CJI|CJS: Services provided to the Association of State Correctional Administrators

Through an agreement between CJI and the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), Camille and George Camp have served as the Executive Directors of ASCA since 1985. ASCA is a national association comprised of the country's leading correctional system administrators. Its purpose is to expand the influence of its members and to focus attention on the accomplishments and objectives of its membership. Over last two decades, ASCA has become the major source of professional development for top correctional administrators, a network of support and information, and a force in the development of national public policy. As the Executive Directorate, CJI manages the day-to-day operations of ASCA, including the following, trainings, publications, committees and projects

Association Committees: ASCA has fourteen standing committees. The committees conduct the work of the Association including specific projects such as the Performance Based Measures System. Committees meet at the summer and winter ASCA Business Meetings, via conference calls, and at additional meetings held as needed. Our staff is responsible for meeting coordination including developing agendas, assembling materials, and making travel/hotel arrangements. [George Camp, Camille Camp, Marla Clayton, Patricia Hardyman, Shaina Vanek, John Blackmore, Da-gon Chen, Robert May]

Corrections Directions the Association’s Newsletter: Since January 1985, CJI has been publishing ASCA’s monthly newsletter. The newsletter, currently titled, Corrections Directions, informs administrators about current events and issues arising in corrections. Issues contain surveys on key correctional issues, profiles of departments of correction and interviews with department directors, calendar of upcoming events, and jurisdictional highlights from across the country. [Camille Camp, George Camp]

Training for New and All State Directors of Corrections: As Executive Directors of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), George and Camille Camp facilitate the All Directors’ Program and New Directors’ Training Programs. The All Directors’ Training is for all state directors of corrections and is geared towards heightening awareness of critical issues, learning new techniques, sharing critical experiences and valuable strategies that have been used successfully in managing them. The program is funded by the National Institute of Corrections. The New Directors’ Training is for newly appointed directors, and involves information sharing between new and experienced directors, along with training materials presented by experienced directors. The program is funded by the National Institute of Corrections. [George Camp, Camille Camp]

Correctional Best Practices: Directors' Perspectives (2000): A collection of essays that encompasses the broad spectrum of corrections issues, the Correctional Best Practices manual is full of truly valuable knowledge that only experience can offer. In August of 2000, ASCA developed this monograph as a means of documenting and transmitting the lessons learned to a broader audience intended to be a catalyst in bringing about improvements in the corrections profession. This monograph provided a forum for Directors to share their experiences, to use what they could, and most importantly, it encouraged Directors to share what they do in the future. A 2004 Correctional Best Practices Manual is currently being developed, and will be published later this year. [Camille Camp, George Camp]

Performance-Based Standards (2001 - Present): In January of 2001, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) entered into a two-year cooperative agreement with ASCA to support the “Performance Measures Project.” This project was a joint-initiative between BJS, NIJ, BJA, and ASCA, and served as the first phase of the Performance Based Measures System (PBMS). Phase I activities included the development of four performance standards (Public Safety, Institutional Safety, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Offender Profile/Contextual data), 19 measures, and 51 key indicators with counting rules for each indicator and two surveys of the state and federal correctional agencies to ascertain their system capacities for generating data on the performance measures. Includes in the institutional safety standard are multiple measures for sexual assault and misconduct by prisoners and correctional staff. Phase 1 of the project required an inventory of current data gathering capabilities, as well as a comprehensive telephone survey of a large sample of corrections departments to better realize the current state of data collection, and what it would take the agencies to be able to gather the PBMS data. Phase II of the PBMS development was funded in October 2003 by BJA. Phase II objectives include:
- Develop a framework for information sharing initiatives among correctional agencies;
- Support other ASCA/CTA projects information system development and sharing-related initiatives, such as staff safety, common business functions, and data exchange projects;
- Expand the number and scope of PBM key indicators; and
- Pilot test the PBMS in four states. The result of the PBMS project will likely have a revolutionary effect on how corrections performance is measured at the state and federal level. [George Camp, Patricia Hardyman, Judy Bisbee, Da-Gon Chen]

Re-entry Best Practices and Programs (2002 - 2004): Working under the leadership of the Council of State Governments, ASCA was a major contributor in building consensus among corrections and criminal justice professionals. ASCA also contributed to the writing of the final report, which will be released shortly. [John Blackmore, George Camp]

Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project (2000 2002): Working under the leadership of the Council of State Governments, ASCA was a major contributor in building consensus among corrections and criminal justice professionals. ASCA also took a major role in pulling together the material and in formulating the recommendations that were adopted and presented in the final report. [John Blackmore, George Camp]

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Services provided to the Association of State Correctional Administrators

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