KLK Research Group

Home
United States
Bowie, MD
KLK Research Group

We bridge the gap between research and policy to transform justice and behavioral health systems.

With expertise in various fields, we tackle complex research questions and develop evidence-based solutions for criminal justice, youth justice, mental health, and substance use systems. Practitioners, agencies, and organizations often struggle to apply research to their practice. Our goal is to make data, research, and evaluation more practical and accessible.

09/12/2026

🔎 We Don’t Talk About Enough: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) does not receive nearly enough attention.

American Indian and Alaska Native communities are disproportionately affected, while gaps in data, resources, and coordination across jurisdictions can make finding answers even more difficult.

Behind every data gap is something much more important: A person. A family waiting for answers. A community seeking justice.

Addressing MMIP requires better data, investigative resources, meaningful Tribal partnerships, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and support for families.

At KLK Research Group, we believe issues receiving less attention often deserve more, not less, rigorous research, thoughtful policy, and meaningful action.

People should not become invisible because the systems responsible for finding answers are fragmented.

08/28/2026

🧠Mental Health & Justice: A Jail Is Not a Treatment System

A recent Marshall Project investigation highlights people in Missouri jails who have been found incompetent to stand trial but remain incarcerated while waiting for mental health treatment. The state's waiting list reportedly grew from 27 people in 2016 to 549 in July 2026.

So, what can communities do?

🔹Reinvest state and local cost savings in evidence-based mental health treatment
🔹Expand partnerships with medical and behavioral health providers
🔹Build public-private partnerships to increase treatment capacity
🔹Review policies and laws that may delay access to treatment
🔹Invest in community-based services before a mental health need becomes a justice-system crisis

We often say communities should have nearly as much access to community-based mental health services as they do to gas stations.

Getting there takes more than funding. It requires data, planning, meaningful partnerships including community members, policy and practice changes, and sustained implementation.

At KLK Research Group, we help communities identify gaps, develop strategies, and implement solutions that fit their needs.

A jail cannot fill the gap left by an unavailable treatment system. We have to build, maintain, evaluate, and monitor the treatment system instead.

08/20/2026

⚖️ Justice Term to Know: Net Widening

Net widening occurs when a policy or program designed to reduce involvement in the justice system unintentionally brings more people under the system's supervision.

Take diversion. If a program includes youth who otherwise would have received a warning or no intervention, it may actually expand the system's reach.

That's why we need to ask more than whether a program reduced detention, arrest, or court involvement. Who entered the program, and what would likely have happened to them otherwise?

Net widening reminds us that even well-intended reforms can have unintended consequences.

At KLK Research Group, we believe understanding those consequences is essential to evaluating whether policies and programs are achieving their goals.

💬 What other justice terms deserve more attention?

08/14/2026

🤔 What Happens When the Evidence and Experience Don't Agree?

Research points in one direction. Practitioners see something different. Communities tell us something else.

So, which one is right? Sometimes, all of them.

Research helps us identify patterns. Practitioners understand what happens in real-world settings. Communities bring important perspectives about their needs and experiences.

When those perspectives don't align, the disagreement may be telling us something important. The research may not fully reflect the population being served. Implementation may look different in practice. Or local conditions may have changed.

At KLK Research Group, we believe strong evidence-informed decisions consider research, practitioner expertise, and community perspectives.

Sometimes the most valuable insight isn't agreement. It's understanding why we disagree.

💬 What should organizations do when research and real-world experience point in different directions?

08/08/2026

🔍What Counts as "Success?"

In justice, behavioral health, and community-based programs, that question isn't always as simple as it sounds.

Success might mean:
📊Reduced recidivism
📊Improved well-being
📊Increased school attendance
📊Stable housing
📊Stronger family relationships
📊Greater community engagement

But success can look different depending on who you ask.

A funder may focus on performance measures. A practitioner may see individual progress. And a participant may define success as overcoming barriers that never appear in a dataset.

All of these perspectives matter.

If we don't clearly define success, we risk measuring the wrong outcomes or missing important ones altogether.

At KLK Research Group, we believe meaningful evaluation starts with a simple question:🔍 What does success actually look like?

08/01/2026

🧩 Safe, Secure, and Humane: Why Correctional Conditions Matter

When we talk about corrections, the focus is often on public safety, security, and accountability. Those priorities are essential.

But another question deserves attention: Are correctional facilities equipped to provide safe, secure, and humane conditions?

Across the country, correctional administrators, practitioners, advocates, researchers, and communities have raised concerns about aging infrastructure, staffing shortages, access to timely medical and behavioral health care, and day-to-day operational challenges.

These issues affect not only incarcerated individuals, but also correctional staff, facility operations, and successful reentry.

At KLK Research Group, we believe research can help move the conversation beyond headlines and toward practical, evidence-informed solutions.

💬 What correctional issues do you think deserve more research and policy attention?

07/25/2026

🧠 Substance Use Terms to Know: Recovery Capital

Recovery capital is the collection of personal, social, community, and financial resources that support an individual's recovery from substance use.

Strong family relationships, stable housing, employment, education, healthcare, and supportive communities all contribute to recovery capital.

Research suggests that greater recovery capital is associated with stronger recovery outcomes and sustained well-being.

Sources: SAMHSA; William White, Chestnut Health Systems.

07/21/2026

🧠 Mental Health & Justice: Crisis Response Is More Than a Law Enforcement Issue

When someone experiences a behavioral health crisis, law enforcement is often the first to respond. But lasting solutions require more than a single system.

Behavioral health providers, crisis teams, emergency medical services, courts, and community organizations all play important roles in connecting people with the care and support they need.

Research continues to show that when these systems work together, communities can improve access to services, reduce unnecessary justice involvement, and achieve better long-term outcomes.

No single agency can do it alone.

🧠 The question isn't just Who responds to a crisis?

🧠 It's also How well do our systems work together after the crisis?

Have you seen successful collaboration between justice, behavioral health, and community partners?

We'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.

07/14/2026

🔍 We Don't Talk About Enough: Rural Justice Systems

When criminal justice is in the news, the focus is usually on large cities. But rural communities face their own unique justice challenges, and they deserve just as much attention.

Some of those challenges include:
⚖️ Limited access to behavioral health services
⚖️ Transportation barriers
⚖️ Provider shortages
⚖️ Fewer diversion programs
⚖️ Technology and broadband limitations

These realities affect prevention, intervention, treatment, and supervision. What works in an urban setting doesn't always work in a rural one.

At KLK Research Group, we're researching rural crime to better understand how community context influences justice outcomes and to help inform evidence-based policy.

Every community deserves solutions that fit its unique needs.

What challenges, or innovative solutions, have you seen in rural justice systems? We'd love to hear your perspective.

07/05/2026

📚 Interested in Juvenile Justice Research?

If you're looking for research and practical insights on juvenile justice, prevention, intervention, youth victimization, and system reform, check out KLK Research Group's American Association of Juvenile Justice Researchers & Scholars (AAJJRS) Substack.

Our articles are designed to bridge research, policy, and practice with accessible, evidence-informed content on topics such as:

📊 Juvenile justice trends and policy
📊 Prevention and intervention strategies
📊 Disparities and system involvement
📊 Youth behavior and decision-making
📊 Youth victimization

At AAJJRS, we believe research should do more than sit on a shelf—it should help inform policy, practice, and meaningful conversations.

If these topics interest you, we invite you to subscribe and join the conversation! https://aajjrs.substack.com/

Address

12530 Fairwood Parkway, Suite 102
Bowie, MD
2020

Telephone

+13012451144

Website

https://klkresearchgroup.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when KLK Research Group posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to KLK Research Group:

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in Bowie?