Recent social and political events that have affected the United States and its criminal justice system have led to a great deal of interest regarding the understanding and analysis of data. Although great efforts have been made in recent years to capture essential criminal justice data specific to motor vehicle contacts with the police, use of force incidents, and in custody deaths, there is a clear gap in the analysis and policy recommendations relevant to these data points. Therefore, the purpose of the proposed Institute will be to address the existing gap and other data analytic needs in the criminal justice system.

General description of the institute and its mission and goals

The Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice’s (IPAC) central mission is to advance research in criminal justice through the analysis of data with the goal of developing and implementing evidence-based-policy and practices.

The Institute has two key goals. The first is to directly and positively affect the local, national, and global criminal justice community and encourage implementation of evidence-based policies and practices through meaningful and rigorous research applied to issues faced by the criminal justice community. The second is to analyze criminal justice data in order to assess current trends specific to patterns and practices. This includes, but is not limited to, issues related to racial profiling and use of force, increased officer safety, crime prevention in custody incidents.

Potential Activities.

The proposed Institute will focus, as mentioned earlier, on the analysis of data related to criminal justice. In addition, the Institute will coordinate with system institutions in order to promote research in criminal justice areas while engaging in collaboration with entities in and out of the A&M System. It is expected that newsletters and workshops related to data analysis and findings will be held.

Impact on education and training of students.

The Institute will serve as an academic outlet for undergraduate and graduate students in all academic disciplines but particularly, in criminal justice, political science, sociology, and law. Its proposed budget will allow for two doctoral students to serve as Institute fellows. In that role, they are expected to engage in research which will inform the public as to the most recent criminal justice trends related to motor vehicle stops by police officers. The Institute will also host lecture series on topics related to criminal justice data and policy analysis.

The Institute is expected to have a significant impact on the research visibility of Tarleton. It is expected that the Institute will provide support to the university in the form of serving as a platform for research related to the current issues affecting our country and state specific to criminal justice. Further, the research produced through the Institute is expected to assist faculty members in enhancing their publication agenda while seeking grant-related funding.

The Institute will also have an impact on the Texas A&M System in highlighting the System initiative of increasing research profiles across System universities while promoting a spirit of collaboration among members of System components. These goals and objectives are consistent with the Texas A&M System strategic vision.

Governance and advisory structure.

In terms of governance, the Institute will be led by a Director who will oversee its daily operations. The Institute’s Director will report directly to the Associate Dean of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies and to the Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Provost. The Director is expected to collaborate and involve other academic units across the Tarleton campus and Texas A&M System Universities. Representatives selected from these institutions will make up the Institute’s executive board whose members are expected to collaborate and take part in all of the Institute’s functions and research projects. The executive board membership will not be made up exclusively from members of the Texas A&M System. Instead, it will draw from the talent inside and outside of academic institutions in order to ensure that all perspectives and experiences are shared in a collaborate manner among members of the executive board.

The proposed Institute will be housed at Tarleton’s School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Strategic Studies, which is a component of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. It will be physically located at the Tarleton Fort Worth campus.

Mechanisms for periodic review.

The Institute will be subject to reviews every 3 years. These reviews will be performed by a review committee which will be appointed by members or associates of the Institute. The review committee will be made up of individuals that are not associated or have a research partnership with the Institute. That is, individuals that can achieve objective findings and recommendations relevant to the Institute activities, challenges, needs and future direction given current research paradigms.