Evidence and Evaluation
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 ("Evidence Act”) emphasizes collaboration and coordination to advance data and evidence-building functions in the Federal Government. Title I of the Evidence Act mandates a number of activities related to evidence building and evaluation; other titles focus on open government data and confidential information protection and statistical efficiency.
The Department’s Evaluation Officer provides leadership over evidence-building activities under Title I of the Evidence Act, in coordination with the Statistical Official and the Chief Data Officer. For more information on these three officials, see the Open Data page.
In accordance with Title I of the Evidence Act, the Department of Justice:
- develops an Evidence Plan for each fiscal year;
- conducts a Capacity Assessment to further evidence-building activities every four years; and
- follows an established DOJ Evaluation Policy
Evidence Plan
The Evidence Plan describes select research, evaluations, and other evidence-building activities the Department plans to undertake in the next fiscal year. It is built around a set of priority questions that can be answered through rigorous evidence building, including research, evaluation, statistics, and other analysis. These evidence-building activities are designed to support decision making and improve Department policymaking, service delivery, and operations.
Annual Evaluation Plan (FY 2026)*
*Prior to FY 2027, the Department published two distinct products known as the Learning Agenda and the Annual Evaluation Plan. The most recent of these was the Annual Evaluation Plan for FY 2026, which is linked here. Beginning with FY 2027, OMB requires agencies to produce a single Evidence Plan instead of separate Learning Agendas and Annual Evaluation Plans.
Capacity Assessment
The Capacity Assessment describes the Department’s capacity for building and using evidence to support decisions about programs and policies – and, in particular, its capacity for evaluation, statistics, research, and analysis. It is intended to describe current capacity and identify areas for growth.
The Capacity Assessment is published every four years as part of the Department’s Strategic Plan. The current Capacity Assessment is available here:
Evaluation Policy
This Department of Justice’s Evaluation Policy provides a framework to guide the Department’s components in conducting high-quality, credible, reliable evaluations while also allowing appropriate flexibility for components to identify and implement specific evaluation practices consistent with their capacities and needs. The policy commits the Department to adhering to the principles of rigor, relevance and utility, independence and objectivity, transparency, and ethics in planning, conducting, and reporting on evaluations.
