October 16, 2008 ... Justice Information

JUSTINFO, published the 1st and 15th of each month, highlights information from the NCJRS sponsoring agencies.

Announcements

Award Announcements for 2008 Program Funding
BJA is pleased to announce the recipients of the FY 2008 program funding awards for nine program initiatives. Visit the BJA home page to view the program awards. (BJA)


Criminal History Improvement Program Offers Awards
The National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) provides an updated state-by-state summary of information regarding 2008 funding, activity, and NCHIP agency contacts. (BJS)



Funding Opportunities

2009 NCVRW Community Awareness Project Funding Available
Application deadline: November 3, 2008
The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators, through a grant from OVC, is seeking proposals for innovative and collaborative projects to raise public awareness of victims' rights and services in local communities during National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW), April 26-May 2, 2009. For more information, visit the NCVRW Community Awareness Project Web site. (OVC)


Accepting Applications for HOPE Grants
Application deadline: Open (contingent upon fund availability)
Helping Outreach Programs Expand (HOPE) grant awards help recipients improve their outreach and services to crime victims. Funds may be used by grassroots, nonprofit, community-based, and faith-based victim services organizations and coalitions to develop programs, aid networking, build coalitions, and deliver services. (OVC)



Publications

AMBER Advocate Previews National AMBER Alert Conference
The October 2008 issue of "The AMBER Advocate" features an article about Child Abduction Response Teams' (CART) pivotal role at the National AMBER Alert Conference and explains how CART is working with the FBI to bring abducted children home. Another article describes how Colorado's backup AMBER Alert plan helped rescue an abducted child. (OJP)


Current Issue of Crime Geography Newsletter Released
The Fall 2008 issue (NCJ 224030, 20 pp.) of the quarterly newsletter "Geography & Public Safety" examines how the nationwide home foreclosure crisis has affected crime, police practice, and public policy. Articles show that geographic information systems can assess how foreclosures influence crime trends and improve city cleanup of graffiti and blight. (NIJ & COPS)


Federal Criminal Case Statistics Released
"Federal Justice Statistics, 2005" (NCJ 220383, 8 pp.) presents federal criminal case statistics on suspects and defendants processed in the federal criminal justice system. The report provides data on the number of persons arrested, investigated, convicted, and sentenced for a violation of federal law. It also describes case outcomes. See also Federal Justice Statistics, 2005 - Statistical Tables. (BJS)


Latest Justice Resource Update Available
This issue of Justice Resource Update focuses on crime prevention. Discover how the Office of Justice Programs partners with local communities to help prevent and fight crime. Also learn how the Department of Justice reinforced its commitment to recover missing children and combat child exploitation. (OJP)


Mobile Device Acquisition Tool Test Results Available
" Test Results for Mobile Device Acquisition Tool: Susteen DataPilot Secure View 1.8.0" (NCJ 223997, 109 pp.), provides and interprets test results against top-level tool requirements identified by the specification and assertions related to those requirements, and includes a test results summary log. These results provide necessary information for developers to improve tools and to help users to make informed choices. (NIJ)


New Community Policing Dispatch Released
The October 2008 issue of the COPS Office's "Community Policing Dispatch" includes articles about how human rights organizations can strengthen relations between local police and immigrant communities, and how law enforcement agencies can adapt their performance appraisal systems to reflect community policing measures. This issue also spotlights National Crime Prevention Month. (COPS)


Report Provides Data on Correctional Facilities
"Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2005" (NCJ 222182, 28 pp.) includes data on characteristics of facilities, custody populations, and data on facility staff. Program data include work activities of inmates inside prison and on work release, educational training such as basic literacy and college courses, and counseling programs such as drug and alcohol dependency and employment interviewing skills. (BJS)



Online Resources

Add Events to the OVC National Calendar
OVC invites you to add your fall and winter events to the National Calendar of Crime Victim Assistance-Related Events. The National Calendar helps you locate, plan, and promote victim assistance-related events nationwide, allowing you to connect with a larger victim service audience and gain national exposure. Add your conferences, trainings, observances, and other activities today. (OVC)


Drug Information Available by State
The State & Local Resources section of the ONDCP Web site provides profiles on each state and U.S. territory. These profiles include demographic information, statistical data, and additional resources about drug use, substance abuse, and responses to drugs and crime for each state. (ONDCP)


Get Involved in Methamphetamine Prevention
Meth360 is an online resource designed to help unite communities in fighting the use of meth. With funding from BJA and COPS, Meth360 provides the means for law enforcement, prevention, and treatment professionals to collaborate in the delivery of presentations about preventing meth use to community groups and concerned citizens. (BJA)


Implementing and Operating Address Confidentiality Programs
On October 22, 2008, at 2 p.m. ET, in commemoration of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, OVC is sponsoring a Web Forum Guest Host Session on best practices for implementing Address Confidentiality Programs. Join Melissa Deinlein, Manager of the Washington Address Confidentiality Program, and Victoria Sostack, Director of Victim Services at the Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate, for the session. (OVC)


NCJRS Provides Resources for School Safety
During America's Safe Schools Week and National Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week (October 19-25, 2008), visit the NCJRS online resource In the Spotlight: School Safety. This resource contains publications, programs, training and technical assistance, and related resources focusing on school safety. (NCJRS)


Nielsen Study Reveals Teens' Online Viewing Habits
Teen Viewing of Drug and Alcohol-Related Videos Online, a Nielsen online study conducted on behalf of ONDCP, measured the online viewing habits of teens and tracked their exposure to drug-related content. (ONDCP)


October Is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October 2008), NCJRS invites you to view the online resource In the Spotlight: Family Violence. This Web site includes links to publications, programs, and other resources related to family violence. (NCJRS)


Online Resources Addressing Victims With Disabilities Released
The "Promising Practices for Serving Crime Victims With Disabilities" bulletin and companion toolkit help organizations seeking to improve their response to crime victims with disabilities. These products were developed by SafePlace under an OVC grant. (OVC)


Teens and Technology Package Available
ONDCP offers information to both parents and children to help combat the potentially dangerous behaviors and misinformation that teens, tweens, and younger children may be exposed to while online. This "teens and technology" package includes a fact sheet, an open letter to parents, and a technology guide for teens and parents. (ONDCP)



Conferences and Trainings

Apply for 2009 National Victim Assistance Academy
Apply now for the next National Victim Assistance Academy, to be held March 1-6, 2009, at the American Airlines Training & Conference Center in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area. Continuing Education Units will be awarded to all participants who complete the Foundation-Level Training, Professional Skill-Building Institute, or Leadership Institute and pre-Academy assignments. (OVC)


Enrollment Open for the Forensic Management Academy
Application deadline: October 31, 2008
Applications are being accepted for the Forensic Management Academy (FMA), sponsored by West Virginia University and the National Institute of Justice; it will take place April 19-24, 2009, in Morgantown, West Virginia. FMA is designed for current and aspiring forensic laboratory managers, law enforcement professionals, and other forensic service providers. (NIJ)


Forensic Workshop for Social Scientists
The National Institute of Justice invites social science researchers to learn more about current and future research, evaluation, data sources, and field experiments at a one-day session on December 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/forensic-workshop.htm.


Online Training Self Assessment Tool Now Available
The Training Self Assessment Tool was developed to help you and your organization identify and assess your training/technical assistance needs by guiding you through seven major areas of interest. Use this tool to receive a printable summary of your responses and a list of available resources. (OVC)


Training for New Forensic Scientists Scheduled
The Forensic Training Network and NIJ will offer a series of online training modules starting December 1, 2008, and continuing through December 31, 2010. These training sessions are free of charge and will provide effective and efficient self-learning tools designed to minimize resources that public laboratories must spend to train new analysts. (NIJ)


Training for Victim Services Available
Register now for OVC's upcoming training workshop, Supporting Children Living With Grief and Trauma: A Multidisciplinary Approach, to be held December 10-11, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. To view course descriptions and learning objectives or to register, visit the OVC TTAC Web site. (OVC)