Director's Message
Welcome to the website of the Justice Programs Office of the School of Public Affairs at American University. We hope that you will delve into the wide range of resources we have posted and find them useful to you in whatever capacity you are accessing them – academic, researcher, justice system professional, practitioner, and/or interested citizen.
Since its founding over thirty years ago, the Justice Programs Office (JPO) has provided technical assistance, training, and program development services to justice systems throughout the United States and abroad. These services have been geared to applying the tools of scholarship, research and rigorous analysis to the development of public policy and the design, conduct and evaluation of public programs. The JPO’s projects address a wide range of policy and programmatic issues with particular focus on the administration of justice and the coordination of the many components that make up our justice “systems’ and the delivery of justice and related services to the citizens they serve. Increasingly we have come to realize that the scope of coordination needed to deliver “justice” is widening, with many social, public health, educational, vocational and related services needing to be brought into the scope of what the delivery of justice services entails. Concurrent with these developments are the constant need to ensure that public programs operate in a manner that is transparent, accountable, and consistent with applicable ethical and professional standards.
Caroline Cooper
Justice Program Office
School of Public Affairs
American University
