Bureau of Justice Assistance Awards More Funding for Technical Assistance
The Bureau of Justice Assistance has provided the Pretrial Justice Institute with funding to perform two primary objectives:
1. Educate and support criminal justice policy makers and practitioners in legal and evidence-based pretrial justice such that it results in advancements in local systems. This involves: providing training and technical assistance (TTA) to jurisdictions that are in a position to understand their data and make policy changes; developing a network of leaning sites, speakers and materials highlighting different aspects of pretrial justice; and coordinating all TTA services engagements with BJA's National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC).
2. Manage a national-level collaboration so that it generates partnerships and initiatives that can be sustained and leveraged. This involves: continuing to support and expand the Pretrial Justice Working Group (PJWG); managing BJA's National Judicial Council on Pretrial Justice, an initiative of the PJWG; and hosting two Pretrial Justice Fellows who will liaison between the PJWG and peers.
Public Welfare Foundation's Investment in Pretrial Justice
The Public Welfare Foundation, located in Washington, DC, made a significant investment in pretrial justice by awarding both a general operating grant and a project grant in 2012 to support media and advocacy efforts. The mission of the PWF is to support efforts to ensure fundamental rights and opportunities for people in need. With these funds, PJI will continue to actively support rational pretrial justice policies and practices across the country, working closely with strategic partners at the federal, state and local level.
Justice Reinvestment at the Local Level
PJI is a part of a collaborative team to support a new initiative within the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Justice Reinvestment at the Local Level (JRLL). Justice Reinvestment is a data-driven approach to reduce spending on corrections and reinvest identified savings in evidence-based strategies designed to increase public safety and hold offenders accountable. States and localities using the justice reinvestment approach collect and analyze data on drivers of criminal justice populations and costs, identify and implement changes that address costs and achieve better outcomes, and measure both the fiscal and public safety impacts of those changes.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) is supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Pew Center on the States. The purpose of JRI is to provide technical assistance and financial support to states, counties, cities, and tribal authorities that would like to engage in justice reinvestment as either a Phase I or Phase II site:
- Phase I sites will receive intensive, on-site technical assistance to start the justice reinvestment process, which involves engaging leaders and key stakeholders, conducting a comprehensive analysis of criminal justice data, and identifying strategies to reduce costs and increase public safety. BJA will issue a request for letters of interest in late 2010 and will invite potential sites to submit a full application in early 2011.
- Phase II sites will receive both targeted technical assistance and funding to support the implementation of justice reinvestment strategies. Sites that apply to be Phase II sites must have already completed all of the steps associated with Phase I (see JRI Site Selection Criteria document). Sites that are interested in being considered for Phase II selection should contact the Urban Institute. Beginning in late 2010, the Urban Institute will request formal Phase II proposals from sites that have completed Phase I work.
For more information, please visit the 'Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI)'
Evidence Based Decision Making for Local Criminal Justice Systems
In June 2008, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) awarded the Center for Effective Public Policy, in partnership with the Pretrial Justice Institute, the Justice Management Institute, and The Carey Group, a cooperative agreement to address "Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems". The goal of the initiative is to build a system wide framework (arrest through final disposition and discharge) that will result in more collaborative, evidence-based decision making and practices in local criminal justice systems. The initiative seeks to equip criminal justice policymakers in local communities with the information, processes, and tools that will result in measurable reductions of pretrial misconduct and post-conviction reoffending.
The first phase of this effort has resulted in the development of 'A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems' ("the Framework"). The Framework identifies the key structural elements of a system informed by evidence-based practice. The second phase of the project involves seven pilot sites that will each be assessing which of the decision points in the criminal justice system the key stakeholders will be selecting to focus on, working to make them "evidence-based".
The seven sites are:
- Mesa County, Colorado
- Grant County, Indiana
- Ramsey County, Minnesota
- Yamhill County, Oregon
- City of Charlottesville/County of Albemarle, Virginia
- Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
- Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
For current information on the project, please visit the "ONE Less Strategy" website.CJCC Leadership Network
With funding from the Bureau of
Justice Assistance, since January 2011 the Justice Management
Institute (JMI), the Pretrial Justice
Institute (PJI), and the National Association of Counties (NACo)
have brought together chairpersons or members and senior criminal justice
planning staff from 12 criminal justice coordinating councils (CJCCs) across
the country. The Network’s goal is to provide a central place for the leaders
and senior staff of CJCCs to share information and ideas about common problems
and promising approaches to addressing these problems, and to create resources
and an expanded network for all CJCC nationwide. BJA funding for the network is
scheduled to go through March 2013, at which time other funding sources may
continue the Network.
The objectives of this project include: 1) providing an outlet for CJCC leaders
and senior staff to discuss common issues and opportunities; 2) facilitating a
learning exchange among CJCCs on promising innovations and evidence-based
policy and practice; 3) creating a network of CJCC leaders and staff for
on-going peer-to-peer technical assistance; and 4) developing materials that
will aid CJCCs in their policy making and will assist other jurisdictions in
developing effective CJCCs of their own.
Deliverables of the project include:
· A
report and article detailing the challenges facing local criminal justice
systems
· Two
network seminars to facilitate information sharing to help jurisdictions
develop preliminary plans for dealing with their policy challenges
· Two
45-90 webinars to educate CJCCs about key issues
· A
listserv to facilitate on-going information exchange
· Two
Policy Guides for CJCCs on developing and implementing effective public policy
for addressing the most pressing local criminal justice system needs