Who is NIJ? (National Institute of Justice)

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) operates under the US Department of Justice. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of crime through objective, scientific research, with the goal of reducing crime and improving the safety of individuals across various sectors.

The NIJ institute has existed since 1968, and has since been one of the leading institutes when it comes to researching in developing and improving current technologies.

The NIJ essentially establishes the standards for various technologies to ensure they provide the necessary protection. These standards extend beyond bulletproof vests to include areas such as law enforcement, corrections, sentinel events, security technologies, wellness and safety, forensic sciences, and school safety.

The NIJ’s primary focus areas are aligned with American standards, addressing challenges specific to the United States. This emphasis is reflected in their standards, which prioritize threats like the .44 Magnum—a powerful handgun commonly found in the US. In contrast, European standards typically focus on smaller calibers like the 9mm, which are more prevalent in Europe.

In addition to developing NIJ Standard 0101.04 and the latest NIJ Standard 0101.06 for bulletproof vests, the NIJ has also established a standard for the “Measurement of Body Armor Wearers.” This standard provides guidelines for accurately sizing bulletproof vests and was created in collaboration with ASTM.

Essentially, you can say that products that comply with the NIJ standards are of high quality and will give you the best possible protection. This also makes great demands on the way in which research takes place, where they have developed their own processes that must be followed carefully.

NIJ has developed a research and development process to ensure that all research provides valid and actionable projects that can be used directly by companies and institutions.

1. Identifying needs

The NIJ addresses challenges by holding meetings, workshops, and maintaining close contact with law enforcement, correctional staff, and related professionals. This approach helps them gain a clear understanding of the issues faced by each department.

2. Developing a research agenda

NIJ follows a structured research agenda. In the field of law, for instance, they place significant emphasis on advancing DNA evidence. For bulletproof vests, their focus is on ensuring durability, so the body armor retains its protective capabilities throughout its warranty period without degradation.

3. Implementing research

The projects are both evaluated internally by NIJ’s own staff and externally through field testing and other organizations.

4. Post-award activities

In order to maintain quality and ensure continued success, NIJ assigns to their external research partners a NIJ supervisor who can guide and coordinate the research process.

5. Evaluating research results

All results will be published in the “National Archive of Criminal Justice Data” so that it is possible to view and test all data, and if necessary draw their own conclusions.

Read more about NIJ’s head activities and the different NIJ standards.