Dora B. Schriro, Ed.D., J.D.

Dr. Dora Schriro has a remarkable history of forging partnerships between crime victims and corrections. As the Director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, she helped create one of the first state corrections-based victim assistance programs in the Nation. 

Her leadership and commitment to crime victims’ rights and services in the post-sentencing phases of cases led to her election as the inaugural Chairwoman of the Victims Committee of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA). As Chairwoman, she guided the development of ASCA’s Policy Manual for Victim Service Programs in State Correctional Agencies, which is still used today to ensure that victims’ rights and services are recognized throughout correctional processes. She also authored Ten Core Elements for Corrections-Based Victim Services, which established clear standards for victim services in corrections. 

Dr. Schriro expanded her focus on victim assistance while serving as the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections where restorative justice programs were instituted and inmates attended Impact of Crime classes. Ultimately, the inmates raised more than $1,400,000 for victim assistance agencies. At the New York City Department of Correction, where she currently serves as Commissioner, she instituted a victim services program with an Advisory Board composed of survivors and advocates to ensure that victims’ voices would be heard. 

While victim assistance programs are common in prison systems, she is leading the way in jail systems. Classes in victims’ issues and awareness are now part of the recruits’ training curriculum and new policies for addressing staff victimization are in place. A true pioneer in her field, Dr. Schriro has paved the way for nationwide understanding that crime victims are clients of correctional agencies and are deserving of respect, rights, and assistance.