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Opinion: Epstein Suicide Highlights Staffing Crisis in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Critics sometimes refer to American prisons as “warehouses,” but that suggests that people go out the same way they came in. Recent events remind us that understaffed prisons can cause harm, not only for people who are incarcerated, but also those who work there. -
Stepping Up Initiative Celebrates 500 Counties Milestone
“Stepping Up was born out of conversations with community leaders, law enforcement officials, and behavioral health specialists, who told us that the number of people with mental illnesses coming into their jails was a top challenge for them,” said Megan Quattlebaum, director of the CSG Justice Center. -
New Analysis Shows How Parole and Probation Violations Significantly Impact States’ Prison Populations and Budgets
New data reveals the startling extent to which probation and parole violations contribute to states’ high prison admissions and populations, as well as the subsequent cost to taxpayers. -
Face to Face: Connecting Policymakers to People Involved with the Correctional System
This collection of stories highlights participation in Face to Face by a number of governors and features the voices of those who stand to benefit from criminal justice policy that is developed with personal experiences in mind. -
National Reentry Resource Center Launches Clean Slate Clearinghouse
The online resource provides information, including interactive maps, on juvenile and adult record clearance in all states and U.S. territories.
Opinion: Epstein Suicide Highlights Staffing Crisis in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Recent CSG Justice Center Posts
Stepping Up Initiative Celebrates 500 Counties Milestone
“Stepping Up was born out of conversations with community leaders, law enforcement officials, and behavioral health specialists, who told us that the number of people with mental illnesses coming into their jails was a top challenge for them,” said Megan Quattlebaum, director of the CSG Justice Center.
Oregon Justice Reinvestment Bill Dedicates $10.6M to Curb Jail Bookings of People with Behavioral Health Needs
The IMPACTS (Improving People’s Access to Community-Based Treatment, Supports, and Services) grant program will offer supports and services to aid people with mental illnesses and substance addictions who frequently end up in the state’s jails, courts, and hospitals, which is currently costing these systems millions of dollars annually.
Massachusetts Set to Launch Behavioral Health Pilot to Reduce Risk of Recidivism
This pilot program stems from policy recommendations made during the state’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative in 2015. As a result of this initiative, Massachusetts invested more than $1 million in providing specialized treatment services to people who have substance addictions, mental illnesses, or co-occurring disorders and are at a high risk of reoffending.
With Second Chance Act Grant, Probation Officer Brings Positive Change to Maricopa County
Harris and Maricopa County serve as examples of the many people and communities that are using ISI grant funds to promote positive behavior change, accountability, and more.
New Analysis Shows How Parole and Probation Violations Significantly Impact States’ Prison Populations and Budgets
New data released today by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, with support from Arnold Ventures, reveals the startling extent to which probation and parole violations contribute to states’ high prison admissions and populations, as well as the subsequent cost to taxpayers.
Connecticut and Sonoma County, California Kick off Data-Driven Effort to Overhaul Juvenile Justice Systems
The endeavors are part of the Improving Outcomes for Youth (IOYouth) initiative, an effort by the National Reentry Resource Center to answer the call of state and local jurisdictions struggling to ensure that resources are being efficiently used to help young people who interact with the juvenile justice system succeed.
Highlights
- White House Proclamation on Second Chance Month, 2019
- North Dakota Explores Expanding Alternatives to Incarceration and Behavioral Health Services for People in the Criminal Justice System
- Second Chance Act Spotlight: Darius Dennis, Norfolk, Virginia
- WATCH: Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson Meets Face to Face with Client at Newly Opened Crisis Stabilization Unit
- In Focus: Implementing Mental Health Screening and Assessment
Announcements
![[Register for Webinar] The Behavioral Health Needs Framework and Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans](https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screenshot-2018-04-20-14.27.13-136x130.png)
[Register for Webinar] The Behavioral Health Needs Framework and Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans
This webinar will highlight two jurisdictions—the State of Oklahoma and Douglas County, Nebraska—and explain how they used Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans to enhance their case planning processes and promote recovery, successful diversion from the criminal justice system to treatment, or reentry to the community among their participants. There will be time for questions at the end of the webinar.
![[Register Now] Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative Second Annual National Conference on Deflection and Pre-Arrest Diversion](https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PTACC-logo-305-305-136x130.png){kind=logo}
[Register Now] Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative Second Annual National Conference on Deflection and Pre-Arrest Diversion
This training and technical assistance conference is the second annual conferences devoted to the development and support of pre-arrest deflection efforts across the United States, as well as to the promotion of strategies to build the treatment and fund capacity to sustain them.
WEBINARS
Facts and Myths: Health Care Employment Opportunities for People with Criminal Records
Health care is one of the fastest-growing employment sectors in the country, with the demand for qualified workers greatly exceeding supply in many areas. But people who have criminal records are often unable to enter or advance within this relatively high-paying sector due to a complex web of legal barriers that make jobs and licenses difficult or impossible to obtain. This webinar separates the myths from the facts about these barriers in order to develop a better understanding of the true scope and impact of employment-related collateral consequences in the health care sector.
Innovative Programming for Veterans in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar focusses on the programming developed specifically for veterans in two jurisdictions—the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department in California—and explains how these jurisdictions developed partnerships with their Veterans Affairs resources and other entities in their criminal justice systems.
Connecting the Dots: Lessons Learned from a Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Systems Improvement Initiative
This webinar explains the research and track record of reform efforts underpinning the IOYouth approach as well as discusses why conducting a comprehensive review of system-wide policies and expenditures is critical to protecting public safety and efficient resource allocation.
Responding to the 2019 Second Chance Act Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Solicitation
In this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Reentry Resource Center review the FY19 Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness application process.
Responding to the 2019 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Solicitation
In this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and The Council of State Governments Justice Center review the FY2019 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program application process.
PUBLICATIONS
Justice Reinvestment in New Mexico: Policy Framework
The final report outlines policy recommendations developed to strengthen supervision practices, reduce the number of probation and parole revocations to prison, and increase support for victims of crime.
Online Course: Ten Steps to Transforming Probation Departments to Reduce Recidivism
This online course provides a ten-step action plan to help a probation department visualize transformation of its practices from beginning to end and to align it with the four practices of recidivism reduction.
Strengthening Partnerships Between Law Enforcement and Homelessness Service Systems
This policy brief highlights five emerging cross-systems strategies local law enforcement and homelessness response leaders can use to respond to people who experience unsheltered homelessness and have frequent contact with law enforcement.
In Focus: Conducting a Comprehensive Process Analysis
This brief from the Stepping Up partners presents counties with steps for examining how people who have serious mental illnesses move through a county’s criminal justice and behavioral health systems, it is one of a series of companion products designed to provide counties with further guidance on how to apply the Stepping Up framework “Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask.”
Justice Reinvestment in Wyoming: Policy Framework
The final report outlines policy recommendations developed in collaboration with Wyoming’s Joint Judiciary Committee that were reflected in a package of legislation signed into law in February 2019.
JUSTICE CENTER IN THE NEWS
Opinion: Epstein Suicide Highlights Staffing Crisis in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Critics sometimes refer to American prisons as “warehouses,” but that suggests that people go out the same way they came in. Recent events remind us that understaffed prisons can cause harm, not only for people who are incarcerated, but also those who work there.
[Opinion] As Candidates Search for Criminal Justice Talking Points, Parole and Probation Reform Should Top List
As the bipartisan movement to improve our criminal justice system continues its push across the country—and presidential candidates discuss the best ways to lower incarceration rates—reforming probation and parole presents an opportunity that should top the list.
Wisconsin’s High Supervision Rate Can Cause—Rather Than Prevent—Longer Incarceration, Studies Show
Wisconsin is one of 13 states where more than one in three people in prison are there for a supervision violation, The Council of State Governments Justice Center found.
One-Quarter of State Prison Admissions Are for Minor Parole and Probation Violations, Report Finds
Megan Quattlebaum, director of The Council of State Governments Justice Center, said that “many states have made recidivism reduction a public safety priority, but the harsh reality is that supervision fails nearly as often as it succeeds.”
Nevada Passes Justice Reinvestment Bill Aimed at Addressing Behavioral Health Needs and Reducing Recidivism
In June, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed Assembly Bill 236, a Justice Reinvestment bill that aims to rebalance the use of criminal justice resources and invest in strategies that reduce recidivism, support law enforcement, and expand access to behavioral health services. The legislation will avert an estimated 63 percent of projected growth in the prison population over the next decade, saving taxpayers $543 million.
Miami County Is ‘Stepping Up’
The Miami County Jail kicked off their involvement in the Stepping Up Initiative—a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails—on June 19, joining over 45 other Ohio counties.