UB-Sponsored Academy Receives Governor's Victim Assistance Award
April 3, 2013
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The Roper Victim Assistance Academy of Maryland, led by Debra L. Stanley, professor and executive director in the University of Baltimore's School of Criminal Justice, in partnership with the University, received a 2013 Governor's Victim Assistance Award for Outstanding Contribution to Victim Services, according to the Maryland State Board of Victim Services.
The award "recognizes outstanding work done in the area of victim advocacy and services that exceeds expected work responsibilities, and exemplifies a high level of commitment and dedication to the field of victims' rights and services and to the victims themselves," according to the Governor's Office for Crime Control and Prevention's website. In 2012, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law a bill proclaiming April 3 as Crime Victims and Advocates Commemorative Day to recognize those who have been crime victims and to honor the advocates who serve those victims.
The award was presented to Stanley and other Roper Victim Assistance Academy staff—which includes the UB School of Criminal Justice's Heather L. Pfeifer, associate professor, and Linda Fair, academic program specialist—at the Governor's Victim Assistance Awards Luncheon on April 3 in Annapolis. The annual event recognizes individuals, agencies and organizations that work on behalf of crime victims and the crime victims' movement in Maryland.
Established in 2003, the Roper Victim Assistance Academy is a state-funded partnership between UB and the Office of Crime Control and Prevention that provides a 40-hour academically based education and training program covering victims' rights and services, advocacy and victimology throughout the criminal and juvenile processes. The academy's goal is to standardize and professionalize the training of victim service providers across Maryland and to create opportunities for these providers to network, grow their knowledge base and continue to receive training.
Learn more about Stanley and the Roper Victim Assistance Academy.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.