AG Selects SEARCH Member to Chair Science Advisory Board

Alfred Blumstein

SEARCH is pleased to announce that Attorney General Eric Holder has tapped longtime Member Professor Alfred Blumstein to chair a newly created Science Advisory Board that will advise the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

According to the Justice Department, the Board is intended to bridge the divide between research and practice in criminal justice fields.

"This Administration is committed to using science to help inform and guide policy development. By providing advice and counsel to the Department of Justice, the members of this advisory board will help us focus on evidence-based approaches to prevent and reduce crime," said Attorney General Holder. In addition to Dr. Blumstein, the board consists of 17 experts, scholars, and practitioners in criminology, statistics, sociology, in the criminal and juvenile justice fields.

Dr. Blumstein is J. Erik Jonsson Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie-Mellon University. He's been an At-Large Member of SEARCH since July 10, 1991, and is a Member of SEARCH's Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as an At-Large Member, Dr. Blumstein served as Pennsylvania's Member to SEARCH for many years. He is a previous winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology.

In Fiscal Year 2010, OJP, which administers grants on behalf of the Department, awarded nearly 5,000 grants totaling $2.6 billion to the criminal and juvenile justice field, including federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, and community organizations. The funding supports a wide range of activities, including research and evaluation programs designed to encourage innovative programs to prevent and control crime, assist victims, and increase the capacity of state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.

The advisory board will provide an extra-agency review of and recommendations for OJP research, statistics, and grant programs, ensuring the programs and activities are scientifically sound and pertinent to policymakers and practitioners.