NOTE -- see full bios and workshop topics at FresnoStateNews.com as well as original press release and schedule.

Victimology Symposium Brings Renowned
Victim Services Pioneers to Fresno This Week

The biggest names in the emerging field of victimology worldwide will converge on California State University, Fresno for four days beginning Wednesday (April 27) for the 3rd American Symposium on Victimology.

The line-up of who’s who of nationally-known victimology leaders arriving in Fresno includes Dr. Jane Nady Sigmon from the U.S. Department of State, whose assignments include victims of hostage-taking and terrorism.

Delivering the keynote address on Friday night will be Dr. Marlene A. Young, president of the World Society of Victimology and former executive director of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), who is one of the nation’s foremost victimology activists and trainers of professionals in victim services.

The American Society of Victimology brings its annual conference of some of the most distinguished academicians and practitioners in the field to Fresno State April 27 through 30 for the event that will focus on victim rights, victim services and theoretical developments in the Americas. 

The symposium, coordinated in concert with the Fresno State Criminology Department, will be held at the University Center, Room 200 beginning Wednesday evening at 6:15 p.m., all day Thursday and Friday, and concluding early Saturday afternoon.

Dr. John Dussich, Fresno State criminology professor who himself is an internationally-recognized leader in victimology, is spearheading the event and said this is a rare and great opportunity for local practitioners.

“The symposium is held in various places throughout the nation every year and Fresno State is considered a birthplace of the victimology movement,” said Dussich who joined the university in 2003.Dussich also will be a presenter on “Disaster Victimization.” Most recently, he assisted with the victims of the December tsunami disaster in January at the invitation of the Indonesian government.  

Also among the pioneers is James A. Rowland, former chief probation officer for Fresno County who went on to become director of the California Department of Corrections.

Rowland will open the symposium Wednesday (April 27) delivering a keynote speech, “Remembering the Early Days,” at 6:15 p.m.

Rowland became a leader in improving the California corrections system as director. He has been instrumental in providing leadership for the concept of restorative justice in California probation departments.

But as notably, he was instrumental in creating the “Victim’s Impact Statement” in 1976 as part of the Probation Office’s report to the court that has become a standard procedure across the nation. He also spearheaded the crafting of legislation that resulted in victim/witness services statewide.

Rowland is recognized internationally, having also served as the director of Correction for the country of Malta before returning to the United States and serving as chief probation officer of Napa County.

Young will deliver the keynote address at the gala dinner Friday (April 29) at 5 p.m. where two of the ASV’s major awards will be presented.

Among her numerous affiliations is serving as past co-chair of the Victim Services Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and a member of the Victims Committee of the American Bar Association as well as a founding board member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.

Young is in demand as a foremost authority on victimology, traveling to 49 states and 15 countries to speak on victim-related issues at more than 1,500 conferences and training seminars. 

In 1992, she was honored at a Rose Garden ceremony held by President George Bush in commemoration of National Victim Rights Week. 

Nady Sigmon, currently a victim assistance specialist for the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Service, will speak on “Challenges in Assisting Victims Far From Home” on Thursday at 10:45 a.m.

As the first victim assistance specialist in that office, her responsibilities include helping American citizens who are victims of serious crimes abroad such as kidnapping, hostage-taking and terrorism. 

She also has established victim assistance programs on American Indian reservations throughout the United States.

Other prominent speakers include Dr. Murray A. Straus of the University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Robert Jerin of Endicott College in Massachusetts.

Straus, a professor of sociology, is co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire.

His most recent works have focused on child abuse victimization, especially the effects of corporal punishment, and the effects of neglect.

He will discuss “The Primordial Victimization: Spanking by Parents and Its Effects on Children” on Friday (April 25) at 8:30 a.m.

Jerin, a professor in the Law and Justice Department at Endicott College in Boston Mass., will discuss “Brief History of Victims' Rights Across the Americas” on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Jerin is currently involved in research on Internet victimization, crime victims and the media, domestic homicide, international criminal justice issues, victim’s rights and criminal justice pedagogy.

The Fresno State campus was chosen for this year’s symposium due to the Criminology Department’s preeminent reputation in the field of victimology, said Dr. Mario Gaboury associate professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven.

The first Victim Certificate Program, the first Victim Services Summer Institute and the first Victimology Major were all created by the Fresno State Criminology Department.

Upon completion, students receive a Victim Services Certificate which has been offered by the Criminology Department at Fresno State since 1985.  The certificate is for those working with the victims of violent crime in agencies such as rape counseling programs, domestic violence programs, victim/witness programs, etc.  

"The Victimology Program at California State University, Fresno set the standard for the creation of academic programs in the U.S,” Gaboury said.

For more details, visit the ASV website at www.american-society-victimology.us or call: Dussich at (559)278-6046 or 278-2305, email: jdussich@csufresno.edu.

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 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF VICTIMOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
April 27-30, 2005

California State University, Fresno

 

SPEAKER SUMMARY

(full bios and workshop topics)

Remembering the Early Days

James A. Rowland

Former Chief Probation Officer, Fresno County, Creator of the Victim Impact Statement and Former Director of the California Department of Corrections

 Jim Rowland had a very distinguished career in California corrections. Prior to his appointment as Chief Probation Officer of Fresno County in 1972, he was an administrator in the California Department of Youth Authority and had served as Chief Probation Officer in Kings County. While Chief of Fresno County he was instrumental in creating the “Victim’s Impact Statement,” as part of the Probation Officers report to the court. The California Legislature followed the leadership of Mr. Rowland in crafting legislation that resulted in Victim/Witness services statewide. Jim was appointed by Governor Deukmajian in 1978 to head the Youth Authority. A few years later the Governor appointed him to head the California Department of Corrections. Under his administration the state built several new prisons including the internationally known model of “Pelican Bay.” He served as the State President of the California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association and was elected as the President of the Chief Probation Officers of California Association. Because of his appointment to State Service he had to relinquish that honor before being installed. In recent years, Mr. Rowland was appointed as the Director of  Correction for the country of Malta.  Upon his return to the United States, he was appointed as Chief Probation Officer of  Napa County. In addition to the above accomplishments, he has been instrumental in proving leadership for the concept of restorative justice in California probation departments.

Challenges in Assisting Victims Far From Home

 Jane Nady Sigmon, Ph.D.
Victim Assistance Specialist - Overseas Service
U.S. Department of State

 Dr. Jane Nady Sigmon serves as the first victim assistance specialist in the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens Services.  Her responsibilities include improving and expanding the assistance provided to American citizens who are victims of serious crimes abroad, including victims of sexual assault, homicide, domestic violence, aggravated assault, robbery, child physical and sexual abuse, kidnapping, hostage taking, and terrorism.  Since joining the State Department in June 2000, she has drafted new policies, procedures and practices related to how consular officers can assist American victims overseas and link victims with appropriate services in the U.S.  She also works on individual cases and develops and conducts crime victim assistance training for consular officers at the Foreign Service Institute and overseas.  Prior to this position, Dr. Sigmon worked with the National District Attorneys Association and its affiliate, the American Prosecutors Research Institute (1997-2000) serving as director of research and overseeing the development and evaluation of training courses for state and local prosecutors at the National Advocacy Center, in Columbia, SC.  She conducted criminal justice research and evaluations and authored or co-authored several publications, including: The Victim/Witness Assistance Guide for Prosecutors; The National Directory of Prosecutor-based Victim/Witness Assistance Programs; The Tennessee Prosecutors' Caseload Study; The Evaluation of the Pima County (AZ) Attorney's Truancy Program; and Successful Adjudication Partnerships. As Director of VALOR (1992-1997), the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization, a national non-profit crime victims' advocacy organization, Dr. Sigmon was founding director of the National Victim Assistance Academy, a 45-hour academic-based training course for victim assistance professionals and co-authored and edited the 600-page Academy Text.  In addition, she coordinated the development, publication, and nationwide distribution of the National Crime Victims Rights Week Resource Guide (1995, 1996 & 1997) and co-authored the OVC Bulletin, The Coordinated Interagency Approach to Restitution.  She is the former director of the Office for Victims of Crime in the US Department of Justice (Jane N. Burnley, 1987-1991) and Associate Commissioner of the US Children's Bureau (1984-1987).  She served on the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect (1992-1996) and the Virginia Governor's Commission on Parole Abolition (1994).  She also has 10 years experience working with children and families in public health, and school settings as a school psychologist and learning disabilities specialist.  (1971-1982).  In 1991 she was the first recipient of the Sen. John Heinz Award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Crime Victims for her efforts to establish victim assistance programs on Indian Reservations throughout the United States.  In 2002 she received the Superior Honor Award from the State Department’s Office of Overseas Citizens Services.

The Primordial Victimization: Spanking by Parents and Its Effects on Children

 Murray Straus, Ph.D

Professor of Sociology and Co-Director, Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire

Dr. Murray Straus received his Ph.D. in Sociology, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1956.  He is now Professor of Sociology and founder and Co-Director of the Family Research Laboratory, at the University of New Hampshire. He previously taught at the Universities of Minnesota, Cornell, Wisconsin, Washington State, York (England) Bombay (India), and the University of Ceylon.  He has received the following awards:  Burgess Award of the National Council of Family Relations for outstanding research on the family in 1977; Research Career Achievement Award, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 1994. He became part of the family of victimologists in 1975 when he attended the Bellagio Victimology Institute in Italy in 1975. He has authored or co-authored over 200 articles and fifteen books on the family, domestic violence victimization and research methods.  His most recent works have focused on child abuse victimization, especially the effects of corporal punishment and the effects of neglect.

Brief History of Victims' Rights Across the Americas

Robert Jerin, Ph.D.

Professor, Law & Justice Department, Endicott College

 Dr. Robert Jerin is a Professor and former Chair in the Law and Justice Department at Endicott College.  He has a B.S. in criminal justice from the University of New Haven, an M.S. in criminology from Florida State University, and received his Ph.D. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in 1987. He has published a textbook in 1998 with Dr. Laura Moriarty entitled Victims of Crime and edited another book in 2000 with Dr. Moriarty entitled Current Issues in Victimology.  He has published articles in the American Journal of Police, Criminal Justice Policy Review and Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture.  Additionally, he has had chapters published in edited volumes on Media and Crime, Crime in the 21^st Century, Crime Victims Services, Current Correctional Issues and the Juvenile Justice System. Dr. Jerin has worked as a crime victim’s advocate, a battered women’s and rape crisis counselor and a juvenile detention officer for the State of Connecticut. He is a member of the National Organization for Victim Assistance, The World Society of Victimology, the American Society of Victimology and the National Center for Victims of Crime. He is currently involved in research on Internet victimization, crime victims and the media, domestic homicide, international criminal justice issues, victim’s rights and criminal justice pedagogy.

Victim Assistance Across the Americas

Marlene Young, Ph.D, J.D.

President, World Society of Victimology and former Executive Director of NOVA

 After earning her doctorate from Georgetown and her law degree from Willamette University in 1975, Dr. Young became a member of the Executive Board of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), served as its board president from 1979 to 1981, and has been its Executive Director since January 2005 when she retired. She is now the President of the World Society of Victimology, past treasurer of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, past co-chair of the Victim Services Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and a member of the Victims Committee of the American Bar Association. She was a founding board member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Dr. Young has published some 120 articles, chapters, and monographs. She has traveled to 49 states and fifteen countries outside the United States speaking out on victim-related issues; the conferences and training seminars at which she has spoken in her travels now numbers over 1,500.  Dr. Young's leadership in the victims’ movement has brought her numerous state, national, and international honors, including two awards from United Nations-affiliated groups. She was the youngest person ever to receive the Hans von Hentig Award of the World Society of Victimology in 1985 for her scholarship. In 1987, she World Federation of Mental Health established an award in her name for her contributions to public policy advances. The year following, she received one of the annual awards of the Foundation for Justice Improvement. In 1992, she was specially honored at a Rose Garden ceremony held by President George Bush in commemoration of National Victim Rights Week. She became the fourth recipient, and only non-citizen, of New Zealand’s National Merit Service Award for contributions to victim assistance in 1997. In 1999, the Dr. Marlene Young Leadership Award was established in her name to honor Ohio victim advocates who have exhibited outstanding leadership for others in the state.