We know that 2009 will bring many challenges. Some of them are already evident: for example, the slowing economy’s impact on the state budget. We at DCJS have had to curtail spending in many areas, including, unfortunately, reducing the number of fulltime staff.
Other challenges remain to be revealed. To meet all of the challenges we’ll face in 2009 and subsequent years, we will need to have a clear understanding of our mission and priorities, and be positioned to make the fullest, most efficient use of the resources available to us, in particular the talent, expertise and commitment of our staff.
Last fall I asked the staff to help me and our senior management team prepare the agency to meet the challenges of 2009 and beyond. Together we participated in a series of workshops in which staff members were encouraged to offer their ideas and recommendations to improve our services. The following areas of focus emerged from those meetings.
more...Highlights
Environmental Scan Wins Award
A key publication produced in connection with DCJS’ criminal justice planning effort has earned an award for the Department’s Criminal Justice Research Center.
The Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) presented the 2008 Philip Hoke Award for Excellence in Analysis to the Research Center for the report, Setting A Course for the Future of the Criminal Justice System in Virginia: Environmental Scan. The report describes the crime and public safety issues that will be addressed in the Department’s forthcoming statewide criminal justice plan. The award was presented at the Bureau of Justice Statistics/Justice Research & Statistics Association 2008 national conference in Portland, Oregon, in October.
more...Uniform Statute Table Facilitates Information Flow
The Code of Virginia establishes and defines all criminal offenses in the Commonwealth, ranging from minor traffic violations up to capital murder. The Code is the authoritative legal reference for determining what constitutes a crime under the laws of Virginia. Anyone who has taken more than a cursory look at those parts of the Code dealing with crimes and offenses knows that Virginia’s criminal statutes are very complex.
more...New Regulations in Place for Locksmiths and Locksmith Businesses
As of October 1, Virginia locksmiths and the locksmith industry in the Commonwealth became subject to new registration, licensing and training requirements promulgated on an emergency basis by DCJS in July, 2008.
The new regulations are the result of legislation enacted by the 2008 Session of the General Assembly and signed by Governor Kaine. The legislation, House Bill 462, was introduced at the industry’s request by Delegates Dave Albo and Dave Marsden.
more...Campus Threat Assessment Training Planned for April
Virginia’s colleges and universities will soon have access to newly developed training in responding to threats of violence on campus.
DCJS’ Office of Campus Policing and Security (OCPS), and Dr. Dewey Cornell of the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education have collaborated to develop the training, which will be offered on a regional basis on April 14, 21 and 28. Dr. Cornell heads the Youth Violence Project at U.Va. and has done extensive research on school violence. He and his staff created the threat assessment model now in use in public schools throughout Virginia.
more...Study Looks at Sentencing Guidelines in Virginia, Two Other States
A study by the National Center for State Courts found that Virginia’s criminal sentencing guidelines are effective in making sentencing more consistent and limiting undesirable disparity.
The study, Assessing Consistency and Fairness in Sentencing: A Comparative Study in Three States, examined the guidelines systems in Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota.
more...Accreditation Program Honors Retiring DCJS Staff Member
Ernest H. O'Boyle, who recently retired after nearly 20 years at DCJS, was honored at the quarterly meeting of the Board of the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) for his key role in the creation of the accreditation program.
more...Stimulus Funds Will Be Coming to Virginia
The stimulus bill signed by President Obama on February 17 includes funding for criminal justice programs that will benefit Virginia.
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