Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

https://www.ojp.gov/  
The Office of Justice Programs is a federal agency that provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Its six program offices support state and local crime-fighting efforts, fund thousands of victim service programs, help communities manage sex offenders, address the needs of youth in the system and children in danger, and provide vital research and data. Agencies under OJP include:

• Bureau of Justice Assistance

  (BJA), a federal agency within the Department of Justice, provides services to a broad range of stakeholders to address and reduce crime.

• Bureau of Justice Statistics

  (BJS), a federal agency within the Department of Justice, is a source of criminal justice and corrections statistical data.

• Office for Victims of Crime

  (OVC), a federal agency within the Department of Justice, is committed to enhancing the Nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and to providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.

• 2019 OVC Report to the Nation: Fast Facts Fact Sheet

  Date: 2019  
  This Office for Victims of Crime Reports covering fiscal years 2017–2018 programs and services describes outcomes and results provided to victims of crime and expansion of serves available to victims of crime.

• National Institute of Justice

  (NIJ), is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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  Federal Pretrial Release Report 2011-2018

  
  Date: March 2022  
  This Bureau of Justice Statistics report presents data on defendants who were released or detained pretrial by federal district courts, including the type of release or detention and whether defendants returned to custody for misconduct during their release.

• Census of Jails, 2005–2019 – Statistical Tables

  Date: October 2021  
  This report details the characteristics of jail populations, including demographics, conviction status, and the most serious offenses. It also reports data on persons supervised in programs outside of jail. Finally, the data also includes data on those unconvicted and awaiting court action on a current charge or held for other reasons, such as persons incarcerated for violating probation and parole.

• ADAPT: Adaptive Defensive and Protective Tactics Research Report

  Date: March 2022  
  The Current State of Police Control and Defensive Tactics Training provides a new model program called Adaptive Defensive and Protective Tactics (ADAPT). ADAPT is based on the concept that the foundation of officer safety is the ability to adapt decisively to dynamic circumstances and conditions.

• Valor Officer Safety and Wellness Program

  Date: 2010-2022  
  This site serves as a resource for numerous training programs improving skills for safety and wellness developed through the Office of Justice Programs and has been in existence for ten years. VALOR is continuously evolving to address the various issues, concerns, and trends that law enforcement officers face and integrates the latest research and practices to address all aspects of officer safety, wellness, and performance.

• The Role of Human Service Providers During Community Supervision

  Date: September 2021  
  This paper summarizes what is known about the human service needs of people under community supervision. It outlines how community supervision can facilitate or impede the meaningful delivery of programs, treatment, and other services to people on probation, parole, and pretrial release.

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  Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program Resource Center

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  This resource site from the Bureau of Justice Assistance promotes resources to support local, state, and tribal communities to fight against substance use and misuse to reduce overdose deaths in communities. Resources include treatment and recovery services through grants, technical assistance, and training.

• Research on Offender Decision-making and Desistance from Crime: A Multi-Theory Assessment of Offender Cognition Change

  Date: January 2021  
  This 2021 study funded by the Office of Justice Programs looks at the impact of cognitive programming and supervision interventions on persons under community supervision by examining the desistance created in their thinking, beliefs, and decision-making while on supervision and beyond.

• Results from the National Institute of Justice Recidivism Forecasting Challenge

  Date: March 2022  
  This 2022 publication and list of winning papers and resources provides recidivism forecasts through data sharing and open competition.

• The Many Roads to Reintegration

  Date: 2020  
  This website and report by the Collateral Consequences and Resource Center provide resources in a 50-state report on laws restoring rights and opportunities after arrest or conviction.

  

• The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standards and Conformity Assessment Program

  Date: October 2012  
  The NIJ Standards and Testing Program fosters development of equipment standards and related conformity assessment programs that specifically address the needs of law enforcement, corrections and other criminal justice agencies. The goal is to ensure to the degree possible that equipment is safe, reliable and performs according to established minimum requirements.

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

  A component of the Office of Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Justice, OJJDP works to prevent and respond to youth delinquency and protect children.

• FBI Crime/Law Enforcement Stats (Uniform Crime Reporting Program)

  Date: Through 2019  
  The FBI enforces federal law and investigates a variety of criminal activities, including terrorism, cybercrime, white-collar crimes, public corruption, civil rights violations, and other major crimes. This site provides various resource information provided to and from the FBI for agency use.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.

• Intercept 5: Community Corrections

  People under correctional supervision are usually on probation or parole as part of their sentence, as part of the step-down process from prison, or as part of other requirements by state statutes.

• Financial Support for Victims of Crime: A Quick Guide for Corrections and Community Supervision Officers

  Date: August 2018  
  This document from the National Reentry Resource Center serves as a guide and additional resources for officers to better understand the issues around restitution collection and support for victims of crimes committed by persons under supervision.

• The First Step Act of 2018:  One Year of Implementation

  Date: August 2020  
  This report overview of key findings from the U.S. Sentencing Commission reviews the first year of implementation of the impacts of the five provisions related to sentencing reform compared to the previous year. Links to the full report and facts at a glance are also available.

• US Sentencing Commission: 2023 Guidelines Manual Annotated(link is external)

  Date: November 2023
  The 2023 Guidelines Manual Annotated offers quick integrated access to guidelines history and reasons for amendments.

Organizations and Associations

Entities that provide information and services to various aspects of the corrections and criminal justice field.

• The American Probation and Parole Association

  (APPA) is a national voice for the field of community corrections with a stated mission "To support educational excellence with quality leadership and professional management through education, research, and recognition.

Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI)

• Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI)

  The Association of Paroling Authorities International is a global association dedicated to the accomplishment of public safety and successful offender reentry through training, education, standards of evidence-based research and best practices, providing peer-based technical assistance and support in collaboration with strategic partners. APAI also offers a Mentoring program that sees to foster a supportive environment for the personal and professional growth of leaders of paroling and releasing authorities.

Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center

As an arm of CSG, the Justice Center "brings together state and local officials and subject matter experts to discuss challenges and best practices in policy areas directly related to public safety issues and justice to strengthen communities." 

• Justice Center/Council of State Governments Cost Calculator

  Date: Based on 2017 and 2019 data  
  The course corrections cost calculator from the Council of State Governments Justice Center is a tool that may assist each state in identifying potential cost savings by changing practices in probation and parole.

• More Community, Less Confinement

  Date: Data collected 2018-2020  
  This interactive site from the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments provides a state-by-state analysis of how supervision violations impacted prison populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Preparing People for Reentry

  Date: October 2021  
  Beginning with the pandemic but also looking to jail overcrowding and releases, Jails and prisons need to ensure safe releases of individuals returning to Communities. This reentry checklist from the Council of State Governments Justice Center assists in making the best decisions to include vaccinations and other critical needs for release.

• Actionable Data to Promote Public Safety by State/Justice Counts

  Undated  
  This resource site, with national and state dashboards provided by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, provides a view of public and aggregate criminal justice data in all fifty states with usable information about criminal justice systems.  
  https://justicecounts.csgjusticecenter.org/?mc_cid=80828ad1e0&mc_eid=45948a5b12    
  https://csgjusticecenter.org/events/how-to-make-justice-count-introducing-consensus-driven-metrics-for-criminal-justice-data/  
  https://vimeo.com/665740858?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=108354081

• States Taking Action: Flipping the Script on Parole

  Date: September 2020  
  This link to the Council of State Governments site describes the action of several states in rethinking parole and legislation proposed to make changes. States Taking Action: Flipping the Script on Parole - CSG Justice Center - CSG Justice Center

• Justice Reinvestment in Vermont Results of Racial Equity in Sentencing Analysis

  Date: April 2022  
  This 2022 study by the Council of State Governments Justice Center describes the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Vermont which examined racial equity and measures to correct existing inequities.

• Trauma Informed Approaches Across the Sequential Intercept Model

  Date: August 2022  
  This 2022 report from the Council of State Governments Justice Center describes the impact of trauma among people in the criminal justice system and provides tangible action approaches during different criminal justice intercepts, from community services and law enforcement to community corrections.

• The Importance of Making Data-Driven Restitution Decisions

  Date: April 2022  
  This 2022 article and study summary discusses important changes necessary to collect important data points to track accurate restitution information for agencies and decision-makers. This also links to the studies conducted in four states for data improvements in collecting restitution information.

AELE (Americans for Effective Law Enforcement)

• Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE)

  Date: September 2022  
  This site provides resources regarding legal decisions on various law enforcement, corrections, and employment topics. They also maintain special topic collections that are relevant to the corrections field. AELE is also a source of training seminars and webinars on topics for law enforcement, including firearms, electronic control weapons, and the use of force.

Crime Solutions

• Crime Solutions: National Institute of Justice Resource Link

  Date: undated  
  Crime Solutions, a resource link through the National Institute of Justice, can serve as a valuable resource site on what works in justice-related programs and practices through program effectiveness ratings and program profiles. Some articles are at no cost but can require membership for research and other articles.

Integrated Justice Systems (IJIS)

• Technological Trends in Custodial and Community Corrections

  Date: March 2017  
  This publication from IJIS Institute/Corrections Tech 2020 provides a vision for using technology for future custodial and community corrections supervision strategies. The IJIS Institute Corrections Advisory Committee aims to advance information sharing standards among the jail, institutional, and community corrections communities through private-public collaboration.

Pew Charitable Trusts

• States Can Shorten Probation and Protect Public Safety

  Date: December 2020  
  This report, by the Pew Charitable Trusts, provides an in-depth analysis of the Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 2000 through 2018 to provide a first-of-its-kind national and state-level portrait of the average length of probation and explores whether term lengths of supervision can be safely reduced and what options are available for state policymakers looking to improve their system's outcomes.

• Policy Reforms Can Strengthen Community Supervision: A Framework to Improve Probation and Parole

  Date: April 2020  
  This publication from PEW Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance, supported by Arnold Ventures, established the Advisory Council on Community Supervision to develop a policy framework for state lawmakers, court officers, and community corrections personnel to improve and impact supervision for probation and parole.

• Massachusetts Probation Service Offers Innovative Alternatives to Incarceration

  Guided by research, community corrections centers strengthen treatment program contracts  
  Date: April 2021  
  This article outlines a 2019 statewide study (included) funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts on the impact of community corrections centers on the variety of persons under supervision, including probation, drug courts, and pretrial.  
  January 2020 Study: https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/820605/ocm70956504-FY2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Fines and Fees Justice Center Reform Alliance

• 50 State Survey: Probation and Parole Fees

  Date: May 2022  
  This publication from the Fines and Fees Justice Center Reform Alliance provides a state-by-state review of the scope of probation and parole fees and the consequences for failure to pay at the time of publication.

Urban Institute

• Assessing North Carolina's Changes to Supervision Revocation Policy

  Date: January 2021  
  This study from the Urban Institute on the Justice Reinvestment Initiative was approached in North Carolina to review changes to their supervision policies.

Council on Criminal Justice

• Long Sentences by the Numbers

  Date: Spring 2022  
  This study by the Council on Criminal Justice in the Spring of 2022 outlines data showing the impact of longer sentences in the country. The release category information is important for supervising agencies who receive persons who have served long sentences.

Policy Research Associates (PRA)

• Understanding the Population of People with Frequent Jail Contact

  Date: 2023  
  Understanding the Population of People with Frequent Jail Contact was mixed-methods project that examined the flow of people with frequent jail contact through the criminal legal system across three counties in the United States. The project assessed the counties’ strategies to reduce frequent jail contact, especially the impact that those strategies had on People of Color and people with behavioral health conditions.

Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP)

• Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State: Background, Statutes, and 50-State Review

  Date: December 2021  
  This resource provides background, statutes, and a 50-state review of legal and financial obligations of persons under supervision.

Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI)

• Pretrial Justice Institute PJI Publications and Resources

  Undated  
  The Pretrial Justice Institute, an independent private organization that partners with foundations and other organizations dedicated to pretrial reform. They have a wide array of publications, including information on risk instruments, pretrial practices, and links to interactive maps on incarceration data. This link is to a variety of pretrial resources available from the Pretrial Justice Institute

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International

• www.rti.org

  RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future.

Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice - University of Minnesota

• Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs

  The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice and the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute are partnering on a three-year project, “Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs,” to improve how supervision conditions are set for people on probation and parole by creating improved alignment between supervision conditions and the factors related to their likelihood of reoffending.

NCSL – National Conference of State Legislatures

• https://www.ncsl.org/about-us

  NCSL represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S. Its mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.

• Paving the Way Home: An Evaluation of the Returning Citizen's Stimulus Program

  Date: September 2021  
  The Returning Citizen's Program (RCP) was a cash transfer program that offered financial support to returning citizens during the critical period after release. The findings presented by MDRC, a private organization created in 1974 by the Ford Foundation and federal agencies to improve the well-being of people who are economically disadvantaged, suggest that RCS may provide a promising model for emerging research and reentry integration.

• Recruitment, Assessment, and Retention in the Direct Care Workforce for Individuals with Criminal Records:  A Comprehensive Model Approach

  Date: September 2021  
  Anticipated worker shortages have prompted national conversations about the potential benefits and considerations involved in hiring individuals with criminal records for the direct care workforce. This National Institute of Justice publication examines the considerations needed to explore the opportunity to hire individuals with criminal records in direct service positions.

• Incarceration to Employment, The White House Strategy

  Date: April 2022  
  This newly released document from the Biden/Harris administration outlines a plan to assist with employment for formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Helping Individuals Experiencing Homelessness Obtain Identification Documents

  Date: February 2022  
  This February 2022 Resource Manual and Toolkit from Homeless and Housing Resource Center assists provide to guide individuals experiencing homelessness obtain critical forms of identification.

• https://www.crimemapping.com/

  CrimeMapping.com utilizes an advanced mapping engine, which helps us provide a high level of functionality as well as flexibility to the agencies we serve. Crime data is extracted on a regular basis from each department's records system so that the information being viewed through a Web browser is the most current available. This data is always verified for accuracy and all address information is generalized by block in order to help ensure privacy is protected.

• From Crime Mapping to Crime Forecasting: The Evolution of Place-based Policing

  Date: July 2019
  This 2019 publication from the National Institute of Justice provides an overview of crime-mapping in policing.

• Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA)

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  JRSA, a national non-profit organization, is a resource center for researchers, analysts, journalists and practitioners of justice research.

• iMPRoVE

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  A tool to measure service quality and outcomes.