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Lauren Weisner is a research scientist in ICJIA’s Center for Violence Prevention and Intervention Research. Lauren has worked on a variety of projects, including an evaluation of the Pathway to Enterprise for Returning Citizens program and a statewide survey of police chiefs on naloxone administration. Prior to joining ICJIA, Lauren...

The number of opioid overdose deaths has risen significantly in the United States since 2009. Naloxone is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdose. Public support for equipping law enforcement officers (LEOs) with naloxone has increased in the past decade....

Criminal justice systems operating in rural areas have been overlooked and under-researched, creating an emphasis on urban criminal justice system knowledge and recommendations. In addition, many rural areas have fewer social and behavioral health services, longer travel distances for service appointments and corresponding transportation issues, a small pool of criminal...

Criminal justice issues are typically studied in urban rather than rural areas. This represents an important deficit in the understanding of policing issues, as most police departments are in rural jurisdictions. Research indicates rural police departments often operate with fewer resources, lower staffing levels, and more inferior technology than their...

Individuals on probation often are subject to drug testing regardless of conviction offenses. Positive test results can lead to probation sanctions, technical violations, and revocations, which, for some, may result in a period of incarceration. Probation departments operate with lack of guidance on drug testing, as well as a lack...

While most of the country has turned its attention to the opioid crisis, Illinois has seen a resurgence in methamphetamine misuse and related offending, particularly in rural areas. Researchers explored literature and data available on the extent and nature of state and national methamphetamine issues. Researchers found the arrest rate...

Formerly incarcerated individuals may be unable to secure stable employment and struggle to acquire income; however, opening a small business may offer this population an alternative to the traditional job market. Researchers evaluated the Pathway to Enterprise for Returning Citizens (PERC) program, which offered training in entrepreneurship and other resources...

Even with substantial efforts at the state and local levels, opioid overdoses in Illinois continue to rise. Many in jails and prisons suffer from opioid use disorders and some receive treatment. Upon release, the risk of overdose is enhanced due to reduced tolerance. This article presents findings from a survey...

The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act created the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which reinvests a portion of cannabis tax revenue into communities experiencing high rates of gun injury, unemployment, child poverty, and incarceration. These grant funds support programming in five priority areas: civil legal aid, economic development,...

The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act created the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which reinvests a portion of cannabis tax revenue into communities experiencing high rates of gun injury, unemployment, child poverty, and incarceration. These grant funds support programming in five priority areas: civil legal aid, economic development,...

The Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program was created through the legalization of adult recreational cannabis use in Illinois. Program funds are used to reduce gun violence through intervention and prevention, improve re-entry and diversion services for people involved with the criminal justice system, provide access to legal representation and...

Court diversion programs for individuals convicted for drug crimes have been found to reduce recidivism and be cost effective. Some courts have established programs offering alternative sentencing and specialized programming for persons convicted of felony drug offenses. We conducted a process evaluation of a court diversion program for individuals charged...

Bullying is a form of violence that can leave lasting negative effects on school-aged youth. This literature review examines research on bullying frequency, predictors and impacts, and prevention and intervention programs. Research finds that between 20% and 40% of youth in the United States have experienced bullying (with variances in...

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act legalized adult-use cannabis in Illinois on January 1, 2020. In addition to limiting enforcement and prosecution of cannabis-related offenses and providing a source of state revenue, the Act established the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew grant program (R3). Administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information...

Trauma, which refers to an emotional response from circumstances deemed as harmful, can have negative, long-term impacts on an individual’s mental and physical health. This article examines the literature on how trauma experienced at the individual-level is influenced by trauma experienced at the community-level and summarizes how each is typically...

Alcohol is the most commonly misused substance among youth in the United States. Underage alcohol use contributes to risky behavior, lower academic achievement, and altered brain development, and can increase the risk of future misuse. This article explored literature on underage drinking and interventions available to address the problem. Also...

Economic development encourages growth in the economy, increases employer and worker productivity, and enhances the standard of living for all. Economic development is essential in the effort against poverty. Programmatic interventions that promote a healthy economy while alleviating poverty in communities include skill-building to improve the quality of labor supply...

Research has found that adolescence sets the course for an individual’s long-term social, cognitive, emotional, and cultural development. This review examines literature on positive youth development, risk/protective factors, and the research behind select interventions. Overall, the interventions discussed highlight the many factors that play a role in positive youth development...

This brief shares findings from a process evaluation of a program that treats women prisoners in Illinois with co-occurring disorders—substance use and mental health disorders. Overall, feedback from clients and staff were positive and the program showed reductions in clients' posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and aggression after participation. In addition,...

Research indicates that diverting youth from formal justice system processing can prevent future youth justice contact and system involvement. The Illinois Department of Human Services seeks to accomplish this through providing individualized treatment services to reduce recidivism and admissions to state youth correctional facilities as part of its Redeploy Illinois...

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee formally appointed by the Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). The IRB works to protect the rights of human subjects involved in research by reviewing all research activities involving human subjects conducted by ICJIA staff. ICJIA's IRB always contains...