Prestigious Awards to Be Presented at National Conference in Las Vegas
For Immediate Release: 07/17/2008

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) is pleased to hold its 33rd Annual Training Institute at the Rio All Suite Hotel, 3700 West Flamingo Rd., August 3-6, 2008. A highlight of the Institute will be the presentation of several awards.

On Sunday August 3 at the Opening Session at 6:00 pm, Darrin Dill will receive the SCOTIA KNOUFF LINE OFFICER OF THE YEAR AWARD. Mr. Dill is a Deputy Probation Officer with the San Francisco Adult Probation Department. The award is a national recognition of his work with homeless offenders in San Francisco, CA. The program links services from homeless shelters, mental health providers, the Sheriff’s department, judges and the Public Defender’s Office to attempt to transition homeless probationers from the streets into services such as housing, substance abuse, and/or health care. Within Project Outreach, Darrin Dill and his partner along with two police officers conduct weekly compliance checks on homeless probationers. He was named Bay Area Employee of the year in December 2007 and received a certificate of honor from Gavin Newsome, Mayor of San Francisco this past January. Darrin Dill’s creativity and dedication as well as his efforts to both supervise and assist such a difficult caseload is deserving of this award and recognition.

Also on Sunday, two awards will be presented to recognize APPA’S MEMBERS OF THE YEAR. This year, the APPA Awards Committee chose Dennis McFarland and Gary Bushkin for their outstanding contributions to the Association over many years. Gary Bushkin is the current chairperson for the APPA Membership Committee and has put in place several plans to both increase membership as well as maintain current members. He has also been instrumental in coordinating fund raising events for APPA that have resulted in significant savings for the association. Mr. Bushkin’s contributions were especially important to the success of APPA’s 25th Annual Training Institute and the recent 2008 Winter Training Institute both held in Phoenix. The time, effort and determination Gary Bushkin takes to make APPA as successful as possible is sincerely appreciated by all members. Denny McFarland has played many roles within APPA over the past 19 years of membership. Mr. McFarland took part in APPA’s mission and vision development in the 1990s; he has held numerous committee positions including serving on the Executive Committee from 2001 to 2007; he is the current affiliate representative for the Georgia Probation Association; he has participated in several Institute workshops as both presenter and moderator.

On Monday at the Plenary Session at 8:30 am, the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AWARD will be presented to Marlene Beckman, Senior Program Analyst with the National Institute of Justice in Washington, DC. Ms. Beckman has for many years been a supporter of a national research agenda and significant research funding that aids in understanding how the specific tasks performed by community corrections professionals can produce better results that enhance public safety and cost efficiency. Ms. Beckman draws together experts in the field of community corrections for NIJ’s Community Corrections Research Network (CCRN). The CCRN is comprised of agency researchers at the state and local level who are utilizing data and research to improve community corrections policy and practice. Ms. Beckman has also been instrumental in bringing worthwhile presentations to APPA Institutes for many years. Through her many efforts, the field of community corrections has been strengthened and will continue to reap benefits into the future.

The SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY AWARD will be presented to Anil K. Goswami, Sr. Probation and Parole Officer with the Virginia Dept. of Corrections. Mr. Goswami is co-author of “Prescription Drug Abuse Among Prisoners in Rural Southwestern Virginia” published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases in 2007. The work sought to better understand the role of OxyContin as a drug of abuse in Western Virginia. A probation/parole officer since 1992, he is also a certified substance abuse counselor and has a particular interest in substance abuse issues and their impact on community corrections. Mr. Goswami is known to friends and colleagues as a man of impeccable integrity with the ability and talents to positively affect the offenders he supervises.

Raymond Wahl, Juvenile Court Administrator for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Salt Lake City, UT will receive the WALTER DUNBAR MEMORIAL AWARD. Ray Wahl’s expertise in the field of juvenile justice is nationally recognized and he has served in numerous capacities to advance the field. Mr. Wahl is a consultant to the Interstate Compact for Juveniles and he has provided technical assistance to several states on electronic monitoring programs. He is also a consultant to the National Institute of Corrections on several topics. In addition to APPA, Mr. Wahl is a member of many other associations; Western Correctional Association, American Correctional Association, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and is a member of the steering committee for the Center for the Promotion of Mental Health in Juvenile Justice at Columbia University. Ray Wahl’s service to APPA includes his tenure as President of the association from 2001-2003 as well as acting as local host for the 1997 and 2003 Winter Training Institutes in Salt Lake City.

APPA congratulates all award recipients and thanks them for their work to better the field of community corrections.