When cases involving high-profile individuals, like Britney Spears, make national headlines, issues surrounding guardianship and conservatorship take center stage. But after those specific cases resolve and national interest fades, the systemic issues remain. We have very little data on how the guardianship system is actually working, and the scope and prevalence of guardianship abuse remains unclear. We don’t know how many individuals suffer abuse under guardianship. We don’t know to what extent guardianship, when properly executed, improves the lives of those it’s intended to serve. These questions only scratch the surface, and in this episode of Justice Today, we explore what we do and don’t know about guardianship abuse in the United States. Read the transcript.

Host: Amelia Vorpahl, NIJ Communications Specialist

Guests: 

• Erica Wood, former assistant director of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging and continuing advocate.
• Dr. Pamela Teaster, Professor and Director of the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech.

Reading and resources from NIJ:

• Environmental Scan of Guardianship Abuse and Fraud | Report

Learn about the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which was signed into law 40 years ago on October 12, 1984. Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Director Kristina Rose and prominent victim advocates Steve Siegel, Herman Millholland, and Anne Seymour discuss the history of VOCA and highlight major accomplishments of the victim services field over the past four decades.

Read the corresponding blog post and view the VOCA 40th Anniversary Resources.

Speaker List

• Kristina Rose, Director, Office for Victims of Crime
• Anne Seymour, Associate Academic Program Director, National Mass Violence Center
• Herman Millholland, Independent Consultant, Millholland & Associates
• Steven R. Siegel, Denver District Attorney's Office (retired)

Learn about the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which was signed into law 40 years ago on October 12, 1984. This episode features a conversation between Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Director Kristina Rose and Victim Advocacy Corps Program leader Abrianna Morales and student fellows Thanh Nguyen and Grace Chungu as they discuss the impact of VOCA and the future of victim services.

Read the corresponding blog post and view the VOCA 40th Anniversary Resources.

Speaker List

• Kristina Rose, Director, Office for Victims of Crime
• Abrianna Morales, Program Manager, Victim Advocacy Corps
• Grace Chungu, Student Fellow, Victim Advocacy Corps 
• Thanh Nguyen, Student Fellow, Victim Advocacy Corps

In this special episode of Justice Today, we’re marking a significant milestone in the world of justice and public safety—the 40th Anniversary of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

Since its inception in 1984, BJA has played a vital role in improving the criminal justice system, advancing public safety, and supporting law enforcement agencies across the United States. To commemorate this remarkable occasion, we're bringing you an in-depth conversation with Karhlton F. Moore, the current Director of BJA. Karhlton’s insights offer a closer look at how BJA collaborates with state and local agencies to address complex issues and drive meaningful change.

Read the corresponding blog post.

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Visit the BJA website and stay connected:

• Subscribe for announcements
• Follow us on Facebook
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• Subscribe to our YouTube channel

In this special episode of Justice Today, we’re marking a major milestone in the world of justice and public safety—the 40th Anniversary of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). As one of the nation’s leading agencies for advancing justice reform and supporting public safety initiatives, BJA has played a pivotal role in shaping the criminal justice landscape over the past four decades.

This episode is part one of our podcast series celebrating BJA’s anniversary, and in it, we sit down with several former BJA directors who reflect on the agency’s evolution, the challenges it has faced, and its crucial role in responding to national crises. These past directors offer a unique perspective on how BJA has worked alongside law enforcement, community organizations, and policymakers to drive innovation in the criminal justice system across the country.


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Visit the BJA website and stay connected:

• Subscribe for announcements
• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on X
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel

The prison system in the U.S. typically places a heavy emphasis on security, control, and punishment, and this foundation can create an adversarial culture within correctional facilities — incarcerated individuals versus correctional staff. But what if that culture could change? What would it look like? How would it impact not only incarcerated individuals but also correctional officers and other staff?

Restoring Promise, a program operated by the Vera Institute of Justice and the MILPA Collective, redesigns life in American prison units by promoting a culture of individual dignity, healing, character, leadership, and restorative justice. Using lessons learned from prisons in other countries, Restoring Promise charts a new and hopeful course for the future of corrections in the United States, with encouraging results from a recent NIJ-funded evaluation.  

NIJ host Josh Mondoro talks with Kyleigh Clark-Moorman of NIJ, Selma Djokovic of the Vera Institute of Justice, and Josh Somers of the MILPA Collective about the Restoring Promise program and its impact. Read the transcript.

Reading and Resources from NIJ

• Transforming Correctional Culture and Climate | Article
• Restoring Promise | Article
• Changing Prison Culture Reduces Violence | Report
• Restoring Promise: A Randomized Control Trial Examining the Impact of an Innovative Young Adult Housing on Reducing Violence | Report

Other resources

• Restoring Promise | Website
• Vera Institute of Justice | Website
• MILPA Collective | Website 

The nations prisons and jails are struggling to recruit and retain staff. These staffing challenges impact re-entry efforts and overall public safety.

In this episode of Justice Today, hear from former Bureau of Justice Assistance fellow Dr. Danielle Rudes on how leaders can make correctional institutions better for staff and residents.

Also read the corresponding blog post.

Not every crime scene will have definitive evidence, such as DNA, to link an individual to a crime. In those cases, law enforcement relies on other evidence to build the burden of proof. NIJ graduate research fellow Dr. Shelby Khandasammy developed a tool to analyze organic gunshot residue and distinguish between different firearms calibers and manufacturers. She joins Marie Garcia, office director for the Office of Criminal Justice Systems at NIJ, to talk about her work and experience as a research fellow. Read the transcript.

Reading and resources from NIJ:

• Vibrational Spectroscopy for the Analysis of Organic Gunshot Residue: Detection, Identification and Characterization | Research Overview
• Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• Subscribe to NIJ topics

Law enforcement agencies are teaming up with mental health clinicians to improve behavioral health responses and allow police officers to focus on crime reduction. In this episode, our host discusses how Denver police work side-by-side with mental health clinicians to treat residents experiencing mental health emergencies and connect them with treatment.

Marijuana legalization poses many challenges — especially those related to drug chemistry and toxicology — for researchers, law enforcement, and policy makers. In the latest episode of Justice Today, NIJ Communications Assistant Josh Mondoro hosts a conversation with NIJ Scientist Frances Scott about marijuana toxicology, including comparing its effects to alcohol, measuring impairment, and maintaining public safety as more and more states legalize recreational marijuana. Read the transcript.

Listen to Part One.

Reading and Resources from NIJ:

• Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Law Enforcement and Crime | Final Report
• Exploring the Neighborhood-Level Impact of Retail Marijuana Outlets on Crime in Washington State | Article
• Differences in Cannabis Impairment and its Measurement Due to Route of Administration | Article
• Chemical Foundations of a Cannabis Breathalyzer | Funding Award
• Marijuana Intoxication: Roadside Tool for Law Enforcement to Measure Impaired Peripheral Vision | Funding Award
• The problems with Cannabinoid Analogs (Delta-8 THC, Delta-10 THC and CBD) and their metabolites detectability in urine drug testing for potential cannabinoid abuse | Funding Award