NIC resources for the American Probation and Parole Association Conference (APPA)

In 2007 Robbye began working with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), as a correctional program specialist in the Jails Division. Currently, Robbye is a correctional program specialist with NIC’s Community Services Division. In that capacity, she serves as project manager for developing trainings and special projects for paroling authorities based on evidence based practices. In collaboration with Carleton University of Canada, Robbye helped to form a specialized NIC technical assistance program for parole structured decision making framework, enhancing the quality of release decision by parole boards and public safety. Robbye has also been assigned to a special Justice Department project, where she led a team of criminal justice leaders from across the country to develop reentry recommendations to assist the successful return of people back into the community.

Robbye has a BS in Criminology from the University Of Maryland, and working towards her MPA from American University in Washington, DC.

Lorie Brisbin currently manages the Executives of Probation and Parole Network and the Post-Conviction Victim Services Network along with other work in the areas of staff wellness and paroling authorities.

She has been recognized as an authority in the area of sexual violence in correctional settings and has expertise in both offender and victim perspectives. In 2012, Lorie received a Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Attorney General for her participation on the PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) Standards Working Group.

Prior to coming to NIC in 2010, she was employed by the Idaho Department of Correction for ten years, serving as a probation/parole officer, statewide Parole Coordinator, Transitions Coordinator, PREA Program Coordinator and as an investigator in the Office of Professional Standards (internal affairs).

Greg Crawford is a Correctional Program Specialist at the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). In addition to a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University, Greg has extensive leadership and criminal justice experience, which includes more than 20 years working in a misdemeanant probation department, a community-based mental health center, and over eight years with NIC supporting the field on a national level.

At NIC, Greg developed the Veterans Compendium Project. This project aims to provide justice-involved veterans’ resources at every point in the criminal justice system from law enforcement, veteran’s treatment courts, local jails, prisons, and finally to reentry. The most recent publication for the Veterans Compendium Project focused on specialized housing units for veterans in prisons. For the next resource in the series, he is working with American University on a publication that will address reentry for veterans. Further, he worked with the Center for Court Innovation to develop the first specialized set of screening and assessment tools, and a case planning protocol for justice-involved veterans. He is now working with American University and the Bureau of Justice Assistance to pilot test the tools in multiple jurisdictions with the goal of making the tools the standard for the field. Greg also worked with the Center for Court Innovation to develop a curriculum that focuses on responsivity issues for justice-involved veterans. The curriculum addresses military culture, service-related trauma, difficulties with transition from military to civilian life, and helps staff build basic skills to more effectively manage the justice-involved veterans on their caseloads. The curriculum has been piloted and is now in the process of being converted to an e-course. Greg serves as co-chair of the American Probation and Parole Association’s Justice Involved Veterans Committee and manages the NIC sponsored Justice Involved Veterans Network (JIVN). In addition, he was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans (ACHV) led by the Veterans Health Administration.

Greg’s other projects include Dosage Based Probation and providing training and technical assistance to the field. He is a US Air Force veteran and passionate about improving the lives of those who served our country.

Katie Green is a Correctional Program Specialist with the National Institute of Corrections overseeing and actively participating in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of resources to enhance the competencies of criminal justice practitioners. Prior to joining NIC eight years ago, Katie was a criminal justice practitioner in the Commonwealth of Virginia leading organizational change efforts and improving pretrial and community corrections services and programming with the implementation of evidence-based practices. Included in her portfolio with NIC, Katie manages resource development, training and technical assistance projects to advance the work of community corrections and local criminal justice systems.