Training to disseminate the results of proven programs and state-of-the-art practices and technical assistance to help address specific information and assessment of needs are effective means of building the capacity of state and local criminal justice agencies to prevent and control crime. Often, local jurisdictions are able to replicate a successful demonstration program solely as a result of committed local leaders receiving technical assistance or training in a proven new approach.

The OJP agencies' training and technical assistance are designed in accordance with their specific mandates. For example, BJA provides a wide array of training and technical assistance programs to provide criminal justice practitioners with information on state-of-the-art, effective programs and practices and to address new criminal justice issues. Criminal and juvenile justice practitioners, government officials, social service providers, representatives from community organizations, victim advocates, youth, and others involved in crime prevention and control can benefit from BJA's training and technical assistance programs.

The OJJDP Training and Technical Assistance Division seeks to strengthen the essential components of the juvenile justice system including juvenile courts and court personnel, law enforcement, detention and corrections, the network of youth service providers, and child advocacy organizations by providing training, technical assistance, and state-of-the-art information on trends, new approaches, and innovative techniques. To carry out its mission, the Division:

• Analyzes the training needs of professionals and volunteers working in the juvenile justice system, and develops and implements curriculums to meet these needs.

• Conducts training programs and technical assistance for federal, state, and local governments; private agencies; professionals; volunteers; and others who serve the juvenile justice system, including law enforcement, the judiciary, corrections, education, and community organizations.

• Provides needs assessments for community planning concerning gang and drug problems in order to develop effective intervention strategies.

The Training, Dissemination, and Technical Assistance Division assists the OJJDP State Relations and Assistance Division and Special Emphasis Division in implementing the OJJDP state formula grant programs and national-scope program replications by providing structured training and technical assistance.

The Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS) provides training and technical assistance to both funded and unfunded Weed and Seed communities in an attempt to strengthen program implementation and strategy development, as well as increase information sharing among the sites nationwide. Examples of assistance which attempt to meet the broad needs of the program include a national Weed and Seed training conference held annually and the monthly publication of In-Sites, the Weed and Seed newsletter, which enjoys a readership of over 2,500 nationally. To meet the specific needs of the Weed and Seed sites -- such as conducting community needs assessment, enhancing community policing, and strengthening job training or other economic development efforts -- organizations specializing in these areas, and additional training and technical assistance funds, are made available.

Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) training and technical assistance activities are intended to expand and enhance the coordination and delivery of services to crime victims; improve the criminal justice and social services system response to victims of crime; and support the development and distribution of policies, procedures and protocols in the treatment and handling of crime victims by Native American tribes, state and local governments, and private non-profit organizations. OVC also provides funding to respond to critical incidences of mass victimization, to disseminate information and products to the field, and to support statewide training efforts. A special emphasis area of OVC's training and technical assistance is outreach to Native American populations and rural communities.

OJP agencies can customize their training and technical assistance to meet the specific needs of a state or local community. They also can address a broad array of topics, examples of which are described in the following sections. For additional information about available training and technical assistance, please contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770 or the number listed after a specific training or technical assistance program.

• The National Law Enforcement Policy Center develops and disseminates model policies for state and local law enforcement agencies and conducts training on policy development and implementation. Limited training is available on a regional basis from BJA. For further information, contact BJA at 202-514-6278.

• Training in Anti-Drug Activities and Cultural Differences Involving Illegal Aliens seeks to enable law enforcement officers to investigate drug smuggling and illegal sales more effectively and to be more aware of the cultural differences of the various ethnic groups in the communities they serve. Conducted through a collaborative effort between the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the training is available regionally on a limited basis in 1995 through BJA.

• Clandestine Laboratory Training and Certification is designed to reduce the risks to law enforcement officers and their teams who investigate and dismantle clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratories. Limited regional training is available in 1995 through BJA.

• The Technical Assistance and Training to State and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Program responds to requests from state and local governments for help in implementing effective improvements to their criminal justice systems consistent with state and federal priorities. This technical assistance and training is available through BJA.

• The Law Enforcement Training/Technical Assistance for State/Local Law Enforcement Agencies provides nationwide training and technical assistance for the purpose of improving law enforcement's ability to prevent and respond to serious juvenile crime. The contract provides training on a regional basis and planning and support requested to meet specific local technical assistance requests. This program is supported by OJJDP funds.

• The Training in Cultural Differences for Law Enforcement and Juvenile Justice Officers is intended to improve the effectiveness of police and other juvenile justice agency personnel who work with minority group suspects and offenders. It further helps to improve the policies governing police and juvenile court and corrections personnel handling of minority youth in the purview of the juvenile justice system. This program is available through OJJDP.

• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Training Centers in Arizona, California, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia train law enforcement officers to teach the DARE curriculum. Originally designed to instruct children in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in the skills needed to recognize and resist the overt and subtle pressures that lead them to experiment with drugs and alcohol, DARE has expanded to all grades and offers instruction in nonviolent dispute resolution and kidnaping awareness. The training is provided through BJA.

• Through the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign, administered by the National Crime Prevention Council, workshops for national, state co-sponsored, and local technical assistance and training are held on a variety of topics. For example, drug demand-reduction workshops are conducted for police chiefs and sheriffs. Other workshop topics include planning and managing prevention programs. The training is available through BJA.

• The Community Drug Abuse Prevention Initiatives Program provides training and technical assistance in the reduction of crime, violence, and the demand for drugs, to citizens, community organizations, and governmental policymakers. The training and technical assistance are available on a limited basis through BJA.

• The Landlord Training Program teaches law enforcement professionals how to train property owners in techniques to prevent drug activity from occurring in their rental properties. Limited training is available on a regional basis through BJA.

• The National Night Out crime and drug prevention campaign, administered by the National Association of Town Watch, provides information, materials, and technical assistance to develop neighborhood partnerships and community-based activities to reduce crime, violence, and substance abuse. Assistance is available through BJA.

• The Prevention of Delinquency Through Child-Centered, Community-Based Policing Program is a model developed by the New Haven Police Department and the Child Study Center at Yale Medical School. This child-focused community-based policing program is designed to help children and families cope with the stress caused by exposure to violence. Components of the training focus on enabling police officers to mitigate traumatized children's sometimes deviant reactions to violence, such as acceptance of violence as unavoidable or even as appropriate problem-solving behavior. OJJDP supports the partnership as a host site for jurisdictions interested in replicating the essential elements of this program.

• The Community Anti-Drug Abuse Technical Assistance Voucher Project allows neighborhood groups to purchase inexpensively technical assistance for anti-drug abuse projects serving high-risk youth. Vouchers ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 are disbursed by the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (NCNE) to community-based grassroots organizations that meet program criteria. NCNE also serves as a clearinghouse for information on community anti-drug initiatives. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The goal of the Congress of National Black Churches Program is to raise public awareness and mobilize communities to address the problem of drug abuse in targeted communities across the nation. The program works to summon, focus, and coordinate church, public, and community leadership to launch local anti-drug campaigns. Anti-drug efforts are underway at 35 sites, with 10-15 additional sites to be added in the near future. This is an OJJDP-sponsored program.

• Police Operations Leading to Improved Child and Youth Services (POLICY) has two components: (1) introducing law enforcement executives to management strategies to integrate juvenile services into the mainstream of their operations; and (2) helping mid-level managers build on these strategies by demonstrating step-by-step methods to improve police productivity in the juvenile justice area. These services are available through OJJDP.

• Gang and Drug POLICY is an intensive workshop for teams of community policymakers. The workshop demonstrates a cooperative interagency process to develop a concrete plan for improving the gang and drug prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies in their jurisdictions. The workshop is available through OJJDP.

• The Targeted Outreach With a Gang Prevention and Intervention Component and the National Office of Boys and Girls Clubs provide training and technical assistance to local Boys and Girls Clubs in how to prevent youth from entering gangs and how to intervene with gang members in the early stages of gang involvement by diverting them from gang activities into more constructive programs. This program is available through OJJDP.

• The National School Safety Center provides training and technical assistance and develops and disseminates resources to help school administrators, law enforcement personnel, judges, and legislators respond to school safety issues. It operates a national clearinghouse for school crime-related information and has developed a comprehensive public information campaign. Services of this program are funded by OJJDP. For further information, contact the Center at 805-373-9977.

• The Innovative Firearms Program works with local jurisdictions to develop a program to reduce firearms crimes by juvenile gangs through improved enforcement of firearms laws and other laws and regulations, such as tax and business laws, that are used to control firearms sales. This is a BJA-sponsored program.

• The National Gang Assessment and Resource Center serves as a resource for state and local jurisdictions through the collection, analyses, and exchange of information regarding gang-related statistics, legislation, research, and promising program strategies. OJJDP sponsors this program.

• The Model State Drug Control Statutes Program promotes the nationwide implementation of the updated model state statutes and provides comprehensive and intensive technical assistance. The statutes strengthen the capability of states to investigate, apprehend, prosecute, and punish drug offenders and organizations that traffic in illegal drugs and narcotics. Written materials are available on request from BJA.

• The Court Performance Standards Training and Technical Assistance Program provides training and technical assistance to demonstration sites, evaluation of the impact of Trial Court Performance Standards, and implementation of a national strategy to encourage the adoption of these standards. Assistance is available to demonstration sites through BJA.

• The Technical Assistance to State Courts Program assists courts that request help in dealing with specific problems in areas such as case processing, case backlog, family violence, protective orders, and sentencing. Limited assistance is available through BJA.

• The Drug Court Resource Center identifies, collects, and analyzes information on guiding principles and operational approaches for local drug court models. A technical assistance clearinghouse responds to requests for information, helps to identify site problems, provides referrals, and facilitates site visits. For further information, contact the OJP Drug Courts Program Office at 202-616-5001.

• The program for Assessment and Enhancement of Indigent Defense Services is designed to help state and local indigent defense organizations improve their handling of drug and criminal cases. State training programs focus on defense issues, the development and use of diversion programs, and the use of alternative sentencing. Limited services are available in 1995 through BJA.

• The program Arson and Explosives Investigation and Training for Prosecutors is being developed by a federal consortium made up of BJA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration's U.S. Fire Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. State and local prosecutors are able to attend a 5-day basic arson and explosives course conducted at four to six regional sites a year; and a 5-day advanced course will be conducted twice a year. The training is available through BJA.

• Child Abuse Prosecution Training and Technical Assistance aims to improve the quality of child-abuse prosecution by assisting elected and appointed prosecutors at the federal, state, and local levels. The center's services to prosecutors include the provision of training, technical assistance, and publications in the subject area. Workshops, conferences, and informational materials made possible by this program benefit law enforcement, social workers, therapists, and other personnel handling child-abuse cases, in addition to prosecutors. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The Investigation and Prosecution of Parental Abduction Cases Projects works to improve the skills and effectiveness of local prosecutors and investigators in handling cases involving non-custodial parents who abduct their children. The project identifies the legal and social issues in these cases, analyzes and summarizes existing research in this area, and educates local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies concerning significant aspects of the prosecution and management of parental abduction cases. Two documents have been prepared through this project: Investigation and Prosecution of Parental Abduction Handbook and a Training Curriculum for Prosecutors. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The Juvenile Court Training Program provides support to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to provide basic and specialized training to judges on developments in juvenile and family case law and available options for sentencing and treatment. Areas of special emphasis include drug testing, gangs and violence, and intermediate sanctions. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The National Juvenile Prosecution Center promotes greater district attorney involvement in the juvenile justice system and helps them develop appropriate policies for managing and prosecuting juvenile cases. The project provides policy development workshops for chief prosecutors and for juvenile unit chiefs in district attorney offices. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The National Network of Children's Advocacy Centers provides assistance to local Children's Advocacy Centers involved in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse. Fifteen sites nationwide will receive funds to develop and implement training programs, provide technical assistance, and advance information sharing. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program (SHOCAP) provides training and technical assistance to jurisdictions that wish to adopt comprehensive, collaborative approaches for identifying serious and chronic juvenile offenders, establishing a case management process for them, and developing effective interventions. Programs involve cooperation and information-sharing among the community, schools, law enforcement, the juvenile court, juvenile corrections, and social service agencies. Services are available through OJJDP.

• The STOP Violence Against Women Technical Assistance Project assists the multidisciplinary state teams planning the allocation of the S·T·O·P (Services·Training·Officers·Prosecutors) formula grants authorized through the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Hosted visits to selected sites that have successfully implemented a coordinated and integrated approach to violent crimes against women are arranged for team members. The technical assistance is supported by OJP's Violence Against Women Grants Office and the Office for Victims of Crime. The Violence Against Women Grants Office also supports technical assistance to Indian tribal governments that receive grants through the S·T·O·P Violence Against Women discretionary grants program. The assistance available includes site visits by grantees to promising programs currently addressing the needs of Indian women who have been victims of violence and strategies to enhance the implementation and effectiveness of the projects funded to stop violence against Indian women. For further information, contact the Violence Against Women Grants Office at 202-307-6026.

• The Violence Against Women Training and Technical Assistance Project provides federal leadership to a consortium of court-related, prosecutorial, and victim service organizations to implement a systems approach to spouse abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault, and stalking. These services are available through BJA.

• The Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques Program demonstrates state-of-the-art approaches for law enforcement officers in building a case against individuals charged with child abuse, sexual exploitation, or child abduction. The program is available through OJJDP.

• The Juvenile/Family Court Training Program provides training and technical assistance to juvenile and family court judges and other juvenile court and justice system personnel. The training emphasizes a family-based approach to dealing with the problems of children in trouble and helps improve juvenile and family dynamics in relation to problems such as substance abuse and its effect on children. These services are available through OJJDP.

• Immediate Response to Emerging Problems provides training and short-term technical assistance in victim assistance to communities coping with incidents resulting in multiple crime victims, such as serial rapes, terrorist bombings, or widespread street violence. The services are available through OVC.

• The Trainers Bureau makes expert consulting services available to agencies on request in order to provide customized training and technical assistance on the range of victim issues. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-514-6444.

• The District Specific Training Program provides funding for U.S. Attorneys to improve the response to federal crime victims through multidisciplinary training efforts. The program is operated by OVC.

• Annual Conferences on Child Sexual Abuse are conducted for teams nominated by U.S. Attorneys and victim assistance personnel in the federal system. The conferences are sponsored by OVC.

• Train-the-Trainers sessions addressing high priority victim issues are sponsored by OVC. Seminars covering general or specific topics are offered to criminal justice personnel and others who interact with victims. Sessions dealing with victim assistance for federal law enforcement agencies are conducted in collaboration with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-514-6444.

• Regional Training Seminars for crime victim practitioners and allied professionals working with crime victims focus on topics of particular interest and concern to victim service providers at the state and local levels. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-514-6444.

• The Regional Coordination Initiative creates partnerships between OVC and victim service providers at the local and regional levels. Individual trainers and technical assistance providers in the victims field are identified and with support from OVC and their employer agency, create professional networks and conduct innovative regional training events. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-514-6444.

  The Conference Support Training Initiative makes funding available to support state, regional and national multidisciplinary training conferences. OVC's goal is to enhance the quality and breadth of training available at the state, local and regional levels by providing supplemental funding to cover travel expenses for trainers, the cost of training materials and audio visual equipment, and assisting in identifying training topics. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-307-5947.

• The National Victim Assistance Academy is designed to provide a foundation level course of study for victim services professionals who work with crime victims. The 45-hour course of study is accredited through California State University, Fresno, and is held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Training Academy is sponsored by OVC. For further information, please contact OVC at 202-514-6444.

• The Project to Expand and Improve Juvenile Restitution Programs works to upgrade the development of juvenile restitution programs nationwide and advance the implementation of new programs through this grant. OJJDP developed the program based on the practitioner recommendations received during a workshop conducted for that purpose. The grantee is developing a training and technical assistance strategy, training materials, and materials on program models and components. Specific restitution program components to be addressed include community service, victim reparation, victim-offender mediation, offender employment and supervision, employment development, and any program elements accentuating community protection, accountability, and offender competency development. This is an OJJDP-sponsored program.

• The OJP Corrections Program Office provides technical assistance to states and local governments engaging in: 1) comprehensive criminal justice planning; 2) sentencing reform; 3) the Crime Act grant application process; and 4) the implementation of funded programs. This technical assistance takes the form of responses to specific inquiries; focus groups; local, regional and national workshops; on-site expert consultation/advice, and specific problem solving, as required. For further information, contact the OJP Corrections Program Office at 202-307-3914.

• The National Consortium of TASC (Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime) Program supports correctional options sites and jurisdictions interested in developing linkages between drug treatment and the criminal justice system. TASC support is provided primarily to correctional options sites, with limited availability to others. The TASC Consortium is supported by BJA funding.

• The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) provides assistance in developing and operating intensive supervision programs and methods and approaches for mobilizing community involvement and support for correctional options programs. APPA's efforts are supported by BJA funding.

• The Sentencing Project provides assistance in developing and implementing various defense-based sentencing initiatives. The information provided includes case studies of successful programs. The assistance is available through BJA.

• The American Corrections Association (ACA) presents regional training sessions on correctional options and provides technical assistance and training to support the Federal Surplus Property Program. These efforts are supported by BJA funding.

• The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) is conducting a study of structured sentencing practices and experiences nationwide. It will provide follow-up technical assistance on structured sentencing. This assistance is available through BJA.

• The Telecommunications to Support Correctional Options Project funds the development of informational and training videos, a national satellite teleconference on correctional options, and other telecommunications products, such as telephone training conferences, computer bulletin boards, or regional teleconferences through BJA.

• The Transitional and Aftercare Services Project provides technical assistance resource materials and support to strengthen transitional and aftercare services available to ex-offenders returning to the community. The project also supports the design of community-based intervention services for drug dependent offenders.

• The Prosecutor and Public Defender Training Program continues to provide assistance to prosecutors and public defenders to promote a greater understanding of the issues that influence the development, implementation, and successful operation of correctional options. This assistance is available through BJA.

• The "Girl Scouts Beyond Bars" Program provides limited assistance to adult correctional institutions, major youth service organizations (Girl Scouts or otherwise), and other collaborating community organizations interested in developing a comprehensive, inmate parent-child visitation program. This assistance is available through NIJ.

• Training for Juvenile Corrections and Detention Staff offers a core curriculum for juvenile corrections and detention administrators and mid-level management personnel. Courses are delivered on-site at the National Institute of Corrections Academy in Longmont, Colorado, as well as regionally. This program is available through OJJDP.

• The Training for Juvenile Detention Center Care-Givers Project provides detention center line personnel with training specific to their needs. New curriculum materials are being developed along with a Desktop Guide to Detention. The project is available through OJJDP.

• The Multi-Agency Response Training Project supports the Organized Crime/ Narcotics program, Financial Investigation (FINVEST) projects, and multi-agency task forces funded at the state and local levels. Regional training is available through BJA.

• Since 1994, Multijurisdictional Weed and Seed Sites have been allowed to apply for discretionary grant funding. Multijurisdictional sites contain multiple target neighborhoods or areas located in two or more jurisdictions.

• Asset Forfeiture Training for Prosecutors and Financial Investigators facilitates the effective implementation of state forfeiture statutes. Forfeiture ethics, policy, and management are addressed. Although training courses are no longer available, state and local agencies may obtain copies of a model curriculum and video from BJA to be used to conduct training within states.

• The BJA-State Reporting and Evaluation Program provides technical assistance and training on the performance, monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of state criminal justice programs. The services are available through BJA.

• The Operational Systems Support Training and Technical Assistance Program strives to improve general knowledge and understanding of criminal justice information management, while enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of state and local practitioners through technology. The (SEARCH Group) National Criminal Justice Computer Laboratory and Training Center conducts in-house, hands-on training, as well as regional outreach training throughout the United States. The services are available through BJA.

• OJJDP's Technical Assistance Support Program for state agencies implementing the Part B Formula Grants Program makes technical assistance available to states in developing their research, training, and evaluation capacity.

• The NIJ National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center in Rockville, MD, provides criminal justice professionals with information on available technology, on guidelines/standards for these technologies, and technical assistance in implementing these technologies. The Center compiles and computerizes information on which manufacturers are producing law enforcement related products and what those products are; what equipment law enforcement agencies are using; and which agencies have special equipment or expertise that can be utilized on an as needed basis. This program is expanding dramatically under the Technology Information Network (TIN) which will link this Center to the Regional Centers in Rome, NY; Charleston, SC; Denver, CO; El Segundo, CA; and the Border Research and Technology Center in San Diego, CA.

  The NIJ Office of Law Enforcement Commercialization (OLETC) at the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) in Wheeling, WV, is focused on moving technologies out of the federal and national laboratories to industry for development and manufacture and finally, moving them out as affordable, useful technologies for law enforcement. The Office allows industries interested in entering the law enforcement market to access technologies developed in the Departments of Defense, Energy, and other federal research and development agencies and facilitates the transfer of promising technologies to industry for law enforcement.

  The NIJ Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD, develops performance standards for law enforcement related equipment. Law enforcement at every level, but especially at the state and local level, look to this program to provide the standards and testing information they need to make wise equipment investments. For further information about the Centers, contact NIJ at 202-307-2942.

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