Overview

In most categories reported crime in the United States is as low as it has been in decades. Due to training and technology criminal investigations are increasing in reliability and accuracy. Treatment programs for offenders are being evaluated and that research is beginning to show us which approaches are effective and to what extent.

However, the most recent national crime statistics do show increases in robberies and in gun crimes. Prison populations are projected to continue to grow over the next five years, demanding increased investment in prison construction. Criminals are growing increasingly sophisticated at using cyber and electronic technology to commit crimes and elude prosecution. And state crime labs are struggling to process the increasing amounts of forensic evidence being collected in a timely manner. In the face of these challenges, governors' leadership is essential in developing effective statewide crime reduction strategies and in supporting local efforts to improve public safety.

Focus of Center Activities

Governors are deeply concerned about public safety, crime, delinquency, and related social and economic consequences. The Center addresses these issues through a number of projects that focus on state best practices and current research. Current Center projects include the following.

• Governors Criminal Justice Policy Advisors Network
• Cyber and Electronic Crime Strategic Policy Project
• Criminal Justice Information Technology Integration Project
• Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy
• Improving Forensic DNA Policy Project

Cyber and Electronic Crime Strategic Policy Project
Despite the emergence of Cyber and Electronic Crime issues as major public safety concerns, there has been no national-level effort to assess the strategic policy landscape related to them, and their projected growth in extent and complexity. Currently, state, local, and federal policymakers have few resources to turn to in developing strategic evidence based policies and practices in the face of these rapidly growing and changing issues. The Cyber and Electronic Crime Strategic Policy project aims to begin to fill that gap, and provide proactive assistance to efforts that would assist in promotion of research, development and evaluation of effective strategies to deal with the problems found.

Criminal Justice Information Technology Integration Project
The Center, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs(OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance, works to improve communication among law enforcement agencies, the judicial branch, and corrections agencies at the local, state, and federal levels through the use of information technology (IT). This project aims to build political and policy leadership and cross agency cooperation and collaboration necessary to make integration a reality. The objectives of this project include bringing Governors staff and policymakers from federal, state, and local governments and criminal justice agencies together to develop statewide plans to implement information technology solutions that integrate law enforcement, corrections, and criminal justice systems.

Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy
The NGA Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy works with five states in an effort to help Governors and other state policymakers develop and implement statewide prisoner reentry strategies that reduce recidivism rates by improving access to key services and supports. The five state participating in the academy are: Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Washington. Support for the NGA Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy comes from the JEHT Foundation.

Improving Forensic DNA Policy
The NGA Center, with support from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is working to assist states in improving how forensic DNA is used to promote public safety. DNA can provide an unparalleled degree of certainty in solving crimes, identifying criminals, and identifying victims of violent crime. However, its full potential as a crime-fighting and crime-solving tool remains underutilized. Massive backlogs of unanalyzed DNA crime scene evidence and convicted offender samples can hinder closing unsolved and cold cases. DNA is not widely collected from evidence from high-volume crimes, such as burglary, despite research showing these individuals are also committing violent crimes. Finally, most states do not require taking of DNA samples in cases involving unidentified human remains that could potentially assist in closing nearly 110,000 active missing person cases in the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC's) Missing Person File. Complicating matters is the fact that advances in state DNA programs are at risk because the federal funds that helped support their expansion and operation are due to sunset in 2009.

• New Report Examines Reducing Pretrial Juvenile Detention
• Connecticut Enacts Measures to Reduce Threat from Violent Offenders
• California Creates Community Reentry Facility
• Maryland Adopts New Inmate Release Policy

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