The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service’s Criminal Justice Research Center recently received the Philip Hoke Award for Excellence in Analysis for two crime research publications it prepared for state government policy makers. The two publications, Crime in the Commonwealth 1988-1998 and Evaluation of the Richmond City Continuum of Juvenile Justice Services Pilot Program: Final Report, received the awards at the Bureau of Justice Statistics/Justice Research & Statistics Association national conference in Minneapolis, MN.

The Hoke Award is a national competition which annually recognizes the state Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) that has done the best job of producing research publications that help translate criminal justice information and data into policy. The DCJS Criminal Justice Research Center is Virginia’s SAC.

Awards are made in two categories: Statistical/Management and Research/Policy Analysis. The Crime in the Commonwealth report won in the Statistical Management category, and the Richmond City Continuum evaluation report won in the Research/Policy Analysis category. Publications are submitted by SACs from various states, and are judged by a panel of national experts in the field of criminal justice research and reporting. Factors judged in the competition include report organization, data presentation and description, analysis and conclusions, and impact on policy development.

DCJS prepared Crime in the Commonwealth 1988-1998 for Governor Gilmore’s New Partnership Commission. The Governor created the commission to study and recommend ways to reduce violent crime and drug crime in Virginia. The report was prepared to inform the commission members about the nature and scope of crime in Virginia during the last decade. It was released last Fall.

DCJS prepared Evaluation of the Richmond City Continuum of Juvenile Justice Services Pilot Program: Final Report for the Virginia General Assembly. The General Assembly directed DCJS to evaluate and report on the program to provide legislators with information on how well the pilot program was providing a series of graduated sentences to juvenile offenders in the City of Richmond.

Virginia’s Research Center also won the Hoke award in both reporting categories in 1994, when it produced reports on violent crime and on firearms and crime for then-Governor Wilder. Virginia is the only state in the nation to twice win the award in both reporting categories simultaneously.

The Hoke award is named in honor of Philip Hoke. Hoke was the director of the first Statistical Analysis Center in the nation, established in Louisiana in 1972. Hoke awards have been given since 1986. There are now Statistical Analysis Centers in 49 states.