COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BROADENING PARTICIPATION AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE STUDY OF CRIME AND JUSTICE

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The Racial Democracy, Crime and Justice Network (RDCJN) is a collaboration among a group of scholars from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages with two overarching goals: (1) broadening participation and perspectives in research on crime and criminal justice, and (2) strengthening the quality of research on the relationships among race/ethnicity, crime and criminal justice. Scientific progress is advanced when diverse scholars participate in its production. To further this mission, the RDCJN undertakes two primary activities: coordinating an annual Summer Research Institute (SRI) for early-career faculty from underrepresented groups; and hosting an annual conference that brings together scholars of race, crime and justice to further a comprehensive research agenda and undertake collaborative projects. The SRI expands diverse participation in STEM fields in an area with significant underrepresentation of minority scholars: the American Society of Criminology reports a membership that is just 5.6 percent African American, 5.1 percent Latino/a, 5.8 percent Asian, and 1 percent American Indian. In 12 years, the SRI has hosted 90 young scholars, who are publishing and consistently gaining tenure. Strengthening our understanding of crime and justice outcomes requires bringing the unique perspectives and methods of underrepresented groups to bear on these issues, thus enhancing democratization of the academy. The annual RDCJN workshops integrate the SRI faculty into a national network of scholars, while also facilitating progress in the interdisciplinary study of race/ethnicity, crime and justice. To date, RDCJN collaborations have produced nine volumes of innovative scholarship on this topic, as well as numerous monographs and articles in leading journals.This project will enable eight assistant professors from underrepresented groups to spend three weeks on-site at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice per grant year, during which time they are partnered with a senior faculty mentor in their topical and methodological area to facilitate the finalization of a journal article, grant proposal, or book manuscript. The Principal Investigators and other prominent scholars will hold professional development workshops on publishing, career planning, and navigating the academy. The annual RDCJN workshop occurs during the last two days of the SRI, at which time the SRI Fellows will present their research and receive feedback from a national network of scholars, integrate into the larger Network, and join and contribute to a comprehensive, collaborative research agenda. Project efforts foster the careers of young scholars from underrepresented groups, ensure their integration and success in the academy, and integrate them in a Network of scholars undertaking innovative crime and justice research. Through collaborative, multi-method, and comparative studies, RDCJN scholars produce original multidisciplinary work that emphasizes the significance of race/ethnicity for understanding crime and criminal justice, enhancing our understanding of citizenship and democracy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.