Research into Desistance from Crime, FY 2019 | NIJ 2019 15527

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2019 15527

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), within the U.S. Department of Justice, released the FY 2019 grant opportunity "Research into Desistance from Crime" (Funding Opportunity Number: NIJ 2019 15527) to expand the research base on how and why people stop offending, and how the criminal justice system can help speed up that process. The central aim is to fund studies that move beyond simply measuring recidivism outcomes and instead explain desistance as a process that unfolds over time, with findings that can be translated into concrete criminal justice policy and practice across the United States. NIJ signaled interest in proposals that bring fresh thinking to how desistance is conceptualized, that better explain the pathways and turning points that lead people away from crime, and that show how desistance-oriented principles can be embedded into real-world programs and supervision strategies.

A key priority area is research that treats desistance as dynamic and changeable, focusing on how shifts in an individual’s psychological state, developmental maturity, major life events, and social environment relate to changes in offending patterns over time. This emphasis encourages designs that can capture within-person change rather than only comparing groups at a single point. In practice, this could include studies that examine how employment, family formation, housing stability, cognitive shifts, trauma recovery, substance use trajectories, or changes in peer networks interact with opportunities and constraints created by justice system involvement. NIJ is essentially asking applicants to explain not only whether someone reoffends, but when, under what conditions, and through what sequence of changes a person begins to desist.

Another major theme is identifying underlying mechanisms that drive desistance and testing whether those mechanisms differ across populations and contexts. NIJ specifically highlighted variation by race and ethnicity, gender, neighborhood context, and similar factors, reflecting a concern that desistance processes may not be uniform and that structural conditions can shape both opportunities to change and the system’s responses to individuals. This invites research that can separate individual-level change from contextual influences like community resources, exposure to violence, discrimination, policing intensity, labor market access, and the availability of supportive services. Strong proposals under this theme would typically be expected to take equity and heterogeneity seriously, using methods capable of detecting differences across subgroups and settings rather than assuming one universal pathway to desistance.

NIJ also encouraged studies focused on particular subgroups of people who offend, including those associated with specific crime types such as burglary, drug offenses, or violent offenses. The idea is that specialization, criminal histories, and risk/need profiles can shape both the challenges to desistance and the supports most likely to help. For example, desistance among people involved in violence may involve different situational triggers, social network dynamics, and safety concerns than desistance among people whose offending is closely tied to substance use or economic need. By funding work that distinguishes these patterns, NIJ is looking for evidence that can inform more tailored interventions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

The solicitation further emphasized the value of longer-term follow-up, either by extending previously collected datasets or by conducting longer horizon evaluations of interventions that have already shown promise in reducing offending. This reflects the reality that desistance is often gradual, with intermittent setbacks, and that short follow-up windows can miss delayed benefits or mischaracterize temporary lapses. NIJ’s interest here aligns with building a stronger empirical foundation for what durability looks like in real lives, how stable change emerges, and which program components or conditions are associated with sustained reductions in offending over multiple years.

Finally, NIJ invited formative examinations of criminal justice programs and practices that explicitly incorporate desistance principles into their logic models and theories of change. This is about more than evaluating whether a program "works"; it is about studying how programs are designed and implemented when the goal is to support identity change, strengthen social bonds, build skills, and reduce barriers to reintegration. Formative work can include mapping how agencies translate desistance concepts into supervision practices, incentives and sanctions, service coordination, case planning, and staff training, as well as identifying implementation challenges that affect fidelity and outcomes. The practical payoff NIJ is seeking is clearer guidance for agencies on how to operationalize desistance in day-to-day decision-making, not just in academic theory.

Administratively, this was a discretionary grant program in the Law, Justice and Legal Services category (CFDA 16.560). Eligible applicants were broad and included state, county, and local governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The opportunity was posted on February 12, 2019, with an original closing date of April 29, 2019. NIJ anticipated making about four awards, with an award ceiling of $2,000,000 per award. Overall, the competition was designed to support a small number of relatively substantial research projects capable of producing actionable, policy-relevant evidence about how desistance happens, why it differs across people and places, and how the justice system can better promote long-term reductions in offending.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research into Desistance from Crime, FY 2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 12, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

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