Research & Publications

Evidence-based analysis and practitioner-informed research on criminal justice, prosecutorial development, transnational crime, and law enforcement capacity building in the Western Hemisphere.

Mar 2026
Research Brief

Cross-Border Criminal Intelligence Sharing: Challenges and Opportunities in the Western Hemisphere

An examination of current frameworks for criminal intelligence cooperation between U.S. and Latin American law enforcement agencies, identifying persistent barriers to effective information sharing and recommending institutional and technical approaches to improve cross-border collaboration.

Mar 2026
Policy Analysis

Preventing Cartel Recruitment in Border Communities: A Framework for Community-Based Intervention

Analysis of the mechanisms through which transnational criminal organizations recruit from vulnerable communities, with a proposed ethical framework for prevention programs that protect at-risk populations without creating surveillance risks.

Mar 2026
White Paper

From Investigation to Conviction: Strengthening the Investigator-Prosecutor Partnership in Transnational Cases

An analysis of the structural and institutional barriers that undermine coordination between law enforcement investigators and prosecutors in complex transnational criminal cases, with recommendations for training, procedural reform, and technology-enabled collaboration.

Mar 2026
Technical Brief

Federated Data Architecture for Law Enforcement Cooperation: Balancing Agency Sovereignty with Operational Effectiveness

A technical and policy analysis of federated approaches to criminal justice data sharing that maintain individual agency control over sensitive information while enabling the cooperative intelligence frameworks necessary to combat transnational criminal networks.

Our Research Agenda

D54 Foundation's research program is driven by the questions that matter most to practitioners and policymakers working across the criminal justice system.

Transnational Crime Dynamics

Analysis of criminal network structures, illicit market evolution, and the strategies organizations use to evade enforcement and prosecution across multiple jurisdictions.

Institutional Capacity

Research on what makes law enforcement training, prosecutorial development, and institutional reform programs effective, sustainable, and measurable in partner-nation environments.

Technology & Criminal Justice

Assessment of how emerging technologies can strengthen — or undermine — criminal justice systems, with focus on data sovereignty, privacy, and ethical deployment.

Community Resilience

Evaluation of community-based approaches to preventing criminal exploitation, particularly in border regions and communities targeted for recruitment by criminal organizations.

Collaborate on Research

We welcome research partnerships with academic institutions, think tanks, government agencies, and practitioners. If your work intersects with our research agenda, we'd like to hear from you.

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