• Community Development
• Program Development
• Program Evaluation
• Policy Analysis
• Social Research

In partnership with the Albany County Office of the District Attorney, the Albany County Probation Department, the Volunteer Center of the Capital Region, and a coalition of concerned citizens, government, business and non-profit partners, the Social Capital Development Corporation is implementing a restorative justice program in Albany. Restorative justice is based on a conferencing or circle process in which parties involved or impacted by a harmful incident meet, dialogue and work toward developing a consensual agreement to repair the harm. Real Justice, Inc has certified local trainers in the Capital Region to allow us to establish a local training facility. (Information about our trainers can be found on the "About Us" page and information about restorative justice and Real Justice, Inc can be found by following the link to their wesite on our "Resources" page.) Our volunteer trainers have trained and certified dozens of volunteer conference facilitators. We offer training sessions for new volunteers several times each year. If you'd like to be a part of this exciting project, call us! Startup funds for the Albany Restorative Community Justice initiative were provided by private donors, the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Albany County Legislature. Donations for continuing the project are most welcome!

In partnership with the New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State, we are evaluating a consensus building process among mental heath treatment providers and substance abuse treatment providers regarding the adoption of science-based treatment approaches for people suffering from co-occuring mental health and substance abuse problems. This project is funded through a Community Action Grant provided by the Center for Mental Health Services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In conjunction with the Student Assistance Services Corporation (in Tarrytown, NY), we are studying the combined effects of teaching parenting skills to parents who are in alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs and providing student assistance services to their children in school. The goal of this project is to break the intergenerational cycle of alcoholism and substance abuse before it becomes patterned behavior in the next generation. This study is funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We also are studying the effectiveness of school-based drug education programs using meta-analytic statistical techniques to synthesize the results of over two hundred evaluations of drug education programs. This research study builds on previous meta-analytic research we've conducted and like that previous research is being funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As a result of our previous research, we recently wrote the sections on both childhood and adolescent substance abuse for the forthcoming first edition of the Encyclopedia of Prevention and Health Promotion, which should be published in June of 2002.

In addition to the above projects, we serve as consultants and advisors on a number of initiatives. The largest of these is the development and evaluation of the new drug education curriculum that will be implemented by D.A.R.E. America in six cities across the United States beginning in the 2001-2002 school year and evaluated by the Center for Health and Social Policy at the University of Akron. This five year, $13.7 million project is being funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.