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Objectives of this three-hour videoconference include:

• Articulating the purposes for assessment and evaluation of sex offenders and the issues and challenges inherent in each;
• Understanding the limitations of traditional risk and needs assessment tools for sex offenders;
• Identifying and defining the available approaches and instruments used to effectively assess and evaluate sex offenders;
• Distinguishing between effective and ineffective risk assessment tools;
• And identifying the complementary roles of treatment providers and supervising agents in conducting and interpreting assessments and evaluations.

Those who should participate include probation/parole line staff involved in pre-sentence investigations and supervision, first-line supervisors, managers, policymakers, community corrections administrators, parole board members, trainers, and sex offender treatment providers who work closely with community supervision agencies.

The goal of this videoconference is to enhance the ability of probation and parole agency staff (line officers, supervisors, and policymakers/administrators) to supervise sex offenders in the community more effectively. Topics addressed include:

• Overview of sex offenders and their victims;
• The victim-centered approach to sex offender supervision;
• The role of collaboration in a comprehensive approach to supervision;
• The containment approach to supervision;
• Sex offender treatment in the context of community supervision;
• The use of the polygraph as a supervision and treatment tool;
• Assessment of sex offenders;
• Presentence investigations (PSI) of sex offenders;
• Case/planning/maintaining the case file;
• Case work in various settings;
• And responding to violations.

This brochure explains the impact of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) on jails. Topics discussed include: what PREA is; how PREA applies to jails; the purpose of PREA; what jails need to be doing; and answers to frequently asked questions.

Meeting the needs of juvenile female offenders is discussed during this 1.5-hour training session. Topics covered include: introduction to the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) collaboration; current perspective -- research into juvenile female offender practice; current research -- a look at the work of OJJDPs Girls Study Group; NICs approach to address the issue; curriculum excerpt from NIC/OJJDPs Meeting the Needs of Juvenile Female Offenders, Section One: Defining the Context for Our Exploration of Female Responsive Services in the Juvenile Justice System; curriculum overview; and summary.

A policy review guide designed to assist in drafting PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) policies for review by the National Institute of Corrections is provided. Sections of this document are: purpose; questions to consider -- policy organization, definitions, zero tolerance, staff/offender duty to report, prevention, and investigations (e.g., general, selection and training of investigators, protocols, and aftermath); and list of resources.

This 3-hour program, originally broadcast on May 3, 2006, will help agencies build a proactive communication strategy for working in partnership with the media and the public. An agency's communication plan is as essential to its operations as its emergency preparation. Too often, an agency's first contact with the media is reactionary and after the fact. When the media contacts an agency concerning various situations and circumstances, individuals and agencies often find themselves on the defensive facing a barrage of questions and inquiries. The objectives of this broadcast are to help participants: Understand the role of the media and the "public's right to know." Develop strategies and techniques to work effectively and succinctly with the media. Develop a comprehensive communication plan. Build a working relationship with the media, legislature, and local public interest organizations.

Results are presented from an investigation into the manner in which prison inmates are transferred between correctional authorities and the reasons for these transfers. Report sections include: about this study; key study findings; interstate compacts addressing inmate transfers; authority for interstate transfer of prison inmates; administration of inmate transfers; incidence of interstate inmate transfer; why prison inmates are transferred; agencies' satisfaction with processes for interstate transfer of inmates; and conclusions.

Proceedings from hearings regarding mentally ill offenders are provided. Contents of this publication include: executive summary; outline of proceedings; opening remarks and introduction; hearing panel -- setting the context -- the increasing number of people with mental illness under corrections supervision -- origins of the problem and key strategies for addressing it; hearing panel -- case studies of state and local mental health and corrections collaboration; summary of day's proceedings; Day Two remarks; hearing panel -- the role of family members, advocates, and consumers in corrections and mental health collaboration; open forum -- reflections and analysis; and summary and conclusions.

<p>The development and implementation of the Cook County Sheriff's Department of Women's Justice Services (DWJS) is discussed. This bulletin is comprised of these sections: introduction; background; the decisionmaking process; decision point mapping example -- custody/release; creating the DWJS; gender-responsive innovations; meeting the healthcare needs of women offenders in Cook County; and challenges and accomplishments.</p>

Incidents of sexual abuse of juveniles in custody are reported at a rate 10 times higher than the rate in adult corrections. This 3-hour program, originally broadcast June 28, 2006, addresses this serious issue and introduces administrators, managers, advocates, and practitioners working with juvenile offenders to the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003. At the end of this broadcast, participants will have a strong grasp of: requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 that aim to prevent, address, and provide sanctions for the abuse of children and youth under the custodial care of juvenile and other authorities; legal and other implications when the sexual abuse of children and youth in custody are not addressed appropriately; best practices to begin developing policies, procedures, and practices to prevent and address the sexual abuse of children and youth in custody; and key points in the Act applicable to facilities used for the custody and care of youth and an action plan for implementing the PREA in these settings.

The responses from a survey about laws concerning the statutory rape of children are presented. Offense type, description, and penalty are noted.

Training programs, satellite/Internet broadcasts, and e-learning are described. Information regarding training programs, information services, technical assistance, the NIC On-Line, and application procedures is also provided, along with application forms.

An overview of the work done by collaborative partnerships to design and validate gender-responsive risk and needs assessments for female offenders is provided. This article discusses issues surrounding female offender classification and the current National Institute of Corrections (NIC) study regarding gender-responsive approaches to risk and needs assessment.