Office of Justice Programs Weekly News Brief

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Office of Justice Programs:

Bulletin Highlights Gang Prevention Research and Programs—The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recently released Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs.  The bulletin, prepared by James C. Howell, Ph.D., of the National Gang Center, presents a compilation of current research on gangs, including research findings on the state of gang problems in the United States today, why youth join gangs, the risk factors and attractions that increase youth's propensity to join gangs, and how gangs form.  It provides user-friendly tools to help communities assess their gang problems, from which communities can develop a tailored and appropriate action plan. The bulletin also highlights promising and effective programs for gang prevention. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/231116.pdf

First Measured Decline in Adults under Correctional Supervision—The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) yesterday released three studies (Correctional Populations in the United States, 2009; Probation and Parole in the United States, 2009; and Prisoners in 2009) that show that the number of adults under correctional supervision in the United States declined by less than one percent during 2009, dropping to 7,225,800 (or 48,800 fewer offenders) at yearend 2008.  This means that one in 32 adults, or about 3.1 percent of U.S. adult residents, was under correctional supervision at yearend 2009, down slightly from 2008. This was the first measured decline in the total number of adults under correctional supervision since BJS began reporting these populations in 1980.  Each of the three reports is available at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov.

Reentry Information Sharing Project Discussed in Podcast—James H. Burch, II, Acting Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, talks with Ashbel T. Wall, II, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, about the concepts of reentry and justice reinvestment and how these two practices are connecting the field of corrections with the law enforcement profession.  Earlier this year, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections was approved as a pilot site for a Department of Justice Reentry Information Sharing Project.  To date, there are three states participating in the program—Kansas, Maryland, and Rhode Island—and one county, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  http://www.ojp.gov/BJA/podcast.html

Denise E. O'Donnell, Nominee for Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance—President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Denise E. O'Donnell to be the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance for the Department of Justice.  Ms. O'Donnell recently served as New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, where she oversaw 11 homeland security and criminal justice agencies with a combined annual budget of $4.7 billion.  From 2007 to 2010, Ms. O'Donnell served as Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, where she managed several crime reduction efforts, including the collection and analysis of crime data, criminal background investigations, juvenile justice, and the administration of state and federal criminal justice grants.  During the Clinton Administration, she was appointed as United States Attorney for the Western District of New York (1997-2001).  Ms. O'Donnell joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District in 1985 as a prosecutor and was later promoted to First Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1993.  She is currently active in various legal and professional organizations, including the New York State Justice Task Force, the Criminal Justice Council of the New York City Bar Association, and the Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association.  Ms. O'Donnell holds a B.A. from Canisius College and an M.S. W. and J.D., summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/09/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts

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SOURCE Office of Justice Programs