Information Center: Please give us a brief background of your career leading up to this position as NIC's Chief of Community Services Division? What attracted you to NIC?

Ms. Busby: Over the course of the past 25 years I have worked in a variety of human service and criminal justice settings.  My experience includes, child protection, victim services, law enforcement, and probation and parole.  What drew me to each of these professions was a strong desire to serve others and a commitment to do my part to reduce victimization and increase public safety in the community.

NIC is a leader in the field of criminal justice and served as a resource and guide for me as I grew in my professional career.  I was fortunate enough to participate in the NIC Correctional Leadership Development program, which was truly transformational for me as it provided a clear framework and path for furthering my individual leadership capacity. In addition, the agencies I worked for were regular consumers, benefitting from NIC programs and technical assistance.

What attracted me most to NIC was the Institute’s innovative approach to providing training, technical assistance, information services, and policy/program development assistance to federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies. NIC's staff are second to none.  They are dedicated and committed professionals who work hard every day to provide support and innovative services to correction agencies on the front lines.   I am honored to be a part of the NIC team working to improve correctional practice across the United States.

Information Center: What is your vision for Community Services and how does it fit with the Institute’s mission?  Where do you see NIC five years from now and do you see your division’s role changing over those five years?

Ms. Busby: As a team, the Community Services Division under the direction of our former Director Jim Cosby developed the following division statement, "The Community Services Division will deliver correctional services for measureable results.  Our priority is to develop and provide resources that will enhance the competencies of practitioners and build effective organizational capacities through innovation, problem-solving, utilization of research and data-informed decision making.  This body of work contributes to a just and humane society." 

That goal remains as important today as when it was first developed a little over five years ago.  Corrections agencies across the nation strive to deliver effective interventions aimed at reducing recidivism and increasing public safety.  NIC exists to help support them in that endeavor.  Currently, NIC is in the process of collectively reviewing our strategic plan and operating procedures to improve upon the good work we do.  The Community Services Division, along with all NIC Divisions are committed to strengthening our infrastructure to better serve the needs of the field.  We are looking for new and creative use of technology to connect with our constituents, gather information about their needs, and ensure that our products and services align with those needs. 

NIC will continue to play a vital role in enhancing correctional practice in the years to come. There is a growing call in the field of corrections to demonstrate effectiveness.  NIC is working to influence and positively impact the field’s knowledge and abilities in the area of implementation science, correctional outcome measurement, and program fidelity. 

The Community Services Division work will continue to be guided and shaped by the growing body of research around implementation science and evidence based practices.  We will continue to explore and develop programming, technical assistance, and information services in the areas of diversion, pre-trial justice, caseload management, victims programs, employee safety, classification and assessment, and intermediate sanctions. The division will continue to provide specialized training and other programs that focus on: Executive Leadership and Development; Justice Involved Veterans; Justice involved Women; Evidence-Based Offender Interventions; Inmate Transition to Communities; Workforce Development; and Responding to Probation/Parole Violations.  Our division is committed to continuous quality improvement and will work to strengthen our capacity to make data informed decisions about our customer needs, programs and overall division performance.

Information Center: Reentry is an integral component of public safety and success for formally incarcerated individuals. What do you see as NIC’s role in supporting it?

Ms. Busby: NIC has been leading national reentry efforts for years and will continue in the future.  NIC's Transition from Prison to Community (TPC) Initiative launched in 2002, and was followed by NIC's Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) in 2007 – both focusing on a system-wide approach to re-entry.   Successful reentry efforts require extensive and effective collaboration between institutions, community supervision agencies, and community-based providers. Both TPC and TJC have provided agencies who implement the recommended policies and practices an opportunity to realize a significant effect on public safety.  NIC is committed to continuing to support criminal justice agencies in their reentry efforts through both of these initiatives. 

In the past two years, NIC convened a national symposium on reentry as well as the inaugural reentry coordinator's network meeting.  NIC is in a unique position to bring a variety of experts and stakeholders together to share successes, brainstorm new and innovative solutions, and facilitate national partnerships to tackle the diverse reentry and public safety challenges that agencies experience on a daily basis. 

Information Center: How can NIC support innovation in the field of corrections?  Any examples of this happening in the past or today?

Ms. Busby: Innovating by its definition is to introduce new things or methods.[1] NIC has long prided itself on developing initiatives and programs based off of new and promising research, established legal cases, and sound operational practices.  The Community Services Division staff have been successful at bringing cutting edge information and practices to the field in the areas of diversion, pretrial services, probation and parole decision making, as well assisting agencies in developing sound policies and practices to address the unique needs of justice involved women, veterans, victims and LGBTI individuals.  In addition, NIC's Employment Retention Inventory project and the Employer Driven Employment Model are both examples of NIC's continued commitment to new and innovative practices. We are grateful for the ability to partner with corrections agencies across the country to pilot, study, and implement new and innovative ways of doing business.

Recently, there has been a growing interest across the field of corrections to learn more about the application of the research surrounding Implementation Science.  Over time there has been a growing understanding and acceptance that evidence-based innovations alone do not create the desired impact; they must be supported by quality implementation. NIC has identified a need for the field of Implementation Science to inform both our internal practice as well as our external efforts to assist jurisdictions in establishing evidence-based programs. To that end, NIC has engaged with the National Implementation Science Research Network to build our internal expertise and develop a path for NIC to bring Implementation Science to the field of corrections in a very strategic and deliberate way. 

The Community Services Division, along with the entire Institute looks forward to continued collaboration with our criminal justice stakeholders and partners to build on the great work being done across this nation. Together, we will create the kind of impact that results in fewer victims and safer communities. ♦