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  • A Conservative View of Justice Reform-Pat Nolan

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    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74 . We also won the award for Best Teamwork for 2015. 

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 279.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    We discussed the conservative view of change within the criminal justice system with Pat Nolan. Nolan is the Director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform. Launched in 2014, The Center will inform and mobilize public support for criminal justice reforms based on conservative principles.

    Nolan is a leading voice on criminal justice reform, highlighting the skyrocketing costs of prison, fiscal responsibility in the criminal justice system and reforms for non-violent offenders. He moderated a prominent panel on prison reform, featuring Texas Gov. Rick Perry that received widespread media attention. He is a leader of the Right on Crime project— a national movement of conservative leaders supporting reforms to the criminal justice system.

    Pat Nolan served for 15 years in the California State Assembly, four of those as the Assembly Republican Leader. He was a leader on crime issues, particularly on behalf of victims’ rights, was one of the original sponsors of the Victims’ Bill of Rights (Proposition 15), and was awarded the “Victims Advocate Award” by Parents of Murdered Children.

    Nolan was prosecuted for a campaign contribution which turned out to be part of an FBI sting. He pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering and served 29 months in federal custody.

    Nolan is the author of When Prisoners Return, which describes the important role of the Church in helping prisoners get back on their feet after they are released. He is a frequent expert witness at Congressional hearings on important issues such as prison work programs, juvenile justice, prison safety, offender reintegration and religious freedom. He has lectured at many judicial conferences and legal conventions. He has coauthored articles for the Notre Dame Law School Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy and the Regent Law School Law Review.

    The website for the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform is at http://acufoundation.conservative.org/center-for-criminal-justice-reform/.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

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  • Pretrial Reform-National Institute of Corrections

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    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74 . We also won the award for Best Teamwork for 2015. 

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 278.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    The topic is pretrial reform in the United States. Our guests were Lori Evielle, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, and Jim Sawyer, Executive Director, National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies.

    The website for the National Institute of Corrections is http://www.nicic.gov.

    The website for the National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies is http://www.napsa.org.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share
  • Veteran’s Treatment Courts-NIC-Event on May 17

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    National Institute of Corrections Event on Veteran’s Courts on May 17. New Publication Available

    Sentencing alternatives for veterans? There are dozens of specialized courts across the country that employ therapeutic programs to help keep veterans out of jail. “Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way” is a new publication that tells the story of these veterans and the judges, veterans advocates, and treatment professionals who are fighting to ensure a second chance for vets who find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system.

    The publication was produced in partnership by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Veterans Health Council of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). The report is based on a series of interviews and personal observations of the judges, veterans, and veterans advocates who have been intimately involved in the founding and operation of veterans treatment courts. In this book, they relay how veterans treatment courts are “the right thing to do” for justice-involved veterans who commit certain crimes associated with the lingering legacy of their wartime experiences.

    Court staff and graduates of veterans treatment court programs  describe, in often exquisite detail, what their roles are and how they have come to embrace the concept that these courts, which use a carrot-and-stick approach to rehabilitate rather than overtly punish veteran defendants, represent what one veteran in Buffalo, New York, a key player in the creation of the first of these courts in the nation, has called “the most profound change in the attitude of our criminal justice system towards veterans in the history of this country.”

    Objectives

    Introduce NIC’s new publication “Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way”

    Describe the inception of veteran’s treatment courts and their focus;

    Highlight successes and challenges of veteran’s treatment courts; and

    Hear a veteran’s personal story of the impact of veteran’s treatment court on their life

    This publication was authored by Bernard Edelman, Deputy Director for Policy and Government Affairs, VVA; and consultant Dr. Tom Berger, Executive Director of VVA’s Veterans Health Council.

    Radio Show

    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74 . We also won the award for Best Teamwork for 2015. 

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 277.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    We interviewed Bernie Edelman, Deputy Director for Policy and Government Affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America and Stephen Amos, Chief of the Jails Division at the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) along with Greg Crawford, Correctional Program Specialist at NIC about Veteran Treatment Courts. Please see the link at the beginning of this announcement for information about how to register for the May 17, 2016 live event for the release of “Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way.”

    In this podcast, the guests discussed the value of these courts; saving worthy lives, restoring families, and saving taxpayer dollars.  A Second Chance illuminates an evolving facet of the criminal justice system and highlights innovative practices in these diversionary programs across the country.  Using “A Second Chance” as a platform for all NIC veteran-specific initiatives, our guests also discussed the critical importance of continuity of care in jails and intent to expand veterans initiatives across this continuum.

    To learn more about veterans initiatives at NIC, please visit the veterans web page of the National Institute of Corrections: .

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share
  • Reentry from Prison-An Offender’s Story

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    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74 . We also won the award for Best Teamwork for 2015. 

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014.

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 276.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    We interviewed Jeffery Porter, who was released from prison in November of 2015. He is currently under the supervision of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) in Washington, D.C. CSOSA produces “DC Public Safety” radio and television.

    Mr. Porter tells his story about multiple contacts with the criminal justice system, and his views on incarceration and offender reentry.

    Also interviewed was Trina Stewart, Intergovernmental and Community Affairs Specialist for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. Trina interacted with Mr. Porter and was instrumental in arranging the interview.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share
  • Social Media and Emergency Operations-Virtual Operations Support Team

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    DC Public Safety Radio won the 2015 awards for best podcast and best audio from the National Association of Government Communicators.

    DC Public Safety Radio and Television won the Government Customer Service Community of Practice (Cgov) 2014 Overall Excellence and Best Use of technology Awards. See conta.cc/1qiBV74  .

    DC Public Safety Television won two top awards for public affairs television in 2015 from DCTV and three additional first-place awards in 2014

    Welcome to “DC Public Safety” – Radio and television shows, blog and transcripts on crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system.

    For FY 2013 through FY 2015, we recorded 218,700 unique visitors, 633,000 visits and 1,924,300 page views (excluding robot searches).

    This is radio show 275.

    The portal site for “DC Public Safety” is http://media.csosa.gov

    Subscribe to “DC Public Safety” through iTunes.

    Current Radio Program:

    We interviewed Micki Trost, Strategic Communications Director, and Sara Spaulding, Communications Specialist, for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management regarding Colorado’s implementation of a Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST).

    A basic premise of emergency media operations is the understanding that there may be millions of social media messages created during an emergency. It’s understood that the volume of messages, calls for assistance, erroneous information, or malicious websites could hamper the provision of vital information, or impede analysis, correct messaging or recovery.

    A Virtual Operations Support Team is composed of vetted and trained social media specialists who analyze and report critical information regarding an emergency to spokespeople at an emergency media command center. VOST members can be in-state, or reside throughout the United States or the world.

    The podcast explores the implementation of a VOST in Colorado.

    The website for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security is http://www.coemergency.com.

    The website for national/international VOST network is http://vosg.us/.

    Special Announcements:

    A top priority for the Department of Justice is to invest in scientific research to ensure that the Department is both tough and smart on crime. The Office of Justice Programs’ CrimeSolutions.gov website shapes rigorous research into a central, reliable, and credible resource to inform practitioners and policy makers about what works in criminal justice.

    A new website lists and evaluates prisoner re-entry programs nationwide. Launched by the Urban Institute, the Council of State Governments, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, the “What Works Clearinghouse” can be seen at http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works.

    The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. Please see the Center’s website at http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/. Please see “Federal Interagency Reentry Council Launches Website, Releases Myth-Buster Series” on the front page of the site (see announcements). CSOSA is a member of the Council. Several requesters have asked for national research on reentry.

    The Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice reentry research portfolio supports the evaluation of innovative reentry programs. To access these studies and NIJ’s entire reentry research portfolio visit www.nij.gov/nij/topics/corrections/reentry/welcome.htm .

    The Office of Violence Against Women offers stalking response tips for corrections, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, victims and victim advocates. They are posted on OVW’s website at www.ovw.usdoj.gov .

    The National Institute of Corrections Information Center is one of the largest repositories for corrections research and information in the country. See  www.nicic.gov/Library.

    Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency:

    We welcome your comments or suggestions at leonard.sipes@csosa.gov.

    The website for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is http://www.csosa.gov/.

    The program is hosted by Leonard Sipes. The producer is Timothy Barns.

    Comments offered on “DC Public Safety” television and radio programs are the opinions of participants and do not necessarily represent the policies of CSOSA or other government agencies.

    Share