CCJ Directory

Ms. Shaffer was the Director of the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 2012. Prior to joining the Agency as Deputy Director in 1995, Ms. Shaffer was the Director of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Standards Committee. She has also served as a Staff Attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union Project on National Security, a Staff Attorney of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service Mental Health Division, and as an Associate in a law firm in Rochester, New York specializing in employment discrimination litigation. She is a member of the Bar Associations of the District of Columbia and New York state.

Awarded the U.S. Department of Justice’s designation as an Enhanced Pretrial Services Program, the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia has long served as a model for the administration of pretrial services without reliance on cash bail, and with a focus on the importance of providing the supports necessary to allow the vast majority of those accused to remain in the community pending trial without causing harm to the community.

The Council for Court Excellence recognized Ms. Shaffer’s work by selecting her to receive the Justice Potter Stewart Award on behalf of the District of Columbia Superior Court Drug Intervention Program for making valuable contributions to the quality of community life throughout the District of Columbia. She received the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies’ most prestigious honor, the Ennis J. Olgiati Award, in recognition of her lifetime achievements and contributions to public service, most notably her work on both the American Bar Association and the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies’ Pretrial Standards. After her retirement, Ms. Shaffer received the Community Hero Award from Voices For A Second Chance for her contributions to providing community-based resources to court-involved persons.

Ms. Shaffer has served as a member of the District of Columbia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and was appointed by then Attorney General Eric Holder to serve two terms as a member of the Advisory Board for the National Institute of Corrections. She is currently a member of the Council on Criminal Justice.