Annual Report 2017

Authors

Nebraska Center for Justice Research, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Ryan E. Spohn, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR) was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain criminal justice research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our goal is to assist the Legislature, justice agencies, practitioners, foundations, and stakeholders with research and evaluation to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. This annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in its third year. In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, NCJR once again crafted our Adult Justice in Nebraska report to provide a foundation of data trends in areas such as law enforcement and corrections for the Legislature at the beginning of the legislative session. We added additional information this year on justice reinvestment and community corrections. NCJR also initiated evaluations for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services of their Moral Reconation Therapy program and the Defy Ventures entrepreneurship, employment, and character development training. NCJR faculty and staff also produced numerous reports from our current contracts and grants. In August, a new tab was added to our website to provide information on the Vocational and Life Skills Program, including a program overview and links to monthly reports and quarterly reports. Director Ryan Spohn and Associate Director Emily Wright completed their two-year evaluation of the Douglas County Youth Impact! crossover youth practice model. The final report includes qualitative findings, FROM THE DIRECTOR: quantitative outcomes, an impact assessment, and cost-benefit analysis of Youth Impact! Details on our projects can be found in the pages of this report. In regards to NCJR’s academic mission, our faculty and graduate students produced multiple academic publications and presented at the annual conferences of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the Nebraska Juvenile Justice Association. Director Spohn and Associate Director Wright also provided invited presentations to organizations such as the Nebraska Juvenile Services Committee and the Omaha Community Partnership. From a budgetary standpoint, we are encouraged by the well-balanced budgetary profile of NCJR that includes state funding, contracts with local agencies, federal grants, and funding by local foundations. The diversity of our funding profile not only broadens the impact of our research, training, technical assistance, and evaluation activities across the state, but also allows us to provide “matching” funding for products that benefit from both public and private dollars. Our overall budget increased by 21% over our total budget last year and we continue to see steady increases in our grant funding and contract funding. In summary, 2016-2017 was a year of continued growth and substantial output of research, evaluation, and academic products. In addition, we continue to build research partnerships, collaborations, and relationships with agency and community stakeholders. We look forward to learning from these experiences and increasing our capacity to serve the Nebraska community in subsequent years

Recommended Citation

Nebraska Center for Justice Research, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Spohn, Ryan E., "Annual Report 2017" (2017). Reports. 65.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ncjrreports/65