Programs
Cross Country
School Violence Rate Stable Violent crime rates in the nation's public and private schools in 2003 remained unchanged and . . .
School Violence Rate Stable
Violent crime rates in the nation's public and private schools in 2003 remained unchanged and continued at about half those recorded in 1992, according to a joint study by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The study examined a variety of school crime and safety indicators including self-reported victimization data gathered from students ages 12 to 18 years who were attending public and private schools.
Among students nationwide, an estimated 5 percent experienced a crime at school. This equals an estimated 1.2 million crimes of theft against students and about 740,000 violent crimes. Students also reported that about two-thirds of the serious violent crimes they experienced did not occur at school.
In 2003 students also reported less fear at school than in earlier years as well as declining rates of being involved in school fights and lower percentages of students bringing weapons to school. However, access to illegal drugs at school, bullying behavior, and the presence of gangs at school appears not to have changed in recent years.
Body Armor Safety Initiative Vest Replacement
Since 1999, over 11,500 jurisdictions have participated in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program, of the Office of Justice Programs. Through BVP, $118 million in federal funds have been committed to support the purchase of an estimated 450,000 vests for America 's law enforcement community.
In November 2003, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a Body Armor Safety Initiative in response to the failure of a bullet-resistant vest worn by a police officer in Pennsylvania . The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) was directed to initiate an examination of Zylon®-based bullet-resistant vests (both new and used) and to review the existing program for testing bullet-resistant vests to determine if the program needed modification.
Having completed its latest phase of ballistic and mechanical properties testing, NIJ has determined that used vests containing Zylon may not provide the intended level of ballistic resistance. In response to this determination, NIJ issued a body armor standard advisory notice concerning Zylon, and new interim requirements for its body armor compliance testing program that became effective on September 26, 2005. Check out the list of vest models that comply and select “Testing and Evaluation” and “Body Armor Safety Initiative.”
GAINS Center 2006 National Conference: System Transformation at the Interface of the Criminal Justice and Mental Health Systems
At this three-day conference, to be held April 5-7, 2006, in Boston, MA, providers, consumers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers will share their experiences in designing, implementing and delivering innovative programs for people with co-occurring disorders in contact with the criminal justice system. Strategies based on recommendations to the President's new Freedom Commission on Mental Health will be highlighted, along with emerging best practices and evidence-based practices.
CWLA 2006 National Conference
The Child Welfare League of America's upcoming conference, Children 2006: Securing Brighter Futures, will be held February 27-March 1, 2006, in Washington , DC . Registration is $425 for CWLA members and $525 for nonmembers. Workshops will cover a variety of subjects, including cultural competence, Indian child welfare, children of incarcerated parents, community building, substance abuse, and youth services.
Violent crime rates in the nation's public and private schools in 2003 remained unchanged and continued at about half those recorded in 1992, according to a joint study by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The study examined a variety of school crime and safety indicators including self-reported victimization data gathered from students ages 12 to 18 years who were attending public and private schools.
Among students nationwide, an estimated 5 percent experienced a crime at school. This equals an estimated 1.2 million crimes of theft against students and about 740,000 violent crimes. Students also reported that about two-thirds of the serious violent crimes they experienced did not occur at school.
In 2003 students also reported less fear at school than in earlier years as well as declining rates of being involved in school fights and lower percentages of students bringing weapons to school. However, access to illegal drugs at school, bullying behavior, and the presence of gangs at school appears not to have changed in recent years.
Body Armor Safety Initiative Vest Replacement
Since 1999, over 11,500 jurisdictions have participated in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program, of the Office of Justice Programs. Through BVP, $118 million in federal funds have been committed to support the purchase of an estimated 450,000 vests for America 's law enforcement community.
In November 2003, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a Body Armor Safety Initiative in response to the failure of a bullet-resistant vest worn by a police officer in Pennsylvania . The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) was directed to initiate an examination of Zylon®-based bullet-resistant vests (both new and used) and to review the existing program for testing bullet-resistant vests to determine if the program needed modification.
Having completed its latest phase of ballistic and mechanical properties testing, NIJ has determined that used vests containing Zylon may not provide the intended level of ballistic resistance. In response to this determination, NIJ issued a body armor standard advisory notice concerning Zylon, and new interim requirements for its body armor compliance testing program that became effective on September 26, 2005. Check out the list of vest models that comply and select “Testing and Evaluation” and “Body Armor Safety Initiative.”
GAINS Center 2006 National Conference: System Transformation at the Interface of the Criminal Justice and Mental Health Systems
At this three-day conference, to be held April 5-7, 2006, in Boston, MA, providers, consumers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers will share their experiences in designing, implementing and delivering innovative programs for people with co-occurring disorders in contact with the criminal justice system. Strategies based on recommendations to the President's new Freedom Commission on Mental Health will be highlighted, along with emerging best practices and evidence-based practices.
CWLA 2006 National Conference
The Child Welfare League of America's upcoming conference, Children 2006: Securing Brighter Futures, will be held February 27-March 1, 2006, in Washington , DC . Registration is $425 for CWLA members and $525 for nonmembers. Workshops will cover a variety of subjects, including cultural competence, Indian child welfare, children of incarcerated parents, community building, substance abuse, and youth services.
