Technical Assistance & Training

What is technical assistance (TA)?

Technical assistance is the offering of PJI’s practical expertise to assist organizations and agencies with concerns, problems, or issues related to pretrial justice.  Whether the result of jail overcrowding, media pressure, budget issues, or stakeholder desire, interest in starting or improving a pretrial program can and should involve PJI’s technical advisors who can leverage thirty years of experience with best practices.  Training is one of our technical assistance offerings.
What types of TA do we offer?

• Problem assessment.
• Strategic planning/strategy development.
• Program sustainability.
• Cutting-edge practice(s) documentation and identification.
• Evidence-based practice(s) identification and development.
• Training – staff, judicial officers, county executives.
• Team building and collaboration.
• Community partnership development.
• Staff development.
• Resource identification and management.
• Information management.
• Program evaluation.

How do we deliver TA?

• Offsite technical assistance (via telephone, e-mail, Internet, distance learning, etc.).
• Onsite technical assistance.
• Publication development.
• Information sharing (Help Desk).

How do you engage us? 

There are a number of ways to engage PJI staff for technical assistance.   As a resource center to pretrial programs, John Clark, Director of TA, is available to answer short questions at john@pretrial.org.  On-site work is typically fee-driven and our staff are available for short engagements (a day or so) as well as longer engagements.  There are a number of ways jurisdictions fund this work.  In addition to direct contracts with counties, jurisdictions may consider asking specifically for PJI through funding available from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Technical Assistance Program, available to both BJA grantees and non-grantees) and the State Justice Institute. 

Click below to view recent PowerPoint Presentations on:

• 2007 Technical Assistance
• State Bail Reform Laws
• Pretrial Help Desk Pilot

Recent Technical Assistance 

National

National Institute of Corrections – Collaboratively developed a training DVD for criminal justice practitioners on bail and pretrial services

National Institute of Corrections – Developed and delivered a 40-hour training curriculum for pretrial directors.

National Judicial College – Conduct an annual judicial training on bail and pretrial services at the National Judicial College in Reno, NV.

Bureau of Justice Assistance – Conducted a scan of over 1000 appellate cases on pretrial diversion for a published monograph.

State and Local

Pretrial Services Technical Assistance Grant Court Jester April 2008 Alachua County Pretrial Services Program received a technical assistance grant from the National Institute of Corrections-Bureau of Justice Assistance, with consultation from PJI.

Franklin County, OH – As part of our overall BJA-funded Diversion Technical Assistance award, we provided technical assistance for the development of an objective pretrial risk assessment instrument.

Dallas County, TX – Conducting case processing and bench mark analyses to assess causes of jail crowding, providing technical assistance for the development of a new pretrial services program.

Allegheny County, PA – Providing technical assistance for the transformation of the pretrial services program, conducting a validation study of the program’s risk assessment instrument.

Napa County, CA – Provided a national overview of pretrial programming for commissioners and other officials considering implementation of a new pretrial program.

Camden County, NJ – Conducted an assessment of two alternative sentencing programs.

Maine Department of Corrections – Provided a national overview of pretrial programming for state and local officials seeking to enhance pretrial programs.

Thurston County, WA – Assessed causes of jail crowding and recommended appropriate solutions.

Orange County, FL – Assessed the procedures for processing persons with mental illness who have been arrested.

Berks County, PA – Conducted a case processing analysis to assess causes of jail crowding, provided technical assistance for the transformation of the pretrial services program.

Snohomish County, WA – Assessed the existing pretrial release decision making process, made recommendations for improvement.

New Orleans Parish, LA – Assessed the existing pretrial release decision making process, made recommendations for improvements.

Jefferson Parish, LA – Assessed the existing pretrial release decision making process, made recommendations for improvements.

Kalamazoo County, MI – Provided technical assistance for the establishment of a pretrial services program, later conducted an assessment of how well the county was able to implement the program.

Lee County, FL – Assisted the pretrial program in developing a revised objective risk assessment instrument.

Seattle, WA – Assessed the pretrial release decision making process in the Municipal Court and made recommendations for improvements.

Santa Clara County, CA – Conducted a case processing assessment and made recommendations for improvements.