Priority Questions Related to Strategic Goal 3: Protect Civil Rights
Protecting civil rights is a core priority of the Justice Department. We are committed to a comprehensive approach to combating civil rights violations and reducing barriers to equal justice.
The Department has prioritized four topics for evidence building in support of this goal. The first, like several other questions in this learning agenda, focuses on increasing and improving the reporting of crimes to law enforcement. A richer understanding of the barriers to reporting hate crimes will enable us to more effectively deploy a variety of tools against such crimes. Another priority question calls for studying the impact of new policies designed to promote accountability and public confidence in federal law enforcement; this may require significant investment in data collection and analysis but has the potential to inform high-stakes decisions about implementation of these critical policies. We will also prioritize developing a richer understanding of the impact of the Department’s grantmaking on criminal justice innovation and reform.
Priority Questions:
- How can the Department most effectively increase the reporting of hate crimes?
- What impact has new Department guidance for federal law enforcement components — specifically on chokeholds, no-knock warrants, and body-worn cameras — had on accountability, transparency, and public confidence in the federal criminal justice system?
- What effect does the Department’s grant funding have on states, localities, and other recipients in spurring criminal justice innovation and evidence-based reforms? How are the Department’s grant programs influencing community investment in innovation and evidence-based reforms?
- What individuals are not currently receiving legal assistance/orientation services and referrals for representation, and why? How can the Department most effectively assess and address any access or equity barriers identified?