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The Violence and Justice Research Lab (VJRL) is the research branch within the Institute on Race and Justice. The primary research focus of the Lab is in the areas of violence and victimization, spanning disciplines such as psychology, criminal justice, sociology, public health, and social work. Additionally, the Lab aims to promote student engagement and training through an intergenerational mentoring model incorporating both graduate and undergraduate students.

Our Mission

The Violence and Justice Research Laboratory (VJRL) supports and promotes research in the areas of violence and victimization, its impact and consequences, and the role of the justice system in addressing these issues. We have a particular focus on underserved and understudied populations, who are often particularly vulnerable to experiencing violence. Our scholarship aims to inform policy and move forward empirical knowledge as well as help develop future generations of scholars within this arena.

The VJRL utilizes a structured mentoring system to prepare undergraduate and graduate student researchers in a variety of techniques and methodological approaches. As violence research is spread across various disciplines (psychology, criminal justice, sociology, public health, medicine, social work), the VJRL is an interdisciplinary entity, which aims to bring collaborators and students from various disciplines within the social sciences to help move forward our knowledge in these areas.