U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Improving Strategies for Investigating & Prosecuting Hate Crimes: A National Yet Local Approach
Award Information
Awardee
              FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Award #
              15PNIJ-22-GG-01000-RESS
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    MIAMI, FL
Congressional District
              28
Status
              Open
Funding First Awarded
              2022
Total funding (to date)
              $994,787
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY22 Research and Evaluation on Hate Crimes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2022, $994,787)
Problem: Prosecutorial offices often lack the knowledge, cultural, material and structural capacity to flag, investigate and prosecute most hate crimes. Without effective hate crime investigation and prosecutions, any efforts toward improving hate crime reporting and prevention appear quixotic. A lack of prosecution can send a powerful message to affected communities that reporting crimes would be a waste of time; it may also embolden hate-motivated offenders.
Partnerships: Florida International University, in partnership with the Institute for State and Local Governance (CUNY), proposes to fill the existing gap in research and policy development. We formed partnerships with five mid-to-large size prosecutorial offices from Broward County, Cook County, Multnomah County, Orleans Parish and Philadelphia. These agencies will provide access to administrative data, prosecutorial case files, and practitioners. Additionally, with support from Fair & Just Prosecution (FJP), Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), and Prosecutorial Performance Indicators (PPIs), we will engage with elected or appointed prosecutors across the country to conduct a broad scan of existing problems and gauge future directions of hate crime legislation and prosecution.
Goal & Objectives: The goal of this project is to develop effective hate crime investigation and prosecution strategies. To achieve this goal, we will (a) assess the indicators of bias motivation, and the process for flagging and prosecuting hate crimes; (b) understand key attributes of cases filed and prosecuted as hate crimes, compared to those with a bias indicator but not charged as such; (c) explore the role of external and internal factors enabling or hindering hate crime detection, investigation, and prosecution; and (d) identify system challenges and opportunities for reform.
Methods: We have developed an ambitious five-pronged data collection plan. To gain a national perspective of the scope and nature of this problem, we will examine state laws, policies and procedures across U.S. jurisdictions, and the attitudes and experiences of 80-100 elected/appointed prosecutors nationally. To assess the capacity to handle hate crimes at the jurisdictional and office levels, we will analyze administrative data, build an unprecedented dataset through prosecutorial case file reviews, and interview line prosecutors, investigators, victim service providers and community liaisons from five partner jurisdictions. Based on the holistic legal and empirical analyses of these rich and fresh data, we will develop recommendations for building greater investigative and prosecutorial capacity for detecting, handling and preventing hate crimes, and assisting crime victims.
Impact: The findings will help prosecutors develop more effective policies and practices for flagging, investigating and prosecuting hate crimes, and for providing assistance to crime victims. It will also help improve capacity within prosecutorial offices for systematically collecting hate crime data. With better data, we can increase the accountability and transparency of prosecutorial offices, and enable elected leaders to use these data to meaningfully engage with communities adversely affected by victimization, underreporting, or lack of prosecution. Such data efforts will also lead to filling a significant gap in the social science literature on the investigation and prosecution of bias-motivated offenses.
Products: The project will yield: (1) the summary overview, (2) the policy brief, (3) podcast, (4) robust social media campaign, (5) conference presentations, and (6) multiple top-tier journal publications. We will also work with local and national reporters, professional associations, and advocacy groups to share our results and policy recommendations more broadly.
Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR  200.210(a)(14). CA/NCF

  
Date Created: September 27, 2022
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      A Mixed Methods Evaluation of the Impacts and Implementation of Florida's Risk Protection Order (RPO) Law, 2018-2023
                  A Whole Community Approach to Hate Crime Reduction: Research to Improve Prevention, Reporting, and Victim Support
                  Funding Support for the Operations of the Committee on Law and Justice of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov