Correctional Management Institute
Receives $320,000 In Funding

The awards include $166,706 to create a Center for Project Spotlight, $88,507 to continue the Texas Probation Training Academy, $50,000 to continue the Texas Drug Offender Education Program, and $15,000 for research and creating a curriculum on special needs of female offenders.

The Center for Project Spotlight will be created from funding provided by the Governor's Criminal Justice Division.

Project Spotlight is an innovative program initiated and funded by the Governor's Office in seven of the state's most populous counties. It is a partnership between law enforcement, juvenile probation, and adult supervision officers to provide intense supervision and surveillance to juvenile and young adult offenders on probation living in high crime areas.

Key features of Project Spotlight are reduced caseloads, intense supervision during nontraditional work hours, high visibility, enhanced services, and an emphasis on public safety through offender accountability. Current Project Spotlight sites are found in Bexar, Dallas, El Paso, Harris, Nueces, Tarrant, and Travis counties.

The Center for Project Spotlight will be responsible for providing training and technical assistance to Project Spotlight personnel. The Center will conduct semiannual training forums, where dual tracts will be available to meet both the basic and advanced training needs of project personnel.

In addition, the Center will highlight the accomplishments of the Project Spotlight teams through various publications. The Center will also produce monographs to raise awareness of the increasingly important field of law enforcement and community corrections partnerships.

Assisting CMIT in this project will be the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT).

Personnel involved in this initiative include Dan Richard Beto, director of the Correctional Management Institute of Texas; assistant professor Phillip Lyons, who has been designated as the LEMIT representative; and doctoral fellows David W. Webb and Jennifer Kerkhoff.

The Governor's Criminal Justice Division also awarded CMIT $88,507.00 to continue the Texas Probation Training Academy.

For over two decades the Texas Probation Training Academy has provided relevant training to adult and juvenile probation officers throughout Texas. The Academy provides basic training for juvenile probation officers and detention officers, certification training for community supervision officers, and specialized training to enhance officers' skills in a variety of areas. In addition, the Academy provides training for trainers and produces the highly successful Chief Probation Officers Conference.

Key Academy personnel include staff associates Michelle Broselow and Diane Clark.

The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse awarded CMIT its $50,000 grant to continue the Texas Drug Offender Education Program.

This initiative provides certification training and continuing education to persons responsible for administering or providing training to offenders required to participate in this program.

Prior to her retirement on Aug. 31, 2000, Nancy Gustafson was responsible for managing this program now managed by Sharese Whitecotton.

The $15,000 grant was received from the Community Justice Assistance Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to conduct research and develop a curriculum dealing with the special needs of the female offender. Professor Robert A. Shearer, who has conducted research and published findings on this subject, will be responsible for the project.

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SHSU Media Contact:Julia May
Sept. 6, 2000
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