The Center for Criminal Justice Research (CCJR) provides expertise and research assistance through grants and contracts to criminal justice agencies and organizations working to address criminal justice issues. Activities include the development of funded research projects involving faculty and students that focus on criminal justice policy issues concerning local and regional agencies, program evaluation including community impact studies, and special research targeting at-risk populations like the homeless and juvenile delinquents. By contracting to provide expert research and evaluation assistance to community groups, non-profit organizations, and criminal justice agencies, the Center aims to map the way to more effective criminal justice services.

The Center supports two research programs:

Program Evaluation Division involves studying the impact of various criminal justice programs (e.g. drug courts).

Crime Analysis Division conducts research from a situational crime prevention perspective that examines architecture, social ecology and geography. The Analysis uses Geographic Information System (GIS) and related mapping software.