Application deadline: October 10, 2008
OVC is accepting nominees for the 2009 National Crime Victims' Service Awards via the newly launched online nomination form. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding service in supporting victims and victim services. The honorees will be announced just before National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 26-May 2, 2009) commences. (OVC)

OVC is pleased to announce the National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) theme for 2009: 25 Years of Rebuilding Lives: Celebrating the Victims of Crime Act. The colors selected to help celebrate this milestone are cranberry red (Pantone 208) and blue (Pantone 534). For more information, visit http://www.ovc.gov/ncvrw/. (OVC)

Application deadline: August 28, 2008
The National Institute of Corrections is seeking a Training Technician for its Aurora, Colorado, office. The incumbent will use employee development/training principles to develop training-related materials and will also maintain inventory of equipment and supplies. (NIC)

Application deadline: August 21, 2008
The Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Continuation of Evidence Based Implementation in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Orange County, California, offered by NIC's Jails Division, will build on work started in 2002 to implement systemwide evidence based policy and practices. This award will enable sustainability of ongoing progress in terms of measured recidivism outcomes and other productivity indicators through time. (NIC)

Application deadline: August 22, 2008
NIC is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups, or individuals who would like to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC to work with an advisory team of experts on gender-informed policy and practice to complete the design and initial testing of a policy and practice assessment protocol for women offenders. (NIC)

"Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?" (NCJ 220595, 12 pp.) provides an overview of research examining the deterrent effects of transferring youth from juvenile to criminal courts, focusing on OJJDP-funded studies. The information this Bulletin provides should help inform policy decisions. (OJJDP)

"Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement-Based Program" (NCJ 223343, 26 pp.) identifies 10 key components that successful law enforcement initiatives employ to provide better outcomes in officers' encounters with individuals who have mental illnesses. This report also explains how the elements can help guide individuals who are interested in developing or improving specialized law enforcement-based programs. (BJA)

The August 2008 issue of the COPS Office’s Community Policing Dispatch includes articles about a new police discipline model and how to ensure a safe school environment as the new school year approaches. An interview with Commissioner Frank Straub of the White Plains, New York, Department of Public Safety is also featured. (COPS)

The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) announces the launch of SMART Watch. This online newsletter highlights ongoing activities, news, resources, funding opportunities, and upcoming events relevant to those in the field of sex offender management. (SMART)

"Building Brighter Futures in Indian Country: What's on the Minds of Native Youth?" (NCJ 223353, 28 pp.) captures the meeting of the 2007 Tribal Youth Focus Group, which was composed of youth (ages 10 to 17) from 20 tribes and their chaperones. The report will guide OJJDP as it develops programs to help tribal communities. (OJJDP)

On August 28, 2008, at 2 p.m. ET, join Janice Harris Lord, author of "I'll Never Forget Those Words: A Practical Guide to Death Notification," and Bill Jenkins, author of "What To Do When the Police Leave: A Guide to the First Days of Traumatic Loss," for a Web Forum Guest Host Session on delivering victim-sensitive death notifications. (OVC)

The National Institute of Justice recently released its latest topical information page addressing Gun Violence Prevention. This Web page includes information on Evaluating Gun Violence as an Illicit Supply-and-Demand Marketplace, Gun Violence Programs: Project Safe Neighborhoods, and Gun Violence Prevention: Programs and Strategies. (NIJ)

With support from BJA, the Reentry Policy Council has developed an online assessments tool for government professionals working to make prison and jail reentry safer and more successful. The tool was developed to familiarize officials with the different assessment instruments used in corrections systems across the nation. (BJA)

The Section 904 Violence Against Women in Indian Country Task Force will hold its first meeting on August 20-21, 2008. The task force was established to help NIJ develop and implement a program of research on violence against Indian women. More information is available at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/. (NIJ and OVW)

Register now for OVC's upcoming training workshops, including Providing Culturally Competent Services to Victims of Crime, September 16-18, 2008, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Identity Theft: Supporting Victims’ Financial and Emotional Recovery, October 8-9, 2008, in San Diego, California. To view course descriptions and learning objectives or to register, visit the OVC TTAC Web site. (OVC)