CHARLESTON, W.Va. – An award-winning scientist will head the
West Virginia office that conducts research to assist law enforcement, brief
state policymakers, and aid the implementation of Justice Reinvestment and
similar reforms.
Dr. Douglas Spence has been named director of the Office of Research
and Strategic Planning (ORSP), effective immediately, by Director Rick Staton
of the Division of Justice and Community Services. The ORSP is a key part of
the division, which falls under the W.Va. Department of Military Affairs and
Public Safety.
“Dr. Spence has been a valued contributor to the office’s
success, and I believe his leadership will enhance its unique and critical role
in preventing crime and safeguarding the public,” Staton said.
The office has been repeatedly honored over the last several
years by its national peers for its research and analysis. Most recently, the
office’s Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center won two 2016 Douglas
Yearwood National Publication Awards. Presented annually by the Justice
Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), these recognized an analysis of results
from comprehensive risk and needs evaluations of offenders and a tracking study
of those released from West Virginia Day Report Centers. Both topics are part
of the state’s landmark Justice Reinvestment reforms.
Dr. Spence joined the office in March 2014 and became its
acting director in December 2015. He earned his Ph.D in political science from
the University of Tennessee and his B.A. from Ohio University. Dr. Spence’s
research has been recognized by the JRSA and published in international
criminal justice and social science journals. Dr. Spence also serves as a
reviewer for several criminal justice journals and is a member of the JRSA’s
national research committee and the institutional review board at Marshall
University.
As part of the Division of Justice and Community Services, the
ORSP features the Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center as well as the
Justice Center for Evidence-Based Practice. The office’s team of researchers
includes specialists in such fields as criminology, statistics, sociology,
political science and psychology.