Ohio courts with limited resources looking for solutions to a local criminal justice problem now have access to scientific experts.

The Ohio Consortium of Crime Science (OCCS) at the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) has more than 30 researchers from Ohio’s public and private universities focused on providing evidence-based solutions to problems faced by local courts and other criminal justice agencies. OCCS provides state and local agencies with assistance on research and evaluation, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, training, targeted problem solving, and assistance with translating research into practice.

“By leveraging the tremendous expertise we have in our state, the practitioner-researcher partnerships created as a result of the OCCS will promote practical, evidence-based solutions to obstacles faced by communities,” said OCJS Executive Director Karhlton Moore. “The OCCS will provide judges with real-world solutions to issues they encounter and will prove to be a valuable resource for courts across the state.”

Courts and local government agencies file an online request for assistance form, where they are asked to identify the problem they have encountered, the kind of assistance they are looking for, and the outcomes they would like to achieve.

Members of the OCCS will meet to discuss the feasibility of the request given the resources of the consortium. If the request is approved, a qualified researcher from the OCCS with expertise in the appropriate area will be provided with resources to assist the agency. The researcher will then work with the agency to develop a solution to the problem that is based on empirical research.