A free online training course for the NIEM user community is now available as part of an effort by the Bureau of Justice Assistance to ensure that effective information sharing remains within financial reach. This course instructs participants in how to use the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) by breaking it down into two distinct parts: The first part covers XML concepts required to understand and work with NIEM. The second part addresses higher-level implementation concepts and the steps necessary to build an information exchange using NIEM. The course contains 17 content modules that include over 8 hours of video presentations.

The course contains an overview of the National Crime Information Center NCIC database, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993--Brady Act, and the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System--NICS, and the ten federal prohibitors which can disqualify an individual from the purchase or possession of a firearm. Special emphasis has been placed on the protection order prohibition and the criteria that must be satisfied in order to render someone federally prohibited from the purchase or possession of firearms. You have the option to choose between two versions of this course:

• Judges Guide to the National Crime Information Centers Protection Order File
• A Law Enforcement Guide to the National Crime Information Centers Protection Order File

This course is designed to strengthen the leadership and teambuilding capabilities of drug courts; provide a resource of instructional modules for use by drug courts to improve their organization, operations and productivity; and to provide a resource for trainers/facilitators to assist drug courts in improving the collaboration and performance of their interdisciplinary teams

This program was prepared under a Cooperative Agreement with Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice and the National Drug Court Institute, in Collaboration with The National Center for State Courts and National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

This course explores the nature of alcohol and other drug abuse as well as the dynamics of recovery in the court context. It is intended as a primer for judges who handle all types of cases. Its goal is to encourage judges in all types of courts to share current information and work with experts in other disciplines to develop new systemic approaches to address this large and challenging court population.

This program was prepared with the support of a grant from the State Justice Institute (SJI-01-N-210-C03-1). The points of view expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of policies of the State Justice Institute.

This self-paced course is designed to augment and reinforce the information provided in the COOP Planning Guide. It includes presentations by court professionals who are experts in emergency management preparedness—many as a result of facing an emergency themselves.

The course is intended to help judges and other court officials develop and implement a continuity of operations (COOP) plan. The course guides participants through a set of steps necessary to create a structure and framework for planning; work through specific elements of a COOP plan and agree on procedures to follow in the event of an emergency; and help create a testing, training and exercise program to maintain the effectiveness of the plan.

This program was prepared with the support of a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Grant No. 2006-MU-BX-K019 ). The points of view expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of policies of the United States Department of Justice.

This DVD deals with the nine key measures for children in courts, how to achieve timely permanency, and also features a PDF on Tools for Judicial Oversight which is available on the DVD-ROM portion of the disc. This DVD is a great way to start the necessary converations regarding how to establish permanency in the lives of children involved in the court system.

Click here to order a free copy of this DVD

This DVD was created through a cooperative effort between the National Center for State Courts, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges with funding from the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In the past ten years, we have seen a dramatic increase in election-related litigation in the United States. Legal challenges to election results are now a common part of our democratic process. But there is considerable confusion about the law that governs our elections.

The purpose of this resource is to enhance our understanding of the basics of election law and election-related litigation. These video presentations will be of interest to judges who are called upon to resolve these disputes, as well as lawyers, journalists, and others interested in our electoral process.

Additional information can be found on the Election Law Website, which contains a variety of resources to help you better understand the basics of election-related litigation.

Click here to order a free copy of this DVD

This DVD was created through a joint venture of the College of William and Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts.