Senior Fellow
Justice Policy Center
"It is my belief that for any criminal justice topic, theoretical research and applied research are two sides of the same coin and I enjoy making connections between them. Theoretical research should inform applied research, and applied research can lead to future directions and new questions for theoretical research."
Dr. Zweig's work addresses issues related to violent victimization (specifically, intimate partner and sexual violence), substance use, offender populations, and adolescent and young adult development; and includes quantitative and qualitative methodologies, longitudinal studies, and multi-site evaluations.
She is currently a Principal Investigator for two National Institute of Justice-funded projects. The first examines payment mechanisms for sexual assault forensic exams with a particular focus on whether such exams are provided to victims free-of-charge and without requiring them to report the assault to law enforcement, as per federal law. The second study is a survey of middle and high school youth to examine teen dating violence with specific attention on how youth use technology (e.g., social networking sites, cellphones/texting, etc.) to perpetrate psychologically abusive behaviors, stalking, and sexual harassment.
Dr. Zweig was PI of an NIJ-funded project focused on examining corrections’ response to sexual violence in state prisons, has examined the risk factors for and consequences of sexual victimization during adolescence and young adulthood (for which she received the Hugo G. Beigel award for outstanding research reports), and studied the effectiveness of victim service, criminal justice, and social service responses to sexual assault and domestic violence.
Dr. Zweig was part of a team of researchers that conducted the NIJ-funded Multi-site Adult Drug Court Evaluation and has used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors during adolescence to identify patterns of risky behaviors, and then the risk and protective factors related to these patterns of co-occurring health risks.
Areas of expertise
Intimate partner violence, sexual violence, substance use/abuse, vulnerable populations (such as former prisoners), problem-solving courts, adolescent and young adult development.
Selected Publications from Janine M. Zweig
Addressing Sexual Violence in Prisons A National Snapshot of Approaches and Highlights of Innovative StrategiesThe Effects on Victims of Victim Service Programs Funded by the STOP Formula Grants Program Publications by topic:
Courts and Policing
Substance Abuse
Crime Victims
See all publications by Janine M. Zweig
Latest Research
