The National Workshops on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders have been held every two years since the 1980s.
A committee from the Association of Programs for Female Offenders (APFO) will make the site selection, during the 14th Biannual Workshop, based on information provided by potential hosts in the following format:
Sponsorship:
A major state agency or consortium of agencies or groups can sponsor a conference. A letter of support from the chief executive officer or Secretary of Corrections of the agency or group primarily responsible for the conference should be attached to the application to sponsor the conference.
The Association of Programs for Female Offenders will be the primary co-sponsor of the event.
The host agency or organization is encouraged to have as many co-sponsors as possible to provide broad based support and a full range of approaches to programming for female offenders. These can include college and universities, health organizations, and/or other law enforcement organizations.
Funding
The conference must be self-supporting. All previous conferences have made expenses and most have made additional funds. APFO will provide seed money based on the proceeds from previous conferences. That usually varies from $15,000 to $20,000.
Conference registration fees should be modest but must be set to cover basic conference expenses. The registration fee shall include APFO dues (currently $25) for non-members. Host agencies must raise the money for expenses that are not covered by registration fees. This can include sale of ads for the conference program, fees for exhibit space from for-profit companies, and donations to sponsor speakers, breaks or meals. Ads and exhibits should be in keeping with the goals of the conference to improve services for women and girls in the criminal justice system.
Capability
The host agency must be able to: Establish a bank account as well as manage and maintain records of funds (receipts and expenses).
Obtain a federal tax number to be used by agencies in registrations and other activities as needed.
Be able to provide technical support to maintain, upgrade and pass on to the next site the web page for the conference. Communication must include both web and traditional mail and phone contacts.
Have a location that is easily accessible to major airlines and capable of supporting a conference of approximately 600 - 1000 participants. The Hotel Site should include space for several simultaneous workshops, general sessions, and exhibit space. Previous Conferences have been held in Tulsa, OK; Baltimore, MD; Minneapolis, MN; Boise, ID; Myrtle Beach, SC; Jackson, MS; Raleigh, NC; Washington DC; and Salt Lake City, UT.
Establish committee and sub-committee structure to plan and manage the conference. The committee should be multidisciplinary in nature representing a broad range of service providers for adult and juvenile female offenders.
Program
The host group must be able to identify key individuals capable of coordinating the development of a conference program for those who work with female offenders that is national in scope and covers the entire field of services for women and girls in the Criminal Justice System. The program should include the latest research on women and girls and information on state of the art programs.
Advisory Committee
The host agency must recruit and work with a national advisory committee made up of public and private agency representatives from across the country. Letters requesting involvement in conference planning will be sent by the CEO of the host agency preferably 18 months before the conference. Input from the advisory committee can be gathered by phone, letter, and email. Normally the host committee will have at least two meetings of the steering committee in conjunction with the American Correctional Association Conference – Summer and Winter. APFO will arrange space for those meetings. The meetings should be used to solicit input on programming, activities, funding ideas and other information that can benefit the conference.
After Conference Report
No later than 6 months following the conference, the chair will supply the President of APFO with an after conference report describing the major activities in planning, promoting, and conducting the conference as well as a complete accounting of revenues and expenses. After all expenses are paid, the host agency will remit the initial money provided by APFO. Any net income will divided according to arrangements between APFO and the host agency – not to be less than 50% of net proceeds. These funds are held in a special account to support future conferences and staff training activities of the Association.
Any material provided to the conference-planning group from previous conferences will be returned to APFO when the final report is submitted. The chair and others will make themselves available to assist the next conference committee as needed. |
