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Stepping Up Initiative Expands Push for Counties to Collect Data on Number of People in Jails Who Have Mental Illnesses
The Stepping Up initiative recently launched a national effort to help counties collect accurate, accessible data on the number of people entering their jails who have mental illnesses. -
Available Now! 50-State Data on Public Safety Workbooks
Officials from every state contributed to the research effort that culminated in these workbooks, which were developed to provide a framework for discussions that took place at the 50-State Summit on Public Safety held in November 2017 in Washington, DC. -
10-Year Anniversary of the Second Chance Act Celebrated on Capitol Hill
As policymakers continue to focus on the importance of safe and successful reentry among people leaving prisons and jails, a group of national leaders paused recently to reflect on the impact of the Second Chance Act. -
WATCH: Nebraska Gov. Ricketts Connects Face to Face with Corrections Officers and Reentry Program Participants
Since the initiative’s launch late last year, a bipartisan group of 13 governors—7 Republicans, 6 Democrats—have participated in Face to Face events. -
White House Hosts Governors and Business Executives to Discuss Benefits of Hiring People Who Have Criminal Records
The White House, joined by a bipartisan pair of governors, recently led a discussion with businesses executives on the challenges and benefits of hiring people who have criminal records.
Stepping Up Initiative Expands Push for Counties to Collect Data on Number of People in Jails Who Have Mental Illnesses
Recent CSG Justice Center Posts
For the Record: Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance—Episode 2, Esta Bigler
Esta Bigler, the director of the Cornell University Industrial and Labor Relations School’s Labor and Employment Law program, joins For the Record to discuss her work regarding record clearance as a lawyer, which has ranged from creating educational programming to working on a groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court case.
U.S. House Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee recently approved the fiscal year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill on a vote of 32-19. The bill provides $30.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Justice and includes $2.9 billion for various state and local law enforcement assistance grant programs.
Pennsylvania Reinvests Savings to Bolster Local Public Safety Goals
In the past five years, Pennsylvania has saved more than $96 million as a result of justice reinvestment policies and reinvested more than $18 million of those savings in county-based projects to improve public safety outcomes.
Outagamie Mental Health Court Celebrates Six Years of Cross-System Collaboration Benefitting Participants, Community
“Part of the success of this has been an openness to identifying how we can do things differently in our community when it comes to mental health care and the criminal justice system,” said Paula Verrett, a NAMI recovery specialist who has worked directly with the OCMHC since its inception.
Reentry Essentials: Addressing Mental Health Needs among People in the Criminal Justice System
A disproportionate number of people in the nation’s criminal justice system face mental health issues: a Bureau of Justice Statistics report found, for example, that people in U.S. prisons and jails are three to five times more likely to experience serious psychological distress than the general adult population. While there is an overwhelming need to provide effective treatment, challenges exist in quantifying the extent of that need and taking a strategic approach across systems—from law enforcement to community-based reentry services.
Stepping Up Initiative Expands Push for Counties to Collect Data on Number of People in Jails Who Have Mental Illnesses
The Stepping Up initiative recently launched a national effort to help counties collect accurate, accessible data on the number of people entering their jails who have mental illnesses. As part of the effort, seven rural and urban “Innovator Counties” have been selected as models for their expertise in accurately identifying these individuals and consistently collecting data on them.
Highlights
- Colorado Launches Comprehensive Review of Juvenile Justice System
- U.S. Senators Express Support for Vital Justice Programs
- Vermont and Ohio Kick Off State Forums on Public Safety
- Governors Take Action to Launch National Initiative Promoting Connections with People Closest to Correctional System
- Four Tips from Idaho for Overhauling Correctional Programming
Announcements
National Asian Peace Officers’ Association 2018 Annual Training Symposium and Exposition
The National Asian Peace Officers’ Association (NAPOA) annual training symposium and exposition will highlight the founding fathers and the history of NAPOA.
Register for Webinar: Understanding Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in People Involved with the Criminal Justice System
In this webinar Leigh Ann Davis, director of the National Center on Criminal Justice & Disability, will discuss the differences and similarities between various kinds of behavioral health diagnoses and intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), how to identify someone with I/DD, and tips for to work more effectively with people with I/DD in correctional settings.
Addressing the Training Needs of Juvenile Prosecutors
Funding under this grant program can be used by states to develop or supplement existing training and/or professional development that is tailored to the unique needs and challenges related to juvenile prosecution.
WEBINARS
Responding to the 2018 Second Chance Act Innovations in Reentry Initiative Solicitation
During this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Reentry Resource Center explain the Innovations in Reentry Initiative (IRI) and application process.
Juvenile Defenders and Civil Legal Aid Attorneys Collaborating for Record Clearance
This webinar explores ways that juvenile defenders and civil legal aid attorneys can partner to share expertise and provide essential legal representation for youth facing the collateral consequences of having criminal records.
Responding to the 2018 Second Chance Act Improving 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 FY18 Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness application process.
Responding to the 2018 Second Chance Act Adult Reentry and Employment Solicitation
In this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Reentry Resource Center review the new grant program on adult reentry and employment.
How Community-Based Behavioral Health Treatment Providers Can Develop and Implement Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans
This webinar focusses on a community-based behavioral health treatment provider as the lead case planner. The webinar feature the reentry programs of Bridgeway Recovery Services in Salem, Oregon.
PUBLICATIONS
Justice Reinvestment in Wyoming: Overview
This publication outlines criminal justice trends in Wyoming—including crime trends, increases in drug arrests, prison population growth and resulting costs, and revocations from probation or parole—and summarizes the stages involved in using a Justice Reinvestment approach to address criminal justice system challenges.
Strategies to Engage Employers in Conversations about Hiring Applicants with Criminal Records
This tip sheet from the National Reentry Resource Center offers suggestions on how organizations and agencies that provide support to people who have criminal records—including parole and probation agencies, reentry service providers, and educational and occupational training programs—can engage employers in conversations about hiring people who have criminal records, which will help improve the employment outcomes of the people they serve.
Justice Reinvestment in Missouri: Policy Framework
The final report of the CSG Justice Center outlines policy recommendations developed in collaboration with the Missouri Justice Reinvestment Task Force. Among other things, these policies aim to reduce violent crime, increase the availability and effectiveness of community-based treatment for substance addiction and mental illnesses for people in the criminal justice system, and reduce recidivism.
Transforming Juvenile Justice Systems to Improve Public Safety and Youth Outcomes
This publication from the CSG Justice Center and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy provides a roadmap of six innovative strategies that states and localities can follow to make sweeping changes to their juvenile justice systems.
Justice Reinvestment: How States Use Data to Design Innovative Strategies to Reduce Crime, Recidivism, and Costs
State policymakers are grappling with upticks in violent crime, the opioid epidemic, people who have mental illnesses in the justice system, high rates of recidivism, and the high cost of corrections, all while trying to improve services for victims and increase opportunities for people returning to communities from jail and prison. To tackle these issues, more than 25 states have partnered with the CSG Justice Center to use a justice reinvestment approach.
JUSTICE CENTER IN THE NEWS
U.S. County Jails Step Up Mental Health Screening to Keep Inmates from Coming Back
The Champaign County Jail signed onto the Stepping Up Initiative after Deputy Chief Allen Jones realized the majority of the jail’s “frequent flyers,” who landed in jail five or more times a year, had mental health or substance use issues.
Opinion: Juvenile Justice Systems Need to Transform to Have Lasting Impact on Youth Outcomes
To push the field in this direction, The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University partnered last fall to interview nearly 50 researchers, national experts and system leaders from across the juvenile justice continuum to solicit their ideas about how juvenile justice systems could significantly improve outcomes for youth.
Counties Across the Country Participate in National Stepping Up Day of Action
During this Day of Action, county officials are hosting events or participating in local activities to share with constituents the progress made in addressing the prevalence of people who have mental illnesses in jails; raise public awareness and understanding of this important issue; and emphasize their commitment to creating data-driven, systems-level changes to policy and practice to achieve Stepping Up goals.
Colorado Launches Comprehensive Review of Juvenile Justice System
“Kids don’t belong in prison. We know from the data that when children are incarcerated they usually become repeat offenders,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “This data-driven review will help us provide youths the best chance to successfully transition to a crime-free, productive adulthood.”
Diversion Program Would Help Keep Mentally Ill Out of Jail
Nonviolent offenders with mental illness could be diverted away from New Jersey’s mainstream criminal justice system and into a rehabilitation program designed to provide treatment for their psychiatric disorder, under an initiative envisioned by a longtime Democratic Senator that also reflects the goals of a growing national movement.
Unanimous Senate Vote Advances Criminal Justice Reform
The state Senate embraced criminal justice reform this week by unanimously passing three pieces of legislation comprising the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) II reforms.