surveys launched by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
1973
- National Advisory Commission on Standards and Goals established.
- Research on jury management shows ways to make it more efficient, less costly, and less time consuming for those who serve.
- U.S. Parole Commission adopts research-based guidelines for parole decisions; several States follow.
1974
- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention established.
- Police Foundation publishes results of Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, which cast doubt on value of conventional patrol.
- Martinson's "What Works?" assessment questions correctional rehabilitation.
- NIJ funds Newton, Massachusetts, Police Department to test night vision devices, eventually leading to widespread use of night vision gear by today's law enforcement agencies.
- Police Foundation studies women officers on patrol; women enter policing in increasing numbers.
1975
- Research on sentencing disparities begins.
- Demonstration of Defensible Space concepts in both residential and commercial areas.
- National Court Statistics Project
- NIJ research on victims revealed difficulties victims faced in the criminal justice system. Recommended reforms led to victim assistance programs nationwide.
1976
- National Academy of Sciences report on rehabilitation of criminal offenders.
- National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) launched.
- Ten police chiefs create the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
- NIJ study of police response time shows time it takes to report a crime -- not the speed of police response -- major factor influencing likelihood of arrest.
1977
- Four States enact determinate sentencing.
- INSLAW and Vera Institute research on what happens after arrest found that many cases were dropped before prosecution, often because of lack of victim or witness cooperation or inadequate evidence.
- Research on the criminal investigation process by RAND and PERF led to "solvability" factors as a guide for prioritizing case investigations.
- Responding to Congressional mandate, NIJ submits "Prison Population and Policy Choices," based on research by Abt Associates on prison crowding.
- Research on alternatives to traditional parole begun as the role of parole challenged.
1978
- National Academy of Sciences panel studies effect of criminal sanctions on crime rates.
- Sentencing guidelines evolve from parole guidelines; National Center for State Courts highlights implementation difficulties.
- Two States create sentencing commissions.
- Wayne County, Michigan, tests "one day, one trial" jury system, drawing on research principles.
1979
- Research on rape and its victims offers guidelines for improving criminal justice policies relating to treatment of rape victims.
- Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) launched.
- NIJ-supported Crime and Justice series, published by the University of Chicago Press, begun.
- Improving Policing: A Problem-Oriented Approach by Herman Goldstein appears in Crime and Delinquency.