New Smart Supervision Resident Analyst Program to Increase Supervision Agencies’ Data Analysis Capacity

January 17, 2025, update: We would like to announce that we have chosen Tarrant County, Texas, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to receive a resident supervision analyst embedded in their agency as part of the Smart Supervision Resident Analyst (SSRA) program. We selected these sites through a competitive application process that attracted nearly 60 applicants. We would like to thank everyone who applied to participate in the SSRA program.

************* This application deadline has passed.**************

Parole and probation leaders routinely make important public safety decisions using the best information available to them in the moment. They also develop long-term plans to improve agency operations and supervision outcomes, as well as require sufficient funding to support staffing and other critical resources. Ideally, leaders would have actionable data readily available to them when they need it most. However, many agencies encounter significant challenges related to procuring accurate, consistent, and timely data, often grappling with outdated systems and inadequate tools. Additionally, supervision agencies are currently struggling with a staffing crisis that impacts not only officers and line staff but also research and analysis units.

In response to these issues, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance are embarking on the next iteration of the Resident Corrections Analyst initiative by taking it to community supervision. The Resident Corrections Analyst initiative embeds analysts in departments of corrections. This next iteration will support two county- or state-level community supervision agencies to participate in the Smart Supervision Resident Analyst (SSRA) program. This work is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, through the FY22 Smart Supervision: Grants, Tools, and Technical Assistance to Facilitate Change program.

SSRA will embed an experienced data analyst full-time for one year in participating agencies at no cost. This resident supervision analyst will be supported by ongoing mentorship and guidance from CSG Justice Center experts to ensure placement agencies have access to a wide range of technical skills and expert guidance on how to translate data for a supervision environment.

SSRA is open to all supervision agencies (i.e., Tribal, state, and county probation and pretrial supervision offices, as well as probation and parole agencies located within and outside of departments of corrections).

This project was supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GK-03717-MUMU awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.