Researcher Dr. Ralph C. Serin was recently posthumously awarded the Renee Collette International Excellence Award by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the Association of Paroling Authorities International. Dr. Serin was a dedicated partner of NIC, having collaborated on multiple projects over 20 years.
Dr. Serin’s work has been instrumental in assisting NIC in the development of models, policies, and practices that improve the outcomes of parole boards and people involved with the criminal justice system. His early work was the catalyst for the development of the Structured Decision-Making Framework, which continues to be used today to help parole boards make objective, non-arbitrary release decisions through the use of information that has been determined by research to influence a person’s likelihood to reoffend after release. In 2013, Dr. Serin contributed to the multi-agency effort to create a Reentry Desistance Model, which has gone on to have a noteworthy effect on a variety of criminal justice initiatives and helped change the way practitioners think about desistance for adults on parole supervision.
Dr. Serin was a model for what advocating for change in criminal justice can look like. The National Institute of Corrections values his many contributions to the field and extends its sincere appreciation for his partnership and enduring vision.
