The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) oversees the National Institute of Justice, “the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.” The mission of this agency is, “improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science." NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels.” http://www.nij.gov/about/Pages/welcome.aspx

To that end, the NIJ sponsors a variety of courses, both online and in a classroom, for criminal justice professionals. Training is available for Professionals in Corrections, Forensics, Law Enforcement, and Officers of the Court. Many of the courses are free, but some online courses are offered through West Virginia University for a fee. A schedule of classroom based courses is available online along with Web based self-paced training. As of this writing, 132 courses are “on demand” and available for the self-paced program.

Programs offered cover a variety of topics such as Investigative Strategies, Forensics and Crime Scene Analysis, Communication Skills and Courtroom Testimony, Contraband Cell Phones in Correctional Facilities, and many others.

To view a list of “all” courses, visit: http://www.nij.gov/training/Pages/all-courses.aspx?type=training

For Law Enforcement specific programs: http://www.nij.gov/training/Pages/law-enforcement.aspx

The NIJ also hosts a wide variety of topical reports and publications in the “Topical Publications Database” http://www.nij.gov/publications/Pages/collections.aspx These topics are listed alphabetically and range from Biometrics and Body Armor to Violent Crime.

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