NIJ’s Courts Research: Examining Alternatives to Incarceration for Veterans and Other Policy Innovation

This article presents key studies from the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Courts Research Portfolio that examine pretrial, prosecution, and sentencing policies promoting alternatives to incarceration, such as Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs) and other problem-solving courts. Collectively, these initiatives reflect NIJ’s long-standing collaboration with federal partners, court professionals, stakeholders, and research experts. The article also summarizes findings from NIJ’s Multisite Evaluation of VTCs and outlines recommendations for policy and future research. Together, these efforts emphasize the importance of strengthening data and research capacity to guide evidence-based practice and policymaking—an approach that shaped NIJ’s Courts Strategic Research Plan, 2020–2024, reaffirming its commitment to advancing the Department of Justice’s mission through rigorous court research, evaluation, and analysis.