About Smart Suite

Unlike the other initiatives which were created in local jurisdictions, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) was created as a national program. PSN was designed in 2001 by officials in the U.S. Department of Justice. PSN was coordinated through 93 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices that encompass the United States and its territories. In designing PSN, the U.S. Department of Justice emphasized five core components:

• Partnerships
• Strategic Planning
• Training
• Outreach
• Accountability

PSN proposed to increase partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies through the formation of a local gun crime reduction task force. Additionally, PSN encouraged establishing partnerships with other sectors of local government, social services, community groups, and citizens to increase resources for gun crime prevention components as well as to increase the legitimacy of interventions. PSN included a significant commitment of resources to support training and community outreach.

The strategic planning and problem solving component of PSN was designed to help jurisdictions tailor PSN to the local context. Specifically, PSN provided resources for the inclusion of a research partner. The research partner would work with the PSN task force to analyze the local gun crime problem and to share the findings with the task force for the development of a proactive plan for gun crime reduction. The research partner would also assist in the ongoing assessment of the program implementation, provide feedback to the task force, and conduct an evaluation.

Inclusion of a research partner in a large scale crime reduction effort prior to PSN was rare. Historically speaking, researchers have been outsiders in the problem solving process. That is, they have been observers, not participants, in criminal justice program development and implementation. And, more commonly than not, researchers were brought in as independent evaluators of impact after the program or initiative had started, or even ended. In the best situation, the researchers were able to produce an evaluation that informed the scientific community and provided an after-the-fact assessment of impact for criminal justice professionals. All too often, however, these circumstances created an environment not conducive to a well done evaluation, no feedback to support effective implementation, and typically left all parties involved dissatisfied.

In the mid-1990s, the paradigm began to shift. With support from the National Institute of Justice, specifically Lois Felson Mock, we began to see active and ongoing partnerships between researchers and law enforcement agencies. The research process started playing a role in helping to solve local problems. This process is summarized by four steps:

1. Data collection to identify and understand problems
2. Strategic analysis to develop targeted interventions
3. Program monitoring and feedback for refinement
4. Assessment of impact

After more than 15 years of experience the PSN model is intact and has been recognized as a “Promising Program”.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in collaboration with CNA, is pleased to announce that SPI will now be known as Strategies for Policing Innovation. The Strategies for Policing Innovation program is a collaborative effort among the Bureau of Justice Assistance, CNA, state and local law enforcement agencies, and researchers. It is designed to assist agencies with identifying innovative and evidence-based solutions to effectively and efficiently tackle chronic crime problems in their jurisdictions. In October 2017, SPI launched this new website, which features information, findings, research, and tools from SPI sites across the nation. We hope interested users find this newly designed website to be a useful resource as they learn about innovative policing strategies.

For more information: Strategies for Policing Innovation

The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) provides national training and technical assistance to support and build capacity in the field among prosecutor's offices. Our Innovative Prosecution Solutions is designed to promote effective, data-driven and research-based approaches to prosecution for improvement of public safety and criminal justice reform.

For more information: Innovative Prosecution Solutions

The Innovations in Supervision program (formerly known as Smart Supervision and Smart Probation) is part of BJA’s Innovations Suite of programs, which invest in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to assess problems and create strategies and interventions that are both effective and economical. A required deliverable of the Innovations in Supervision program is an action plan informed by the grantee’s research partner, comprising a problem analysis, logic model, summary of strategies and intended outcomes, and research base for proposed strategies.

For more information: Innovations in Supervision Initiative

Grantees of this program develop comprehensive and collaborative strategies to address reentry challenges for people who are assessed as having a medium to high risk of recidivism. The Innovations in Reentry Initiative (formerly known as Smart Reentry, the Two-Phase Adult Reentry Demonstration Program, the Adult Offender Reentry Program for Planning and Demonstration Projects, and the Prisoner Reentry Initiative) is part of BJA’s Innovations Suite of programs, which invest in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to assess problems and create strategies and interventions that are both effective and economical. A research partner is involved from the start of the grant period to help grantees develop the strategic plan. Innovations in Reentry grantees must complete a planning phase and receive BJA approval to begin implementation of their strategic plans.

For more information: Innovations in Reentry Initiative

In neighborhoods with persistent crime problems across the country, the Innovations in Community Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Program brings together diverse partners including local law enforcement, researchers and residents to analyze crime drivers and pursue strategies that reduce crime, spur revitalization and build community-police collaboration.

For more information: Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction

BJA promotes the use of practitioner–researcher partnerships in the demonstration and replication of programs that identify, define, and respond to emerging or chronic crime problems and systemic issues. Through this initiative, BJA looks for strategies to address these issues, including trying new approaches, addressing gaps in responses, building or translating research knowledge, or building capacity.

For more information: Encouraging Innovation: Field Initiated Programs

The Swift Certain Fair Resource Center supports state, local, territorial, and tribal jurisdictions and agencies in implementing swift, certain, and fair responses (SCF) in community corrections. The SCF Center provides resources and materials, and free training and technical assistance to eligible programs. We encourage and support innovation, experimentation, and evaluation in community corrections.

For more information: Swift Certain Fair

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center (PDMP TTAC) provides a comprehensive array of services, support, resources, and strategies to PDMPs, federal partners and other stakeholders to further the efforts and effectiveness of PDMPs in combating the misuse, abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Brandeis University (TTA Provider) focuses to improve consistency and alignment among PDMP’s, facilitate coordination between PDMPs and state and national stakeholders, increase PDMP efficiencies, measure performance and effectiveness, and promote best practices.

For more information: Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

The Police-Prosecution Partnership Initiative (3PI) seeks to establish new and/or expand existing partnerships between police and prosecutors to implement evidence-based and innovative strategies that combat precipitous increases in crime, while supporting research partnerships to assess the effectiveness of these efforts.

For more information:

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) is enhancing the criminal justice response to sexual assault and ensuring justice for victims. SAKI funding will not only help link victims to advocates and needed services, but also help jurisdictions implement best practices and comprehensive reform to help bring perpetrators to justice and increase safety in communities by preventing future sexual assaults.

For more information: SAKI