Prestigious Awards Announced for Community Corrections Professionals
For Immediate Release: 09/16/2009

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) is pleased to announce several prestigious awards presented at its recent 34th Annual Training Institute in Anaheim, CA.

This year, Probation and Parole Officer Crystal Angelo from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections was named the 2009 Scotia Knouff Line Officer of the Year. Officer Angelo began her career with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as a Probation and Parole Officer in 2004, shortly after obtaining a Bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma. Over the last eighteen months, Probation and Parole Officer Angelo has been actively involved in a multi-jurisdictional caseload study that is researching the differential effect of caseload size on outcomes related to recidivism for medium and high-risk offenders, as well as the impact of evidence based practices (EBP) on recidivism outcomes. This study, which concluded in April 2009, will provide correctional agencies nationwide with much needed data and research analysis. She recently became a member of the agency's Honor Guard, and is a sign language interpreter for the department. She was selected as Oklahoma's Probation and Parole Officer of the Year for 2008.

Deputy Chief Probation and Parole Officer, Susan Flanigan from the Virginia Division of Community Corrections, was named the 2009 APPA Member of the Year. In her 18 year career as probation and parole professional, Susan Flanigan has served as a line officer, Senior Probation and Parole Officer and Deputy Chief. The majority of her service has been in rural areas of Virginia and she has been a strong voice for the needs of probation and parole staff serving rural areas. Susan has devoted a great deal of time, energy and dedication to APPA since being part of the Host Committee for the Training Institute in Norfolk in 1998. She has attended every Institute except one since 1998 and has been Track Chair for two of these. She has also participated on committees for family involvement in supervision and rural supervision of sex offenders. Susan is serving her second term as APPA Regional Representative for Region 4 (Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia) and also acts as APPA Affiliate Representative for the Virginia Probation and Parole Association.

Kathy Waters, Division Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, AZ Supreme Court was presented with the 2009 Walter Dunbar Memorial Award. Kathy has been instrumental in the implementation of several major projects in Arizona probation including a standardized officer safety program, a statewide automated case management system as well as implementation of Evidence Based Practices and Sentencing in the Courts. Kathy served as President of APPA from 2001 to 2003. These were trying times for the organization financially, and Kathy did an excellent job of leading APPA to better financial times. She has published a number of articles in APPA’s Perspectives journal. She presently serves on the design team as faculty for the Leadership Institute. Kathy’s legacy with APPA is her role as mentor for women who work in the field of community corrections.

Michael Ostermann, Ph.D., from the New Jersey State Parole Board, was presented with the 2009 Sam Houston State University Award for his article, “An Analysis of New Jersey’s Day Reporting and Halfway Back Programs: Embracing the Rehabilitative Ideal through Evidence Based Practices”, published in The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. Michael Ostermann was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in May 2009 from the Graduate School of Newark at Rutgers University and is currently employed as a research scientist in the Office of Policy and Planning at the New Jersey State Parole Board. In this position, he leads the Board’s research efforts and acts as the agency’s primary data and evaluation coordinator for both the Governor’s Another Chance Reentry Initiative under the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Anti- Crime Plan, as well as the Government Efficiency and Reform Committee. Dr. Ostermann recently completed an evaluation of the efficacy of the State Parole Board’s residential and non-residential community programs. His research report highlights the utility of enhanced parole supervision with community programs in comparison to general parole supervision and no post release parole supervision. Results from this study significantly impacted statewide reentry practices and the article was selected as recipient of this year’s award.

Kelly Dedel, Ph.D., was presented with the 2009 University of Cincinnati Award. Kelly is the Director of One in 37 Research, Inc., a criminal justice consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon. Although most of her work requires travel to other states, she has had several recent opportunities to work for “the home team.” In 2005, she completed a validation of Multnomah County’s Juvenile Detention Risk Assessment Instrument(RAI). This study permitted the County to further its commitment to being a data-driven organization and catalyzed important changes in the profile of the detention population. Most importantly, the revised RAI has produced improved public safety outcomes among youth who are released. In 2007, she conducted a validation of Multnomah County’s adult jail “Recog Tool,” used to determine which offenders can be safely released on their own recognizance. In large part, the study confirmed that the original constellation of factors correctly identified the lowest risk offenders. The County continues to use the Recog Tool in its original form. When not working in Oregon, Dr. Dedel consults with various states and the U.S. Department of Justice to reform the conditions of confinement in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Her areas of expertise include protection from harm, suicide prevention, special education and quality assurance.

APPA congratulates each of these individuals for their accomplishments in the field of community-based corrections. Awards are presented twice each year during Annual and Winter Training Institutes. Nomination forms for the next series of awards may be found on the APPA website.