Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College Project

The Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Program: National Initiatives, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance, furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In FY 2008, the program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within five major categories: 1) preventing crime and drug abuse; 2) enhancing local law enforcement; 3) enhancing local courts; 4) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 5) facilitating justice information sharing.

The Supreme Court of Ohio will implement the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College Project under category 2: enhancing local courts. They will build upon the efforts of ASTAR, Inc. to bring an essential science and technical background to every court in the United States by placing the essentials of the ASTAR training curriculum on the computers of every sworn judicial officer. This project will archive five essential workshops and use distance teaching and learning technologies to place these modules at judicial workplaces. Each module provides a full spectrum of the concepts, research, limitations, disciplinary sources and expertise, and evolving techniques related to: (1) advanced forensic technologies; (2) neurosciences and bio-behavioral technologies; (3) advanced genetic technologies; (4) addiction treatment technologies; and (5) technologies underpinning perpetration and detection of electronic and cybercrime. Additionally, this project will deploy 223 ASTAR judges from 39 jurisdictions as training mentors nationwide.

CA/NCF