In Search Of Middle: Ground Memoirs of a Washington Insider

Large View 

For 50 years Warren I. Cikins has been a major player in the Washington political scene.

In the 60's, he dealt with legislation on civil rights while serving at the White House (the historic '64 Civil Rights Act). While at the State Department in the 60's, he dealt primarily with disarmament legislation, Peace Corps legislation, and Alliance for Progress (in Latin America) legislation. Later in the 60's, at AID (Agency for International Development, then a part of the State Department), Cikins worked on integration and affirmative action programs within AID.

In the mid-70's through the mid-90's, while at the Brookings Institution, he promoted prisoner literacy training, job training, and community corrections, all designed to reduce imprisonment, and opposed sentencing guidelines that contributed to greater imprisonment. He also created a mechanism that operated for 15 years (1978-1993) for regular exchange of views on a wide range of issues between the Judiciary, the Congress, and the Executive Branch.

During his 50-year career in Washington, D.C., Warren I. Cikins has served three Members of Congress (Senators Muskie and Engle and Congressman Brooks Hays), two Presidents (John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson), and two Justices of the Supreme Court (Warren Burger and William Rehnquist). He has also staffed six national commissions, including the Civil Rights Commission. As a Senior Staff Member of the Brookings Institution, Mr. Cikins has conducted public policy seminars for new Members of Congress. Over the past 20 years, his major focus has been the administration of justice, criminal justice, and corrections. He has written 50 books and articles on these and other public policy subjects.

Mr. Cikins has been elected County Supervisor of Fairfax County, Virginia, and was Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Community Corrections for over 20 years.