Crime and Public Safety: Working Toward a More Accurate Assessment of Criminal Incidents Monitoring Prescription Drug Abuse in T

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JRSA FORUM: March 2015 1 JRSA Newsletter of the Justice Research and StatisticsFORUM Association March 2015 | Vol. 33, No. 1 Crime and Public Safety: Working Toward a More Accurate Assessment of Criminal Incidents Meanwhile, the Crime Indicators Work- assessing and making recommendations Jeffrey Sedgwick, Ph.D., Executive ing Group, sponsored by the Bureau of for the development of a modern set of Director, Justice Research and Statistics Justice Statistics (BJS) and hosted by the crime measures in the United States and Association International Association of Chiefs of the best means for obtaining them. For Police (IACP), is working to create more example, better information is needed We as a nation are in a period of consid- detailed, accurate, and actionable mea- on certain crime types, such as crimes erable intellectual ferment and creative sures of crime, criminality, and justice against businesses or organizations as thinking at the grassroots level when it system performance. The group is well as personal identity theft; also need- comes to public safety. In our nation’s charged with providing guidance in the ed is a greater ability to associate attri- capital alone, three significant groups development of crime indicators using butes such as firearms or drug involve- are working on parallel tracks. police administrative record information ment with crime types, and more com- The White House’s Taskforce on 21st and other data sources to supply a better plete adoption of electronic reporting, 3 Century Policing aims at enhancing trust picture of the crime problem in local data capture, and system interoperability. between law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions and throughout the nation.2 the people they protect and serve since Emerging from these discussions is a this is deemed essential to the stability Finally, across town at the National Aca- consensus view that the nation needs of our communities, the integrity of the demy of Sciences, the National Research more than simple annual summary counts criminal justice system, and the safe and Council’s Panel on Modernizing the of offenses in order to think more strate- effective delivery of policing services.1 Nation’s Crime Statistics is charged with gically about crime, to enhance trust A principal way of enhancing trust is between communities and their law en- increasing transparency and promoting forcement agencies, and to promote a shared understanding of crime, policing, sense of community wellness and safety. 2 and public safety. See David J. Roberts, “Technology Talk: In short, attention is shifting from the Advances in Law Enforcement Information FBI’s traditional Uniform Crime Reports Technology Will Enable More Accurate, Actionable Analysis,” The Police Chief: The (UCR) of Crime in the United States to 1 See “Fact Sheet: Task Force on 21st Professional Voice of Law Enforcement more detailed collections of crime inci- Century Policing” (December 18, 2014). (February 2015). dents and their characteristics. The National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, is such a collection. Monitoring Prescription Drug Abuse in the States First proposed in 1982 in a study sponsored by BJS and the FBI, NIBRS was Stan Orchowsky, Ph.D., Research Director, Justice Research and Statistics Association designed to collect detailed information on the attributes of each crime incident Prescription drug abuse is a growing national problem. Drug-related poisonings are known to law enforcement, including: now the leading cause of death due to unintentional injury in the United States; the the date, time and location of the inci- number of unintentional overdose deaths per year involving opioid pain relievers near- dent; a detailed list of all offenses that ly quadrupled from 1999 to 2007, while overdose deaths due to these drugs in 2007 occurred in the incident, not just the most were nearly twice those due to cocaine, and over five times those due to heroin (PMDP serious offense; demographic information Center of Excellence at Brandeis). According to the National Survey on Drug Use and on each victim and offender involved in Health (NSDUH), of the 3.1 million individuals 12 or older estimated to have used an the incident; the relationships between illicit drug for the first time in 2009, 28.6% initiated use with prescription drugs, second only to those initiating with marijuana (59.1%). The same survey found that 20.6% reported non-medical use of prescription drugs in their lifetime. According to the Cen- ters for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, in 2013 almost 3 See “Modernizing the Nation’s Crime 18% of high school students reported having taken prescription drugs without a doc- Statistics: Project Scope.” tor’s prescription one or more times during their life. See Prescription Drug Abuse page 3 See Crime and Public Safety page 2 JRSA FORUM: March 2015 2

Crime and Public Safety from page 1 In its investigation, the IG found that “DoD is not reporting criminal incident Contents each of the victims and the offenders; data to the Federal Bureau of Investi- other details of the incident, including Feature Article gation (FBI) for inclusion in the annual victim injury, type of weapon involved, Crime and Public Safety: Working Uniform Crime Reports to the President, alcohol or drug involvement, property Toward a More Accurate Assess- the Congress, State governments, and loss, and drugs seized; clearance infor- ment of Criminal Incidents...... 1 officials of localities and institutions par- mation, including both arrest and clear- ticipating in the Uniform Crime Report ances by exceptional means; and date 6 state report 4 Program, as required by Federal law.” of arrest and arrestee demographics. Monitoring Prescription The relevant Federal law is the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988 Drug Abuse in the States ...... 1 Thirty years after its introduction, about (28 U.S.C 534 note), supplemented by a third of the nation’s law enforcement National Scene additional data collection and reporting agencies reported their UCR crime requirements contained in the Victims’ Modernizing the Nation’s Crime statistics via NIBRS. In 2012, NIBRS- Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 Statistics: An Update on the National contributing agencies served approxi- (49 U.S.C. 10601 note) and the Brady Academy of Sciences Panel ...... 5 mately 30% of the U.S. population and Handgun Violence Prevention Act (18 accounted for 28% of all crime reported Nancy Rodriguez Becomes U.S.C. 921 note). New NIJ Director...... 5 to the UCR Program. Since many of the police departments representing large At the root of this failure to report inci- BJS Welcomes New Staff ...... 6 metropolitan areas throughout the nation dent-based criminal data to the FBI is do not yet contribute data to the system, the fact that the DIBRS system has nev- JRSA NEWS incident-based law enforcement data are er been certified by the FBI. As the IG still unable to address the current infor- JRSA Executive Committee noted, “For an agency to submit criminal mation needs of policy makers, research- Undergoes Changes as Mark incident data to NIBRS for inclusion in ers, the media, and the public. Myrent Leaves the Illinois SAC the annual uniform crime reports, the and the Board...... 8 FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Sys- The intriguing question is why adoption tem (CJIS) Division, Crime Statistics SAC News of NIBRS is proceeding at a slow pace Management Unit, Uniform Crime Re- when the need for transparency and bet- JRSA Welcomes New SAC porting Office, must first certify the ter data is so widely acknowledged. Directors and SAC Contacts...... 9 agency’s data system.”7 System certifi- Some insight into this question can be cation, in turn, depends on three criteria: Vermont SAC Moves to New gained by examining a recent Inspector 5 the agency’s reporting system must be Agency; Welcomes New General (IG) report of a federal inci- compatible with the FBI’s UCR system; Directors ...... 9 dent-based reporting system that does the agency must demonstrate its ability not share its data with the FBI and thus Illinois SAC Engaged in to update submissions, meet deadlines, goes unreported to the public: the De- Three Studies...... 10 respond to FBI queries and requests, fense Incident-Based Reporting System and correct errors received from the Nevada SAC Redesigns of the United States Department of FBI UCR Program in a timely manner; Website...... 11 Defense (DIBRS). The DoD’s experi- and the agency must achieve a sustained ence with its own incident-based crime Ohio SAC Collects Data for error rate of 4% or less for three separate reporting system illuminates a number of State Task Force on Community- data submissions. the pitfalls and challenges law enforce- Police Relations ...... 11 ment agencies face as they transition The challenges that the DoD’s incident- Virginia SAC Partners With Univ. from summary reporting to incident- based reporting system faces in terms of Virginia to Examine School based reporting. of certification begin with its inability to Threat Assessments ...... 12 consistently report data within 15 days of announcements the end of each month as called for in the 4 See “Data Collection: National Incident- DoD’s own guidelines for the operation Save the Date! 2015 National Based Reporting System (NIBRS).” of DIBRS. Indeed, the IG noted that the Forum on Criminal Justice...... 8 “Air Force Office of Special Investiga- 5 NCJA Seeking Nominations for Inspector General, U.S. Department tions (AFOSI) was not reporting DIBRS Outstanding Criminal Justice of Defense, “Evaluation of the Defense Criminal Investigative Organizations’ Programs Awards ...... 13 Defense Incident-Based Reporting System 6 Ibid., p. i. Reporting and Reporting Accuracy,” (Octo- 7 Ibid., p. 4. NCJA Announces Grants ber 29, 2014), DODIG-2015-011 (Project Management Training Program... 13 No. C2013-C003). See Crime and Public Safety page 3 JRSA FORUM: March 2015 3

Prescription Drug Abuse from page 1 Currently, 49 states, plus the District are the most common program adminis- of Columbia and Guam, have created trators (see table below). The rise in the misuse and abuse of pre- PDMP legislation and have operational In most states, pharmacists and physi- scription drugs has been attributed to PDMPs. The majority of state PDMPs cians (and other practitioners) can access their increased availability over the last monitor Schedule II-V drugs, as classi- PDMP information. States may also decade, a result of increased prescribing. fied by the Federal Controlled Sub- allow access to: law enforcement for Increased prescribing in turn has been stances Act. These include commonly drug investigations; licensing and regula- driven by more aggressive treatment of prescribed drugs with the potential for tory boards for investigations into pre- pain in response to patient advocacy abuse, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), scription violations by health care pro- groups, the development of new drugs, Adderall, Vicodin, anabolic steroids, fessionals; state Medicaid programs; particularly opiates, to meet this demand, Xanax, and Valium. and more aggressive marketing by phar- and medical examiners or coroners in- maceutical companies. A variety of state agencies administer vestigating cause of death. In 28 states, PDMPs, but state Boards of Pharmacy See Prescription Drug Abuse page 4 Beginning in FY 2002, Congress appro- priated funds to the U.S. Department of State Agencies Administering PDMPs Justice to support the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Prescrip- Agency Type Number Percentage tion monitoring programs help prevent Boards of Pharmacy 20 39.1% and detect the diversion and abuse of phar- Departments of Health 13 25.5% maceutical controlled substances, particularly at the retail level where no other Law Enforcement 7 13.7% automated information collection system Professional Licensing 6 11.8% exists. Prescription data are provided in Substance Abuse 3 5.9% automated form by pharmacists and/or Consumer Protection 1 2.0% practitioners, allowing states to collect Other 1 2.0% and analyze prescription data efficiently. Source. Prescription Drug Monitoring Training and Technical Assistance Center (www.pdmpassist.org)

Crime and Public Safety from page 2 information during the period of August rather, it simply deletes the incorrect not FBI certified, this error-free incident 2012 through January 2013. The DIBRS information and submits a null entry for information never reaches the NIBRS reporting lapse was due to the AFOSI the data element in question. According database for inclusion in the FBI’s Uni- DIBRS program administrators departing to Army spokespersons, “stripping the form Crime Report. before replacements were trained on their errors” was a more efficient way to man- responsibilities.”8 In addition, the De- age the timeliness of DIBRS submissions The DoD’s experience with operating an fense Criminal Investigative Service because CID does not have a process to incident-based reporting system for crim- (DCIS) does not report any incident data obtain corrected data from the originating inal offenses is instructive as the nation to DIBRS because “DCIS could fund investigative field unit.10 The Navy’s transitions from a summary count system only its primary mission requirements Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) of recording crime to an incident-based and could not meet unfunded mandates reported that it submits only error-free reporting system with much richer con- such as DIBRS reporting.”9 So lack of incident records to DIBRS since “NCIS tent and potential to inform policy mak- funding and lack of training are hamper- does not have the time, money, or re- ers, the public, and public safety officials. 11 ing DoD’s ability to abide by federal sources to correct the errors.” To get To be successful, this transition must legal requirements to report incident- an idea of the magnitude of the resulting forthrightly address technology issues based data. loss of information about criminal inci- in terms of system interoperability; tem- dents in the Navy, consider the follow- poral issues in terms of timely submis- Another problem with implementing ing: In February 2013, NCIS had a total sion of initial data as well as error cor- incident-based reporting is the lack of a of 2,097 incidents that qualified for rections and record updates; issues related consistent method of correcting identi- DIBRS submission. Of these, 121 inci- to training of system operators; and data fied errors in data submitted to DIBRS. dent records were error free and submit- quality issues, including consistent meth- For example, the Army’s Criminal Inves- ted to DIBRS; hence, NCIS is reporting ods of error correction (instead of data tigation Command (CID) does not cor- 5.8% of the criminal incidents it investi- or record deletion). The benefits of an rect identified errors in incident records; gates. And, of course, since DIBRS is incident-based reporting system are mani- fest; the path to their realization deserves 8 Ibid., p. 6. 10 Ibid. to be carefully charted. 9 Ibid., p. 7. 11 Ibid., p. 8. q JRSA FORUM: March 2015 4

Prescription Drug Abuse from page 3 Department of Public Health will facili- if a project were developed that involved researchers are authorized by statute to tate access to county-level data to inform this type of analysis. request PDMP data for study (see table implementation of the Arizona model. n below). Vermont n Georgia The Crime Research Group, the contrac- In Georgia, the PDMP data are extremely States that Authorize Research tor for the Vermont SAC, is not currently restricted and all identifying information Use of PDMP Data involved with the PDMP effort. The is “deleted or destroyed” after a year. group, however, recently released the Alaska Montana The SAC obtained about six months’ Vermont Prescription Monitoring System Arkansas New York worth of information from the agency 2013 Annual Report, which summarizes California North Dakota that manages the database, but no addi- VPMS surveillance data for all Schedule Colorado Ohio tional data have been acquired. Delaware Oregon II – IV prescriptions that were dispensed Hawaii South Carolina from Vermont-licensed pharmacies from n Ohio Idaho South Dakota 01/01/2010 through 12/31/2013. Aggre- Illinois Texas The Ohio SAC has been working close- gate totals of all controlled substance Indiana Utah ly with several agencies, including the prescriptions and recipients are pre- Kentucky Virginia Department of Health, the Department sented in the report, and trend data Maine Washington of Mental Health and Addiction Ser- are also broken out by drug type, re- Maryland West Virginia vices, and with individual coroners to cipient age, recipient sex, as well as Massachusetts Wisconsin look at this issue from the perspective recipient county. Mississippi of overdoses. The SAC does not currently work with the PDMP, but hopes to n Virginia meet with PDMP staff to find out what The Virginia SAC was given access to data they have available, and then incor- de-identified Prescription Monitoring SACs and PDMP Data porate the PDMP data with other data- Program (PMP) data in November 2014. Twenty-six Statistical Analysis Centers sets. Several state agencies are already These data include over 65 million re- (SACs) responded to a recent survey working together on projects, so it may cords of prescriptions since January 2010. about whether they are working with their be possible to collaborate on a larger The SAC is in the early stages of gaining state’s PDMP. Most said they have no in- project that would utilize the data each familiarity with the data. Staff are look- volvement with their state’s program or agency houses. ing at various trends in the data, and then its data. Responses from those involved using what is found to ask new questions. n South Dakota in work in this area are provided below. Examples of this work include: The South Dakota SAC is minimally • Comparing trends in opioid prescrip- n involved with the PDMP. Staff compile Arizona tions across the state with trends in statistics yearly to compare data relating The Arizona Criminal Justice Commis- seizures of prescription opioids in to types and amounts of drugs prescribed sion (ACJC), which houses the Arizona arrests (using data from the Virginia from year to year. SAC, was awarded a $374,408 grant by Department of Forensic Science). the Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Moni- n Utah • Identifying the number of opioid toring Program: Data-Driven Multi- The Utah SAC is indirectly involved prescriptions that were written by Disciplinary Approaches to Reducing Rx with the PDMP through its parent agen- out-of-state doctors and then filled Abuse. ACJC staff, including staff from cy, the Utah Commission on Criminal in Virginia. the SAC, will use the grant funds in and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ, the State • Finding ways in which the Director Maricopa County to build on the success- Administering Agency), and through the of the Virginia PMP can use the data ful work that the Arizona Prescription Utah Substance Abuse Advisory Council to better inform policy makers. Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative has (USAAV), which is staffed by the CCJJ. In addition, a researcher from the SAC already accomplished in four pilot coun- The USAAV periodically requests data has been included on the Data and ties. ACJC will be working with Mercy from PDMP (which is housed in the Monitoring Workgroup, attached to the Maricopa Integrated Care and the Mari- Department of Commerce, Division Governor’s Task Force on Prescription copa County Department of Public Health of Occupational and Professional Licen- Drug and Heroin Abuse. Part of this to support community-based substance sing), most often related to the prescrip- effort involves working with the PMP abuse coalitions in their implementation tion opiate problem and prescription data and finding new ways the PMP of the Rx Initiative. Mercy Maricopa practices by providers. The information can be used to reduce prescription drug Integrated Care, which is the Regional is used for provider education and train- abuse. Although this effort is still in the Behavioral Health Authority for Mari- ing, as well as for making policy recom- early stages, the SAC’s own work with copa County, will oversee the work of mendations to the legislature. While the the community-based substance abuse SAC has not conducted research using coalitions and the Maricopa County PDMP data, they would be available See Prescription Drug Abuse page 7 JRSA FORUM: March 2015 5

Modernizing the Nation’s Crime Statistics: An Update on the National Academy of Sciences Panel

Daniel Bibel, former Program Manager, the extent of criminal behavior. The representatives of police agencies, and Massachusetts State Police Crime panel has three main charges: one SAC director. As a result, a wide Reporting Unit. Mr. Bibel recently • Substantive – to develop a framework variety of expertise and views are repre- sented in discussions about the issues retired after 29 years with the MSP. to identify the types of crimes that should be included in a modern raised. These differing viewpoints are system of classification; necessary, as “crime” is a somewhat • Methodology – to assess the optimal slippery concept, and defining and With the encouragement of the federal measuring it is difficult. Office of Management and Budget, the methods for collecting the data to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) complete the crime classification framework developed in the review; Much of what we characterize as crime is and the Bureau of Justice Statistics and based on criminal law definitions. These (BJS) are jointly funding a multiyear, are used, for example, in both the FBI’s • comprehensive study of the way crime Implementation – to determine ways Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system to maximize the use of locally col- statistics are generated in America. A (and in the National Incident Based panel convened by the National Aca- lected and existing data as well as information technology assets. Reporting System – “NIBRS”) as well demy of Sciences, Modernizing the as in BJS’s National Crime Victimization Nation’s Crime Statistics, is tasked with The panel is composed of 17 members, Survey (NCVS). In many cases, the cate- examining the current tools and methods including a number of well-known aca- gories and definitions of crime have not used to generate information about crime demic researchers, federal employees changed substantially over the last 50 in America, and also assessing the gaps who are involved in other major data years. However, what is considered and limitations in our knowledge about collection efforts (census, health), a few See Modernizing Statistics page 12

Nancy Rodriguez Becomes New NIJ Director

Nancy Rodriguez was sworn in as Di- Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vio- Research Award. She received the W.E.B. rector of the National Institute of Jus- lence Against Women, Justice Quar- DuBois Award from the Western Society tice on February 9, 2015. Dr. Rodri- terly, Crime & Delinquency, and Annals of Criminology in 2010. In 2009, she guez’s research expertise covers a wide of the American Academy of Political was named Alumni of the Year by the range of criminal justice issues, includ- and Social Science. She has co-authored College of Criminal Justice at Sam ing the collateral consequences of two books: Just Cause or Just Because? Houston State University, and in 2015 imprisonment; the intersection of Prosecution and Plea-bargaining she received the race, ethnicity, crime, and justice; and Resulting in Prison Sentences of Low- Outstanding evaluations of drug courts and restor- level Drug Charges in California Alumni Award ative justice programs. Her most recent and Arizona and, most recently, Immi- from the De- work includes a longitudinal study of gration Enforcement, Youth and partment of families affected by maternal and pater- Families: Policy in the Absence of Criminal Justice nal incarceration. Comprehensive Immigration Reform. and Criminol- ogy, Washington From 1998–2012, Dr. Rodriguez was She was co-editor of the 2006 book State University. a professor in Arizona State Univer- Images of Color, Images of Crime: sity’s (ASU) School of Criminology Readings. Dr. Rodriguez’s work has A native of El and Criminal Justice. She was named been recognized by some of the nation’s Paso, Texas, Associate Dean for Student Engage- top criminal justice professional organi- Dr. Rodriguez ment in ASU’s College of Public Pro- zations. In 2011, the Division on earned a Bachelor of Science in crimi- grams in 2012. People of Color and Crime of the nal justice from Sam Houston State American Society of Criminology gave University. She received her doctorate Dr. Rodriguez’s work has appeared in her the Coramae Richey Mann Award, from Washington State University in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and ASU’s College of Public Programs Pullman, Washington, where she con- including Criminology, Journal of gave her the Anne Larason Schneider centrated in administration, justice, and Research in Crime and Delinquency, Faculty Endowment for Community applied-policy studies. q JRSA FORUM: March 2015 6

BJS Welcomes New Staff

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has recently added several statisticians and unit bias. In the Prosecution and Adjudication heads to its staff, as well as a policy analyst and a policy advisor. Learn more Unit, Dr. Strong will work initially on about these new staff members below. the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems, the National Judicial Reporting Ron Planty joined BJS in early No- logistics to Counter-Improvised Explo- Program, and the Census of Problem vember as the newest member of the sive Devices and population dynamics. Solving Courts. Criminal Justice Data Improvement Most recently, Mr. Tsoutis worked for Program Unit, serving as a Justice Sta- NASA as an Operations Research Ana- Andrew Tiedt recently joined BJS as tistics Policy Analyst. He will oversees lyst, where he was a member of the a Statistician in the Recidivism, Reentry, state awards under the State Justice Strategic Investment Division’s Cross- and Special Projects Unit. He came to Statistics Program, the National Criminal cutting Team and was also assigned as an BJS in late 2013 after completing a post- History Improvement Program, and the analyst to the Aeronautics Research and doctoral research fellowship sponsored National Instant Criminal Background Space Technology Mission Directorates’ by the National Institute of Health at Check System (NICS) Act Record portfolios. Mr. Tsoutis received his B.S. the Center on the Demography and Eco- Improvement Program. Previously in mathematics from the University of nomics of Aging at the University of Mr. Planty worked as a securities in- Florida in 2000 and his M.S. in opera- Chicago and NORC at the University of vestigator/examiner for the last 14 years tions research from the Naval Post- Chicago. Dr. Tiedt received a Ph.D. in in the Financial Industry Regulatory graduate School in 2006. sociology with a concentration in social Authority’s Enforcement and Member demography from Fordham University. Regulation offices in Washington, DC Joshua Markman joined BJS as a He has published on issues ranging from and New York City. He has a degree in Statistician in its Recidivism, Reentry, intimate partner violence to population communications from SUNY Plattsburgh and Special Projects Unit. Prior to join- aging, depression, pain measurement, and a master’s degree in criminal justice ing BJS, Mr. Markman was a Manager marital conflict, and intergenerational policy from the London School of with Grant Thornton LLP, where he pro- support. In addition to recidivism proj- Economics and Political Science. vided risk management support to the ects, Dr. Tiedt is working on law enforce- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce- ment and tribal justice issues. Jennifer Bronson joined BJS as a ment (ICE) Agency. Previously, Mr. Statistician in the Correction Statistics Markman served as a Research Associate Allina Lee assumed the role of BJS Program in October. Dr. Bronson holds a in the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Statistical Policy Advisor in January bachelor’s and a master’s degree in soci- Center, where his portfolio included 2015. In this capacity, she will be ology from the Virginia Commonwealth forensic science applications in the cri- involved in a range of policy-related and University. She earned a Ph.D. in 2013, minal justice system, problem-solving analytic activities, including reviewing also in sociology, from Howard Univer- courts, and the use of public surveillance proposed statistical regulatory directives, sity. Since 2012, she has been a project cameras by law enforcement. Mr. Mark- conducting research and analysis of pro- coordinator at Howard University for a man is a graduate of the University of posed legislation and regulations, con- National Institute of Health-funded grant Pennsylvania, where he received a B.A. ducting operational studies of BJS’s sta- on “exposure to violence, immune func- in sociology and an M.S. in criminology tistical business processes, and reviewing tion and HIV/AIDS risks in African in 2008. and advising on data confidentiality and American young adults.” For the past quality, human subject protection, and two years she has been an adjunct in- Suzanne Strong recently joined BJS privacy issues. Prior to this, Ms. Lee structor for the Department of Sociology as a Statistician in its Prosecution and worked as a BJS Justice Statistics Policy and Criminology at George Washington Adjudication Unit. Prior to joining BJS, Advisor and was a program manager for University and, prior to 2007, was a she worked as a Supervisor of Courtroom four of BJS’s major grant programs: the researcher and program evaluator for Clerks in the Circuit Court in Anne State Justice Statistics Program; National several agencies in Richmond, VA. Dr. Arundel County, Maryland. Among her Criminal History Improvement Program Bronson will be working on inmate sur- duties was the collection and dissemina- (NCHIP); National Instant Criminal veys and on projects that focus on health tion of digital information within and Background Check System (NICS) Act and healthcare in corrections. outside the court system. Dr. Strong Record Improvement Program; and the taught courses at SUNY – Albany and at Firearm Inquiry Statistics Program. Anastasios “Tom” Tsoutis is the new Towson State University on the theories Ms. Lee is currently on detail at the Chief of the Recidivism, Reentry, and of crime, race and crime, interpersonal Office of Management and Budget’s Special Projects Unit at BJS. Mr. Tsoutis violence, social research, sociology of Statistical and Science Policy Branch, is a retired Marine Corps officer who deviance, and criminology. She received located within the Office of Information served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He her Ph.D. in criminology from SUNY- and Regulatory Affairs, where she is has experience conducting and leading Albany in 2014, where her dissertation analytical efforts ranging from topics on focused on assaults motivated by racial See BJS New Staff page 7 JRSA FORUM: March 2015 7

Prescription Drug Abuse from page 4 of the total Wyoming population in each The SAC is a member of the Wyoming year of the study filled at least one pre- Prescription Drug Abuse Stakeholders the PMP has informed the workgroup’s scription for a scheduled drug. By a group, which meets monthly. The group initial recommendations to the Task broad margin, the most prescribed sched- is made up of representatives of the Force. The workgroup will continue uled drugs were opioid analgesics; opi- healthcare community, law enforcement, meeting, and the SAC will continue to oids alone accounted for over half of all government, and community members, provide analyses of PMP and other data. prescriptions in the PDMP each year. and works to prevent the increasing As the SAC moves forward and expands Substantial differences were found in abuse of prescription medications while its understanding of these data, it hopes per capita prescriptions at the county ensuring that they remain available for to connect patterns in the PMP data with level, with one Wyoming county in 2009 patients in need. The group seeks to data on seizures, emergency room visits, filling more than 3.5 times the number help doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other and fatal drug overdoses. of prescriptions for opioid analgesics healthcare professionals, law enforce- (per 1,000 population) than the county ment, and the general public become n Wyoming with the lowest rate. more aware of both the use and abuse In 2009–2010, the Wyoming SAC of prescription medication. q (WYSAC) used State Justice Statistics Zolpidem (a sleep aid drug sold under funding to conduct a study of the Wyo- the trade name Ambien and others) and ming PDMP housed in the State Board of alprazolam (Xanax and others) were BJS New Staff from page 6 Pharmacy. The study details statewide second and third in percentage of all pre- prescribing patterns of Schedule II and scriptions filled behind opioid analgesics. involved in a wide array of projects, above drugs as recorded through PDMP. The average per prescription tablet quan- including reviewing information col- Scheduled drugs, such as opioids, seda- tity for zolpidem increased by 48% from lection requests under the Paperwork tive/hypnotics, anxiety-reducing drugs, 2004 to 2009, as did the average per Reduction Act; implementing and devel- and stimulants, among others, have high prescription days of supply. Overall, oping statistical standards, statistical potential for abuse. during the period from 2005 to 2009, directives, and information quality stan- opioid analgesic prescriptions per 1,000 dards; and supporting government-wide The Wyoming PDMP data included population statewide were up 21%, methodological committees such as the nearly 4 million prescriptions filled for sedative/hypnotics up 37%, and anxio- Federal Committee on Statistical Meth- 477,515 unique Wyoming persons during lytic drugs were up 33%. The PDMP odology. Ms. Lee holds an M.S. in the period 2004–2009. Almost one third analysis is ongoing. criminology and an M.P.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in sociology-human services from PDMP Resources Susquehanna University.

Under the guidance of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Global Jus- Timothy Kearley assumed the position tice Information Sharing Initiative partners and subject matter experts from of chief of BJS’s Technology and Data across the country developed a new resource: Call to Action and Issue Brief: Management Unit in February 2015. He Justice System Use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs—Addressing has been with BJS since 2001 as Lead the Nation’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Epidemic. Focusing on states’ Technology Specialist. In his new posi- prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), this resource offers justice tion, Mr. Kearley will have supervisory practitioners and policy makers valuable, practical, hands-on sections such responsibilities for federal and contractor staff, and oversee the design, develop- as the PDMP best-practices checklist, a compendium of resources and refer- ment, implementation, and maintenance ences (including BJA’s Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit and website), of technical solutions that optimize BJS and next steps to help them address this critical public safety and public operations across all phases of the data health challenge. lifecycle from collection to archiving. Other useful resources include: Mr. Kearley represents BJS at national and international conferences related to • Bureau of Justice Assistance Prescription Drug Monitoring Program the management and dissemination of • Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis. statistical information and is an active Briefing on PDMP Effectiveness (April 2013) member of many federal data-related working groups. Prior to BJS employ- • Prescription Drug Monitoring Training and Technical Assistance Center – ment, he was a programmer and applica- State PDMP Websites tion architect for a company that provid- • National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities – ed IT consulting to government agen- Prescription Monitoring cies. Mr. Kearley received a B.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Florida. q JRSA FORUM: March 2015 8

JRSA Executive Committee Undergoes Changes as Mark Myrent Leaves the Illinois SAC and the Board

JRSA has a new Vice President on the juvenile justice trends, disproportionate Traffic Safety Executive Committee. In February, Lisa minority contact, computerized access Administration to Shoaf (OH), who had been serving as to criminal history records, victim assis- research causes Secretary/Treasurer, became Vice Presi- tance programs, and jail crowding. Mr. of motor vehicle dent when long-time Illinois SAC Di- Myrent has participated in several JRSA accidents by ana- rector Mark Myrent left his job due to webinars and postconference seminars, lyzing data from the change in administration in Illinois. especially in the area of criminal history national police Danette Buskovick (MN) assumed the records and administrative data. Under traffic accident role of JRSA Secretary/Treasurer, and his direction, the Illinois SAC was data files. Dr. McDonough received Jim McDonough, Virginia SAC Director, awarded several national awards, in- his Ph.D. in experimental psychology was appointed to take her place as Dele- cluding the Phillip Hoke National from Virginia Commonwealth Univer- gate. Dr. McDonough joins Delegates Publication Award (2010, 2011), Tech- sity in 1984, and since then has peri- Thea Mounts (WA) and George Shaler nical Innovation Awards (2013, 2014), odically served as adjunct faculty at (ME), Roger Przybylski remains Ap- and the JRSA Website Award (2010). the University. pointed Delegate, and Stephen Haas Dr. McDonough has been with the (WV) remains President. In addition to producing and reporting Virginia SAC/Criminal Justice Research crime statistics, recent SAC projects Mr. Myrent, who served last year as a Center since 1991. In 1996 he became include extensive survey research on Delegate on the Executive Committee, Director of the Research Center, and in school and college campus crime, was the Associate Director for the January 2000 became the SAC director. efforts to improve school/campus safety, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Prior to working at the Department of and school/campus threat assessment Authority, where he managed the Re- Criminal Justice Services, which houses teams; research on crimes involving search and Analysis Unit. He is the the SAC, Dr. McDonough worked for six firearms; and research on the extent of author of numerous publications on years in Washington DC, managing a prescription drug abuse in Virginia. q criminal justice strategic planning, program with the National Highway

Save the Date! 2015 National Forum on Criminal Justice The 2015 National Forum on Criminal Justice will take place August 2-5 at the Inter- Continental Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. Building on last year’s momentum, this year’s conference will continue to focus on the integration of policy, research, and technology to improve public safety.

Workshop sessions will feature speakers from each discipline to showcase innovative programs and highlight how research and technology help drive good policy. Topics of workshops organized by JRSA include: The National Forum on Criminal Justice showcases programs, research and • What Makes a Juvenile Justice Program Evidence-Based? technologies that help justice practi- • The Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Research Guiding Policy tioners and decision makers in states, • FY2015 VOCA Increase: Innovative Approaches to Providing Direct local communities and tribal nations Victim Services Within Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Agencies address pressing public safety issues. • New Approaches to Drug Enforcement Sponsored by the National Criminal • Georgia Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force Process and Outcome Justice Association, the Justice Evaluation Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), and the IJIS Institute, the • Assessing the Impact of Marijuana Legalization on Public Safety and National Forum is the only national Public Health in Colorado conference that brings together lead- • The Future of Policing ers from federal, state, tribal, and local criminal justice agencies, top criminal justice researchers, and technologists For more information, visit the National Forum website. Mark your calendar from companies providing solutions to and plan to join your colleagues for this exciting and unique conference! justice agencies. JRSA FORUM: March 2015 9 SAC NEWS

JRSA Welcomes New SAC Illinois from Vermont’s previous SAC, and Directors and SAC Contacts Christine Devitt Westley, Manager of the continues to work on several of the Criminal Justice Clearinghouse, is the same projects. Three new Statistical Analysis Center new SAC Contact in Illinois. Former (SAC) Directors (Idaho, Missouri, and SAC Director Mark Myrent left his posi- The official SAC Director is Francis Vermont) and three new SAC contacts tion in February following a change in (Paco) X. Aumand III, the DPS Deputy (Arizona, Illinois, and Montana) were state administration. Commissioner. As Deputy Commission- recently appointed. er, he serves as Chief Information Officer Missouri and has operational responsibilities for Mark Ritchey was appointed by the Arizona the Vermont Forensic Laboratory, the Missouri State Highway Patrol to be Shana Malone, Senior Research Analyst, Vermont Criminal Information Center, the Director of the Missouri SAC in is the new SAC Contact in Arizona. Radio Technology Services, and the December 2014. Former SAC Director Phil Stevenson Office of Technology Management. He Prior to joining the moved to Pew Charitable Trusts, where also provides policy guidance for the SAC, Mr. Ritchey he is Research Manager on Pew’s Public entire department in the areas of science, was a research Safety Performance Project. technology, and information. Prior to assistant and gradu- working for the Department of Public ate instructor for the Idaho Safety, Mr. Aumand was employed as University of Misty M. Kifer Executive Director of the Vermont Crim- Missouri as well as is the new inal Justice Training Council, and served an adjunct faculty Director of the with the Bellows Falls Vermont Police member for Columbia College. He spe- Idaho Statistical Department for 14 years, the last seven cializes in statistical research as it per- Analysis Center as Chief of Police. Mr. Aumand serves tains to public policy, crime, and traffic (ISAC), which is on several national committees and orga- safety. Two of his studies have been pub- housed within nizations that focus on developing justice lished in the prestigious Policy Studies the Idaho State information systems and improving the Journal. Mr. Ritchey is working towards Police. Ms. Kifer started working at quality of individual identifying records. a Ph.D. in political science with special ISAC as a Senior Research Analyst in These committees focus heavily on pri- emphasis in public policy, and expects to 2003, and in 2004 earned a master’s vacy rights and confidentiality of per- receive his degree in December 2016. degree in criminal justice administration sonal identifying information contained from Boise State University. In January Montana in databases. He holds a Master of Sci- 2014, she was put in charge of the three- Don Merritt, the Performance/Compli- ence in administration from St. Michael’s year STOP Formula Program implemen- College in Colchester, VT. tation plan that integrated the new re- ance Bureau Chief of the Montana Board quirements of the 2013 VAWA Reau- of Crime Control, has been named the Karen Gennette, Executive Director of thorization Act, and in May she was new SAC Contact in Montana. Former the Crime Research Group, will serve as made the STOP Administrator for the SAC Director Tyson McLean accepted the main point of contact for the SAC. state. In October, Ms. Kifer was named a position in February with the Oregon She has spent the last 20 years working the Principal Research Analyst at Office of Public Defender Services. to improve community safety outcomes ISAC and appointed Director. She has at the local and state levels. Ms. Gennette authored/co-authored four peer-reviewed convenes the Tri-Branch Task Force, a journal articles and produced 23 re- Vermont SAC Moves to high-level group of policy executives search reports published by ISAC. In New Agency; Welcomes working to create an evidence-based addition to providing research, program New Directors criminal justice system. She is also a evaluation, and technical assistance to In November 2014, an Executive Order member of the Governor’s Cabinet on state and local government agencies and was signed moving the Vermont Statis- Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice. community-based organizations, she has tical Analysis Center (SAC) to the Ver- For the last 10 years, she worked for the been involved in four statewide crime mont Department of Public Safety Vermont Judiciary developing alterna- victimization surveys. The major em- (DPS). While DPS will administer the tives to the traditional criminal justice phasis of Ms. Kifer’s research has SAC grant, the agency is contracting system and providing information and been on domestic violence, drug trends, with the Crime Research Group (CRG), training opportunities on evidence-based juvenile justice, ethics, Tribal justice, a newly formed nonprofit criminal and sentencing, program development, and and finding innovative ways to analyze juvenile justice research center, which evaluation, as well as collaborating with National Incident-Based Reporting will serve as the research partner for other justice partners and obtaining fund- System data. DPS. CRG is staffed by researchers ing for evidence-based programs. JRSA FORUM: March 2015 10

SAC NEWS, continued

Illinois SAC Engaged Evaluation of Juvenile Detention Center Community-based treatment services in Three Studies Mental Health Program included psychiatric treatment, substance The Detention to Probation Continuum abuse treatment, anger management, and of Care (DPCC) program was developed counseling. In a follow-up period that Multisite School Bullying by Illinois juvenile detention and mental averaged five-and-a-half years, sampled Prevention Program Study health professionals to identify detained youth from the forensic evaluation group The Illinois SAC has begun an evalua- youth mental health needs, enhance had a statistically significant reduction in tion of state-funded bullying prevention compliance with conditions of proba- arrests when compared to the non-partic- programs. The program will be adminis- tion, and reduce subsequent justice sys- ipant and mental health-screened groups. tered in more than 20 Illinois schools and tem involvement. Administered by the The report is available on the Illinois will serve more than 5,600 students aged River Valley Detention Center (RVDC), Criminal Justice Authority’s website. 8 to 15 years. The program and the eval- which serves youth in Kankakee and uation will include students, their par- Will counties in Illinois, the evidence- ents, and all school staff. based program identified the mental Evaluation of the 2013 Community health needs of detainees upon detention Violence Prevention Program’s Reentry The schools use one of two evidence- center admission and provided appropri- Program based programs—the Olweus Bullying ate referrals to community-based treat- In 2013, the Reentry Program, one of Prevention Program (OBPP) or Steps to ment services upon release. three components of the state of Illinois’ Respect (STR). OBPP is designed to Community Violence Prevention Pro- reduce and prevent school bullying in The DPCC program aimed to reduce gram (CVPP), provided services to youth elementary and middle schools. Second- youth offending and justice-system costs and young adults on parole in 12 Chicago ary goals include increased awareness by targeting high-risk youth, structuring communities. Youth and young adults and knowledge about bullying, involve- supervision, and offering an array of who committed nonviolent offenses were ment of teachers and parents in bullying treatment. Identifying justice system- eligible for participation in the program, prevention, development of clear rules involved youth’s risk and mental health which was voluntary. Clients and case against bullying, and providing support needs allows judicial orders to be tai- managers worked together to identify the and protection to victims. STR is lored, resulting in increased compliance services needed to aid clients in a suc- designed to decrease school bullying with sentencing conditions, reduced cessful transition back to their communi- problems by increasing staff awareness subsequent arrests, and ultimately low- ties and develop a case plan. Services of- and responsiveness, fostering socially er justice system costs. SAC staff exam- fered included mentoring, family support, responsible beliefs, and teaching social- ined administrative data for years 2003 mental health services, substance abuse emotional skills to counter bullying and through 2009 to assess the extent to treatment, job/vocational training and promote healthy relationships. Upon which youth received DPCC services development, educational supports, and completion of skill lessons, teachers and to track their compliance with sen- social/life skills development. The goals implement a grade-appropriate literature tencing conditions, subsequent detention of the program were to reduce recidi- unit based on existing children’s books. admissions, and arrests. In a sample of vism, increase public safety, and increase 211 youth arrested and processed at The project’s research goals are to: prosocial engagement for the participants. RVDC, 40% received a court-ordered 1) learn about the extent and nature of forensic evaluation. Of those youth, bullying in the schools, 2) learn how the Illinois Criminal Justice Information 60% completed community-based treat- programs were implemented and operat- Authority (ICJIA) researchers conducted ment services while under probation ed, 3) compare and contrast the two an exploratory study though interviews supervision compared to 42% of those bullying program types, and 4) suggest with 15 of the Reentry Program’s case who had a mental health screen and programmatic enhancements for the pro- managers to learn how the program 31% among those released prior to grams for future use and sustainability operated and make recommendations to meeting with mental health staff. in participating schools. There are eight change and enhance the program. The data sources to inform the program eval- evaluation provided the following recom- The study found youth ordered for foren- uation and answer the research questions mendations to the program: enhance —administrative data, official school re- sic evaluation received the most treat- training of case managers; improve data cords, and six surveys/tools for students, ment services. Youth screened for men- collection; use a standard screening and staff, and parents. Two reports will be tal health issues received fewer services. assessment tool; meet with clients pre- published from the study—one for the Sampled youth who did not participate release; and maintain a professional rela- first academic year 2014-15 and one for in DPCC (no mental health screening or tionship with clients. the second academic year 2015-16 (con- forensic evaluation) and youth who only tingent on renewed state funding). received mental health screening had less The report is available on the ICJIA successful probation outcomes. website. JRSA FORUM: March 2015 11

SAC NEWS, continued

police legitimacy, procedural justice, and body camera usage. Finally, the SAC is developing a survey for law Nevada SAC Ohio SAC enforcement officers to gather their Launches New Collects Data for attitudes about these same issues. A Website State Task Force on portion of the questions asked in the Community-Police Relations citizen attitude survey are replicated The Nevada SAC launched a new in the law enforcement survey to website that provides links to staff On December 12, 2014, Ohio Gover- allow for a comparison of responses. members, publications, and various nor John Kasich signed Executive projects affiliated with the SAC. Among Order 2014-06K announcing the cre- The final report, due April 30, will the publications is the SAC’s Research ation of the Ohio Task Force on include a summary of the findings in Brief series—short research sum- Community-Police Relations. The of the public forums as well as the maries that focus on criminal justice charge of the Task Force is threefold: two surveys. A more comprehen- topics relevant to Nevada. Recent briefs 1) to explore the cause of fractured sive report on the survey findings discuss a school violence initiative in relationships between communities will follow. Clark County (a project funded by a and law enforcement; 2) to examine recent State Justice Statistics grant) strategies to strengthen trust between and public attitudes toward surveil- the community and law enforcement lance using aerial drones. Links to in order to resolve the underlying Virginia causes of friction; and 3) to provide these and other Research in Briefs can SAC be found under “Publications” on the the Governor with recommendations website’s home page. about best practices available to com- Partners munities. The Ohio Office of Criminal with University of Virginia Justice Services (OCJS), which is the to Examine School Threat parent agency of the Statistical Analy- Assessments sis Center (SAC), is responsible for implementing activities associated with The Virginia SAC and the University the Task Force. The SAC has been of Virginia’s Curry School of Educa- centrally involved in all aspects of tion are partnering on a four-year, $2.5 this initiative, and is responsible for million grant from the National Insti- collecting data to understand the tute of Justice (NIJ) to examine how current conditions and perceptions school threat assessments are conduct- underlying community-police rela- ed statewide in Virginia. The grant, tions in Ohio. one of 24 awarded by NIJ in 2014 under the Comprehensive School A major component of the Task Force’s Safety Initiative, is part of a large- The new website also highlights the responsibilities is to seek input and scale, integrated research effort to SAC’s connections to the Center for comment from Ohioans on the issue build knowledge about what works Crime and Justice Policy (CCJP) and of community-police relations through to increase the safety of schools the Crowd Management Research a series of four public forums. The nationwide. Council (CMRC). CCJP is a research SAC is collecting qualitative data to center at the University of Nevada report on themes identified across Threat assessment is a structured pro- Las Vegas (UNLV) that works closely the forums. Additionally, to allow the cess used to determine the credibility with criminal justice agencies and SAC to capture the perceptions of a and seriousness of a threat and the community groups to inform criminal broader cross-section of Ohioans, likelihood that it will be carried out. justice practice. CMRC is one of the the SAC developed a statewide sur- In 2013, Virginia became the first few research entities in the United vey to learn about citizens’ attitudes state to mandate that threat assessment teams be established in all K-12 States that works to improve crowd toward law enforcement. This survey, public schools, and that the schools management techniques and strategies. which is being administered through conduct formal threat assessments on The Nevada SAC, CCJP, and CMRC the Kent State University Survey students who may pose a safety threat are all located within the Department Research Lab, focuses on attitudes to the school. The primary goal of the of Criminal Justice at UNLV. about police-community relations, JRSA FORUM: March 2015 12

SAC NEWS, continued

Virginia study is to examine how these which has developed and disseminated Crime and Violence reports data col- threat assessments are being conduct- one of the threat assessment models lected by the Virginia Department ed, characteristics of the various threat now being used, will conduct the of Education. assessment models that schools are majority of the design and analytic using, and how various measures of work on the grant project. SAC staff are Another component of the study will school safety and climate are related working with UVA staff to develop the examine the effects of providing ran- to the use of threat assessments. study questions, incorporate them into domly selected schools with technical the annual survey, and communicate assistance for improving the fidelity of The primary role of the SAC will be with the schools about the study. threat assessment model implementa- to incorporate data collection for the tion and reducing school suspension study into its annual School Safety Teacher and student surveys will also among minority students. Audit survey of the nearly 2,000 K-12 be used to measure school climate by public schools in Virginia. The SAC assessing perceived fairness of school This four-year project will produce developed and implemented the online discipline, the supportive quality of instruments, procedures, standards, survey in 2005 to assist the Virginia teacher-student relations, and student archived data, and training materials Center for School and Campus Safety engagement. Levels of violence and that can be used to establish a national with its mandate to conduct annual bullying and school suspension rates model of threat assessment as an school safety audits and provide (especially for disproportionately sus- effective school discipline and reports on the results of these audits. pended minority students) will be mea- safety practice. q The University of Virginia (UVA), sured using annual School Discipline,

Modernizing Statistics from page 5

“criminal” has changed based on Another area of concern for the panel currently developing an attribute-based social changes or technology. For is the near total lack of comprehensive system that may provide useful insights example, the UCR system is not fully data on regulatory violations. These into alternative methods of crime classifi- capable of dealing with homosexual include many areas covered by federal cation. The panel has also heard presenta- spouses as victims of same-sex rape; agencies, such as the Security and tions from subject matter experts and held and domestic violence, cybercrime, Exchange Commission, the Federal day-long sessions with representatives of and theft of intellectual property are Trade Commission, the Department of local, state, and national “parties of inter- only now being tentatively addressed Agriculture, and other agencies. (Many est” (agencies that collect, analyze, or use by the FBI. states have similar agencies.) The “vio- crime and violation data). lations” that these agencies uncover An interim report is expected to be re- The FBI’s UCR system collects data may have a much greater financial im- leased later this year. For more informa- from the nation’s 18,000 police agen- pact on the nation than other “crimes” tion on the panel, visit the National cies, which are charged with enforcing such as bank robbery. However, no Academies website. state laws—and these data may not current system collects and publishes q translate accurately to the FBI’s defini- these data. tions. The quality and completeness of these data are issues that the panel will Finally, there is the issue of unreported be considering. crimes that victimize corporate Amer- Save the Date! ica. The panel heard from one major Victimization data, as collected in the retailer who reported hundreds of mil- NCVS, contain information on crime lions of dollars of “inventory shrink- 2015 that may not be reported to the police. age” over the course of a year. None of National Forum These data are based on a sample of these cases are reported to the local po- the population and only include re- lice but instead are handled internally. on Criminal sponses from persons 12 years of age Justice and older. Due to the limitation of As part of its efforts to examine the its sample size, the NCVS is not able current system of crime classification, See page 8 to provide state-level estimates of the panel has considered international victimization. systems as well. The United Nations is JRSA FORUM: March 2015 13

NCJA Seeking Nominations for Outstanding JRSA FORUM Criminal Justice Programs Awards

• Does the program leverage federal, The JRSA Forum is supported by The National Criminal Justice Associa- tion (NCJA) is seeking nominations for state, local or other non-govern- the U.S. Department of Justice, its annual NCJA Outstanding Criminal mental funds and resources? Bureau of Justice Statistics. JRSA is Justice Programs Awards. These awards • Can the program be easily replicated a national nonprofit organization. honor successful criminal justice pro- in other jurisdictions? For membership or other informa- grams that use promising practices to tion, call (202) 842-9330, e-mail address important crime and justice Winning programs will be honored [email protected], or visit our web issues in communities. Programs are during an Awards Luncheon at the 2015 evaluated using the following criteria: site: http://www.jrsa.org. National Forum on Criminal Justice in • Does the program address an impor- Atlanta, Georgia. tant criminal justice issue? Karen F. Maline, Editor Nominations for outstanding programs Nancy Michel, Managing Editor • Does the program demonstrate col- must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. laboration among criminal justice T on Friday, April 17, 2015. JRSA Officers and Staff E For more and allied agencies or disciplines? information about the awards or to nomi- Stephen M. Haas, President • Can the program provide quantitative nate a program, visit the awards page on Lisa Shoaf, Vice President evidence of its effectiveness in the NCJA website. q Danette Buskovick, Secretary/Treasurer accomplishing program goals? Jim McDonough, Delegate Thea Mounts, Delegate George Shaler, Delegate Roger Przybylski, Appointed Delegate NCJA Announces Grants Management

______Training Program Jeffrey Sedgwick, Executive Director • Progress and Financial Reporting Sandra Dayton, Director of Finance The National Criminal Justice Associ- ation (NCJA) provides training and • Procurement Shawn Flower, Research Associate assistance in all areas of grants manage- • Karen F. Maline, Director of ment, including pre-award and post- Staff Responsibilities & Professional Communications and Member Services award processes, principles, and func- Development Jaime Michel, Research Associate tions. Guidance on federal regulations • Indirect Costs & 10 percent de Nancy Michel, Director of Publications and compliance and on how to apply Minimis Rate concepts and requirements for a juris- Ajima Olaghere, Research Assistant • Property Control, Inventory and diction or agency is also provided. The Stan Orchowsky, Research Director objective is to enhance the knowledge Disposition Jason Trask, Program Associate and skills for administrators and agencies • Fraud, Waste and Abuse Prevention with responsibility for managing federal & Response funding. Training is delivered through • Conflicts of Interest (New site-specific meetings and assistance March 2015 Vol. 33, No. 1 (average 2-4 days) and grants manage- Requirements) ment workshops (average 1-3 days). For More Information Some specific topics include: For more information about this pro- Justice Research and Statistics Association • New Uniform Guidance-2 CFR gram, including specific topics and fees, please contact Lisa Nine Accordini by 720 7th Street, NW Part 200 email at [email protected], by phone Third Floor • Management and Administrative Washington, DC 20001 at (202) 421-7693, or by voice mail only Costs Monitoring—tools, techniques at (202) 448-1712. Information is also and training available on the NCJA website. q