J. Norbert Federspiel

J. Norbert Federspiel received a B.A. from Bellarmine College in 1970 and a J. D. Degree from the T. C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond in December 1977.  Upon admission to the Virginia Bar in 1978 he conducted a general law practice in Powhatan County , Virginia . During the years of his private practice he worked closely with the local courts and prosecution to informally implement community corrections concepts as conditions of probation.  Mental health and substance abuse treatment components were enhanced with his role as chairman of the local “Community Services Board”, the comprehensive service provider in his area.  In 1986 he went to work for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services as a Court Systems Analyst.  In that role, and successive positions at Virginia DCJS, he was involved with the establishment of Drug Special Prosecutors, a study on collection rates of fines and restitution in the courts, establishment of a procedure for drug asset forfeiture under state law, and the administration of rules relating to privacy and security of Criminal History Records.  He also served in positions as manager of the Crime Prevention Program, the Virginia Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (ICJIS) program, and as acting division director for state and local services.  In 1996, Mr. Federspiel came to West Virginia as coordinator of the Criminal History Record Improvements program.  He was named Director of the West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services in February 1999.  In this role he has been a leader in developing WV’s prison population forecasting project and overseen the development of the state’s community corrections program.  Mr. Federspiel represents West Virginia in the National Criminal Justice Association – the nation’s lead organization advocating improvements in policy and performance for all elements of the criminal justice system.