22 YEARS OF FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN CRIMINAL-JUSTICE RESEARCH - THE NATIONAL-INSTITUTE-OF-JUSTICE, 1968-1989

In 1968 the United States Congress created the National Institute of L aw Enforcement and Criminal Justice (NILECJ) to encourage research and development in criminal justice. The mission of the agency was broade ned in 1979, when it was reauthorized as the National Institute of Jus tice (NIJ). Using a model of the innovation process (Rogers, 1983), th is study examined the history of the agency and evaluated the process by which it has attempted to influence innovation. Three periods were identified-the early technology years (1968-1974), the basic research years (1975-1982), and the policy-relevant years (1983-1989).