I have been working with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency through Children’s Research Center (CRC) for close to seven years. My first exposure to CRC was through the use and support of the Structured Decision Making (SDM®) tools and SafeMeasures. The use of SafeMeasures and the SDM tools has increased the professionalism of the child welfare here and in other jurisdictions. As we have been so please with the partnership with CRC we have partnered with them on several reviews of our data including one where we examined the data and practice influencing the racial disproportionality of the population we serve. This and other reviews have helped us look honestly at our practice and determine the results of our efforts. We have participated in pilot programs as tools have been developed. Through implementation and an open exchange of information and ideas, these experiences have been beneficial to the improvement of our practice as well and development of better tools. Due to the respect we have for CRC and the nature of our relationship with them, when we looked to make a significant change in the core of our child welfare practice we wanted CRC at the table. The partnership has been outstanding and the practice changes implemented as a result has benefited our staff and the families we serve. We value the professional relationship we have with CRC and their staff and continue to work with them ongoing for the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we serve.
The NCCD provides invaluable information to practitioners working in the field and the staff is kind, courteous, and friendly.
I am working with NCCD as part of a collaborative team to get funding to develop design guidelines and a dedicated center for Restorative Justice. I have found working with both Sujatha Baliga and Nuri Nusrat to be exciting and generative for my work as a designer. I truly feel that one of NCCD's strengths is its capacity to embrace and support new ideas in the agency of social change. They are clearly committed to exploring the most robust holistic approach to helping communities implement restorative practices and I very much look forward to continuing our relationship in the years to come.
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency NCCD has been instrumental in the way the Juvenile Justice Team works with juvenile offenders in Pierce County. Winnie Ore and her staff have been a phenomenal resource for us regarding the JAIS assessment tool. NCCD has assisted our County with implementing evidence-based practices to ensure our juveniles and families are receiving the appropriate supervision and services. The NCCD staff are easy to connect with and are always willing to assist us. We have worked with NCCD for 4 years and we look forward to their continued support in the work we do.
We recently started working with Amy Cipolla-Stickles and NCCD as a management team to enhance our communication with each other, our staff, and the youth and families we serve. After our very first session, there was a marked difference in how we engaged with each other. We were given practical tools we can and are applying in every interaction. We all know and have acknowledged the road of change can get a bit bumpy, but with and through the support we are receiving, we're all in and excited! Thanks Amy & NCCD!!
My work with the Children's Research Center began in the 90s when we piloted Structured Decision Making in selected California counties. I was impressed with the quality of their research and their ability to work side by side with agencies and staff to implement systems that improved safety and reduced risk for children and families.
Today, now retired, I am happy to serve on the NCCD board of directors. This is an opportunity to be part of a team that has high standards for research and the ability to apply that research to improve programs across a variety of social systems that touch the lives of children and families, elderly, and youth and adults in justice programs.
I am honored to serve on the NCCD Board – not only because of NCCD’s many past accomplishments, but because of its vision for the future and commitment to improving the lives of those who are often forgotten by society. The staff and leadership are extremely committed to improving the criminal and juvenile justice systems, adult protective services, and the child welfare system. I am inspired by NCCD's effective collaboration with advocates on the ground, and I am proud that its work with many jurisdictions has resulted in their use of best practices and the implementation of positive culture change that is leading to sustained improvements.
NCCD is the provider for our Risk Assessment Tools (JAIS and CAIS). NCCD has been a valuable resource with regard to evaluating our Department's needs, providing appropriate training, and advising on how to implement the use of the Risk Assessment Tools.
I have consulted with Sujatha Baliga multiple times on restorative justice issues, and I cannot say enough how helpful she has been. Not only does bring a high level of expertise, she also genuinely cares about each issue I present and takes the time to provide thoughtful and insightful responses. I know that she is pulled in a million different directions, yet she somehow takes the time to give me her individualized attention and advice. Restorative justice is a crucial component of fixing our broken criminal justice system, and it's laudable that NCCD has taken such leadership in the field.
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) is the oldest criminal/juvenile justice research organization in the US. Over the years, in addition to outstanding research, they've initiated outstanding products that serve to provide informed insight and recommendations for; the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems , the child welfare system, advance the treatment of females in both systems and raise the level of conversations across systems.
The staff of the organization are diverse, very intelligent and committed to quality research for the purpose of making substantive, useful and informed systems change.
NCCD offeres quality programming in many areas but it is their Restorative Justice Program that I know most about. NCCD is a leader in restorative justice programming and offers technical assistance to schools and other institutions who are seeking to implement RJ in their culture.
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) has played a key role in the juvenile justice reform efforts in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Manitowoc has relied heavily on NCCD's expertise in this area and we are pleased with the outcomes. NCCD's focus on research and evidence-based practices has helped shape many of the wonderful changes that Manitowoc County has implemented. Staff with NCCD are extremly knowledgable and receptive to the needs of the clients they work with. We have been working with NCCD for the past 3 years and plan to continue relying on them for support through our reform efforts.
NCCD provides leadership in research and advocacy to improve lives of at-risk kids, promote success in education and protect girls in the justice system. Their work leads to creating better futures for LGBT youth, ending prison rape, curbing gang and youth violence, finding successful anti-crime solutions, protecting vulnerable adults and pursuing justice that heals. The people of NCCD live the mission of the organization each and every day. It's not just their job, it's their life work. It's an amazing organization and I'm very proud to serve on the Board of Directors.
NCCD's work to advance restorative justice in the adult and juvenile justice arenas is some of the most innovative work out there to transform systems that rely too much on outdated notions of crime and punishment. NCCD staff are smart, dedicated, and passionate about creating lasting, systemic change that benefits all of society.
First introduced to NCCD via my collaboration with CRC in 2009, I've had the distinct honor of working with a whole crew of folks from the team in Madison (like Kathy & Raelene) in understanding and modernizing their set of decision making tools without deteriorating the validity or reliability of their process and research. Their adherence to best practice, concern for the welfare and well-being and children and paramount attention to details regularly epitomizes their goal and mission to keep children safe. They are an amazing organization with dedicated people who love their work and understand the importance of their jobs.
NCCD has expanded its focus to include elder abuse. Their work to extend the research on risk assessment and Structured Decision Making to the world of adult protective services is impressive and very helpful. NCCD hosts the quarterly webinars on elder abuse research-to-practice topics for the joint National Adult Protective Services Association/National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse Research Committee. The professional skill and willingness to contribute time and expertise have made these webinars the go-to place for both the audience and researchers seeking a way to connect their work to practice.
Carol Dayton, Co-Chair
NAPSA/NCPEA Research Committee
As a Minnesota county and state child protection manager, I have been a client of NCCD and the Children's Research Center for over 15 years. CRC provides tailored assessment tools for child protection workers assessing safety, risk and strengths and needs as well as other case management functions. They have always been very responsive to our policy and practice needs and have created state of the art toolscustomized for our use. Their products have always been of very high quality and delivered on time. CRC has also been available to train staff on the use of their Structured Decision Making tools and for consultation and technical assistance whenever requested. We trust the quality of their research and have contracted with CRC on many research efforts as well as for tool development. They are always professional and accessible and I would highly recommend NCCD and CRC to other Child Welfare organizations.
David Thompson
Child Protection Manager
Minnesota Department of Human Services
NCCD recently held it's first Media for a Just Society Awards (MJS) event in San Francisco that recognized those journalists, filmmakers, authors and producers who raise public awareness of critical issues through their work. Through a film, article or documentary, the public had the opportunity to see how the mission of NCCD makes an impact on our society, and improves the systems that touch the lives of our children, families and communities. The MJS Awards are only one example of NCCD's commitment and work in social justice.
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I was a professional fundraising consultant for 20 years and worked with many social justice organizations. I was so impresssed with NCCD that I joined the Board in July of this year. NCCD is the premier research and policy non-profit making a difference in the juvenile justice system, LGBT youth in foster care, children exposed to violence, restorative justice, adult protective services and many more.
NCCD has contracted with NH Department of Health and Human Services for a number of years and developed a series of assessments for the Adult Protective Services program. In addition to the assessments, NCCD developed a policy manual that is user-friendly and after several years of use is current and comprehensive. NH continues to work with NCCD in developing a research-based, valid and reliable risk assessment. NCCD is and has always been collaborative and responsive to any questions raised and any requests for information and/or consultation even when not directly related to the scope of the current contract.
I have used tools generated by this agency in my work with adult offenders in the correctional system. Their tools are research based and help practitioners be more effective in improving community safety and supporting positive behavior changes in the lives ofthose in justice involved systems.
NCCD has provided us with numerous services and benefits over the years. Most significant for us have been a detention baseline study prior to implementing the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Juvenile Detention Alternative Iniative (JDAI) in our state; the recently released report on girls in the juvenile justice system, which included focus groups of American Indian/Alaskan native girls from our state; and assistance to one of our local JDAI sites to study why youth were running away from placements and what might be done to prevent/mitigate further incidents.
NCCD has helped us implement an evidence based assessment instrument. Their staff members are attentive, professional and highly skilled.
NCCD's work with the City of Milwaukee Charter School Review Committee is one of the most important and hopeful aspects of education reform in Wisconsin. NCCD promotes not only high performance among the charter schools it monitors, but also innovation. Both are necessary if we are going to improve education outcomes for urban youth, particularly those from low income families. NCCD brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this work. Their work should be a model for charter school authorizers across the country.
I have had the pleasure of working with NCCD for a number of years. NCCD is an incredibly professional, well organized agency that is committed to improving practice for the children and families in the child welfare system. Their work and support covers the spectrum of child welfare, from working to ensure the most complete, non-biased assessments to organized data systems to track pertinent data requirements. The responsiveness and support to questions, clarifications or suggestions for system enhancements are second to none. They continue to be an exceptional organization to work with as we continue to strive to acheive better outcomes for children and families.
My organization, the National Adult Protective Services Association, has worked with NCCD for several years. Each staff person with NCCD has been an absolute joy to work with. They are 100% professional and have served as an excellent resource for us. The field of adult protective services is fortunate to have NCCD working on our issue.
My name is Dick SantaCruz and I have been working with NCCD for the past 12 years. NCCD helped LA County implement the Structured Decision Making tools. These tools are essential for screening calls and guiding social workers during key decision points in the life of a case. SDM tools help objective assess safety and risk of future maltreatment of children. Use of the tools has helped contribute to an overall decline in maltreatment not only in LA County but for California state-wide. Staff at NCCD are knowledgeable, professional and caring. NCCD staff are extremely ethical and go out of their way to help. I consider it a privilege to know these people. Janice Ereth and Raelene Freitag are some of the finest human being you will know. I highly recommend their services to any agency, county, state or country. The SafeMeasures reporting application is also a product of NCCD. It is unequaled for accuracy and drill down capability. It is a wonderful management and supervision tool. Any child welfare of probation agency would benefit from use of the reporting application with over 140 built in reports. Most of them can be drilled down to the individual case level.
NCCD is a leader in our society for promoting social justice. This effort touches every part of our community and is makes a differance in the lives of children, girls, boys, women and men regardless of race, nationality or sexual orientation. Each member of the organization is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct in our work.
My name is Danna Kipnis and I am a Computer Trainer in Riverside County, California. I am the primary trainer for NCCD's SafeMeasures solution and I also train users on SDM, NCCD's structured decision making tool. I have worked with NCCD for over five years and I have been nothing but impressed with their business knowledge, customer service and all around professionalism. SafeMeasures allows staff from director level to worker level to analysis business and caseload data to help make better practice decisions as well as proactively manage case work. Riverside County has been a leading California county in requesting new reports and new functionality from SafeMeasures. The SafeMeasures team has always been just a phone call or email away and is always willing to help implement what is best for our business. All this support is included in our minimal subscription fee which is very atypical. NCCD works to customize their products and services to your needs. I highly recommend them to any organization and feel priviledged to work with them on a regular basis.
I actually interned with NCCD this past summer as one of their program evaluation interns. The experience I had with this organization is one that is invaluable and impacted my graduate studies positively. The research and policy initiatives are laudable and contributes greatly to our currently deteriorating criminal justice system. The expertise and knowledge-base of those who work within the organization is of quality and consistently influential in legislative testimonials and reports on acts that impact marginalized populations i.e. women, LGBT youth and adults, and justice-involved individuals. They are very much deserving to be on the 2012 Top-Rated Non-profits work because of their innovative solutions and tireless work ethic to affect change in this country.
NCCD has worked with our Department to implement the Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System. This tool has assessed our agency in completing a comprehensive assessment with youth. We are learning more about the youth we are serving as a result of this assessment. In addition, we are developing case plans with adolescents that target ways to reduce recidivism and re-entry into our system. We have been very impressed with Winnie Ore, a trainer and faciliator, as she has provided us with very valuable information and resources.
NCCD has worked with our agency to implement use of the CAIS adult assessment tool. NCCD worked with us from the "try out" stage through training, implementation, follow up and further training. NCCD staff also created reports we requested and provided interpretation. From time to time a staff member of NCCD checks in with us to see whether we have any questions, issues, or needs. At all stages we found NCCD to be available, helpful, responsive and knowlegeable.
NCCD is committed to working with the forgotten and the dispossessed of the criminal justice system. I am proud to be associated with them because the quality of their work is superb and, spoken simply, they are keeping kids out of jail. Led by the dynamic Alex Busansky, NCCD is a 108 year old organization that has transformed itself and become a modern 21st Century criminal justice reformer of a broken system.
NCCD does work on behalf of the charter school authorizer in Milwaukee and we have been impressed with the work that its staff provides our agency. Their follow-through is top-rate and the analysis they provide on our behalf helps us determine how effective our work is. They have helped us meet our goal of determining which schools effectively serve urban children and which schools are not serving urban children.
NCCD fulfills a crucial need in the arena of research and advocacy for criminal and juvenile justice reform. The agency tackles issues that are not always top of mind for the public, but for which there is an urgent need for changes in current policy and practice (issues such as LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system, prison rape elimination, children exposed to violence). It is staffed by people who are not only top experts in the field, but who are deeply passionate about bringing factual, exhaustively researched information to the field of social justice. Last year, I was asked to consult with them on an office remodel and was happy to provide pro bono services to such a worthy non-profit agency.
The National Council on Crime and Deliquesncy (NCCD) is the premeier crime and delinquency not for profit policy and practice agency in the Country. For over 100 years, when crime issues are in vogue or forgotten, NCCD has been there bringing these issues to the public's attention.....and to the desks of the decision makers who can bring about the needed change. NCCD is the go to agency for all of these critical issues.....from capital punishment to the incarceration of minors in adult facilities, from the impact of social class, race and ethnicity on punishment to the conditions in our jail and prisions, NCCD has always been there. NCCD cares so deeply about issues that are often forgotten by the general public....NCCD is always thre!
My name Is Isabelle Askanas and I was an intern at NCCD. I love what the organization does; projects I found especially interesting included LGBT youth permanency in foster care, LGBT policies in juvenile detention centers, methods of restorative justice and the Prison Rape Elimination task force. The people here are very educated, yet very humble. The staff consists of a close knit community of people who have law degrees, masters, and PhDs, who are approachable and deeply invested in researching and reforming the community.
I am a board member however I am also a client that was served by NCCD. NCCD was involved in a couple of projects involving the City of Oxnard addressing issues of gang and youth violence. NCCD was instrumental in the selection and training of the street outreach and gang intervention personnel. We could not have achieved our results without the expertise and guidance of NCCD. The NCCD staff are passionate about the services they provide. They engaged in the planning and implementation levels and develop relationships with the entity as well as the community stakeholders. NCCD was outstanding in assessing the local environment and the pulse of the community so the programming was tailored to address the problems in the City of Oxnard and not cookie cutter recommendations and strategies. I highly recommend NCCD and I am confident you will be very satisfied with your results.