National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA)

Last week, NCJA Executive Director, Chris Asplen, had the opportunity to present and moderate several presentations at National Conference of State Legislatures’s Forensics Forum in Miami, FL, on behalf of the NCJA Center for Forensic DNA Policy and Practice.

The key to maximizing the potential of forensic DNA technology to save lives is for states to craft and pass legislation that fulfills its crime solving potential, while protecting the innocent and creating public trust. Thank you to NCSL, Arnold Ventures and most of all to the State Legislators who took time to attend, learn and carry important information back to their states.

Last month, NCJA staff Allison Badger and Elisa Nicoletti conducted a two day strategic planning retreat with the Dauphin County, PA Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB). During the retreat they worked on creating a four year strategic plan for the county. Thank you to those who joined us!

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s Forum on Criminal Justice. We hope you found each day valuable and full of conversation, learning, and connection. We loved seeing everyone connect and share ideas and interact virtually!

What was your favorite part of this year’s Forum? Let us know in the comments!

We look forward to seeing you next year!

One week until the 2026 Forum on Criminal Justice! There is still time to join us and colleagues virtually on May 12-14, from 1:00-5:30 pm ET (12:00 CT/11:00 MT/10:00 PT) each day.

NCJA’s showcases policy, practice, research and grant administration issues from across the justice system that help justice practitioners and decision-makers in states and local communities address a range of pressing public safety issues.

View the agenda here: https://forumoncriminaljustice.vfairs.com/en/

Registration is just $400 for members. Register here: https://www.forumoncriminaljustice.org/registration2026

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Join us and Elizabeth Pyke, Allison Badger MPA, PMP and Kellie Rabenhorst for our next government affairs update on May 5 from 2-2:30pm ET! We will discuss what we currently know about grants in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the President's Budget proposal, changes to the FY25 NOFOs and more.

This session is open to all NCJA members and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share issues of common interest and concern. Register here: https://connect2justice.ncja.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2058344

The 2026 Forum on Criminal Justice is two weeks away! There is still time to register to join us virtually on May 12-14. This year’s Forum includes keynotes, workshops, and roundtable discussions on topics like AI, mental health, grant making, DNA technology, and more!

Check out the agenda: https://forumoncriminaljustice.vfairs.com/en/

Register today: https://www.forumoncriminaljustice.org/registration2026

It’s National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW)! This year’s theme is: Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities.

Join NCJA, and the communities that help raise awareness and support victims, as we observe and reaffirm our commitment to justice and crime victims’ rights.

View resources on Office of Victims of Crime: https://ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2026/overview

Learn more about community events with National Organization for Victim Advocacy NOVA: https://trynova.org/events/national-crime-victims-rights-week/

NCJA is seeking a website vendor to build and support a new CMS-based website for our soon-to-be-launched Center for Forensic DNA Policy and Practice. We are looking for a developer to design and develop a user-friendly and accessible website that includes key features. View the RFP for more information: https://tinyurl.com/DNACenterSiteRFP

The deadline to submit proposals is May 6, 2026!

If you or your network have any recommendations or experiences, we'd love to hear from you!

We’re excited to see you all virtually at the 2026 Virtual Forum on Criminal Justice next month! Take a look at the agenda for each day and learn more about our speakers: https://forumoncriminaljustice.vfairs.com/en/

Registration is still open! Register here: https://www.forumoncriminaljustice.org/registration2026