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A Message from the Director: Highlights from 2018
I arrived at the CSG Justice Center aware that the field of criminal justice has changed dramatically since our inception in 2007. As we entered our second decade, I felt that we first needed to be sure we understand who we are, what we stand for, and how we fit into this growing field. -
Infographic: States Deliver Results (2018)
Using data from Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, this infographic highlights three-year reincarceration rates as reported by state corrections agencies. -
Reentry Matters: Second Chance Act 10th Anniversary Edition
Featuring 21 stories from programs across 19 states, Reentry Matters profiles the impact of Second Chance Act grant-funded programs through both the practitioners who run them and the people who are impacted by them. -
New Web Tool Provides Look at Often-Overlooked Legal, Regulatory Restrictions Against People who have Criminal Convictions
The new National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction resource compiles thousands of state and federal statutes into a searchable database. -
Infographic: The Importance of Implementing Risk and Needs Assessments Successfully
This infographic explains the urgent need for corrections agencies to examine how they administer risk and needs assessments, so they can confidently rely upon the results and avoid the pitfalls of poor implementation.
A Message from the Director: Highlights from 2018
Recent CSG Justice Center Posts
President Trump Signs Legislation to Fund the Federal Government for Fiscal Year 2019
President Trump signed the omnibus fiscal year (FY) 2019 spending bill, which provides $30.9 billion for the U.S. Department of Justice and includes $3.02 billion for various state and local law enforcement assistance grant programs.
Berkeley Study Shines Light on the Pressures of Being a Corrections Officer
It’s widely known that jails and prisons can be violent and stressful places to work. But the well-being of corrections officers has rarely been the subject of formal study.
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Appointed to Lead National Criminal Justice Board
Michael P. Boggs, a Georgia Supreme Court justice, has been appointed chair of The Council of State Governments Justice Center’s Advisory Board.
Pennsylvania Dramatically Lowers State Prison Population in the Wake of Policy Changes
In 2018, Pennsylvania’s state prison population decreased by more than a thousand people, or 2.2 percent, which is the largest recorded year-over-year decrease in the state’s history. The drop is due to decreases in admissions to prison for both new crimes and parole revocations.
North Dakota Governor Lauds Behavioral Health Program in State of the State Speech
On January 3, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum delivered his State of the State address, highlighting progress on a number of fronts, including efforts to combat the state’s behavioral health crisis.
In Wisconsin, First-of-its-Kind Facility Prepares People Inside Prison for Employment
In November 2018, WI DOC’s Oakhill Correctional Institution (OCI) opened an in-house job center to help people who are incarcerated prepare for employment after they reenter the community.
Highlights
- 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
- Reentry Essentials: Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults
Announcements
Apply Now: Second Chance Act Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children
This program provides funding to promote and expand services for incarcerated parents and their minor children younger than 18, and provide services to children of incarcerated parents gain more access to services that support their needs.
Apply Now: Research and Evaluation on Promising Reentry Initiatives Program
The program provides funding for rigorous research to examine initiatives that incorporate promising practices, strategies, or programs to reduce recidivism.
Register for Webinar: Family Reentry Meetings and Family Transition Meetings for Juveniles and Adults
This webinar will discuss how those returning home from incarceration can arrange to meet with family members to both reconcile their relationships and to develop a detailed plan for their reentry.
WEBINARS
2018 JMHCP Category 1 Grantee Orientation
In this webinar, CSG Justice Center staff explain the training and technical assistance opportunities and resources available to FY18 JMHCP grantees.
2018 JMHCP Grantee Orientation
In this webinar, CSG Justice Center staff explain the training and technical assistance opportunities and resources available to grantees, and staff from the Bureau of Justice Assistance provide an overview of the post-award grant management requirements.
Enhancing Program Success and Sustainability for Women in the Justice System: Targeting System Change Strategies
Featuring Becki Ney of the National Resource Center on Justice-Involved Women, this webinar covers system-level strategies to maximize outcomes for women in the criminal justice system and ensure the sustainability of gender-responsive services.
2018 Second Chance Act Orientation for Adult Reentry and Employment Strategic Planning Grant Program
During this webinar, recipients of 2018 Second Chance Act (SCA) Adult Reentry and Employment Strategic Planning grants received information on the requirements and deliverables of the program. Specifically, grantees learned how they will develop a strategic plan that is comprehensive, collaborative, and multisystemic in its approach to increase economic mobility and reduce recidivism for people returning to the community from incarceration.
2018 Second Chance Act Orientation for the Community-Based Adult Reentry Program: Category 2
During this webinar, grantees received information about the grant program, including steps for getting the program started, submission of the Planning and Implementation Guide, and Bureau of Justice Assistance expectations.
PUBLICATIONS
Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment in Oregon: Fourth Presentation
The fourth and final presentation to Oregon’s Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment Steering Committee provides an overview of the project’s Medicaid and State Hospital analysis results from a criminal justice and health data match.
Justice Reinvestment in New Mexico: Second Presentation
The second presentation to the New Mexico Justice Reinvestment Working Group summarizes findings and policy options related to reducing crime and supporting victims of crime, community supervision, and reincarceration rates.
In Focus: Collecting and Analyzing Baseline Data
This brief focuses on how counties can collect and analyze baseline data on the prevalence of people in their jails who have serious mental illnesses.
Self-Assessment for Employment-Focused Reentry Programs
This self-assessment from the National Reentry Resource Center helps programs gauge their capacity to provide integrated reentry and employment interventions, including work readiness, to people with varying risks and needs.
Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment in Oregon: Third Presentation
The third presentation to Oregon’s Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment Steering Committee helped guide discussion about building upon the project framework to improve individual and system outcomes for people cycling through Oregon’s criminal justice and health systems.
JUSTICE CENTER IN THE NEWS
Stepping Up Initiative Kicks off in Champaign County
Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton is the project director for the Ohio Stepping Up initiative. Instead of addressing mental illness in jails on a county-by-county basis, Stratton said, Ohio is tackling the problem on a statewide basis. Including Champaign County, there are currently 45 counties in Ohio participating in the initiative.
Louisiana Corrections Building on Successful Efforts to Reduce Recidivism Rate of Former Inmates
From 2004 to 2014, the rate in Louisiana of people who returned to prison within three years of their release decreased by 12 percent, according to a national justice organization’s November report on prisoners affected by Second Chance Act programs. The report shows that almost 39 of every 100 such former inmates in Louisiana returned to prison within a three year window in 2004, but in 2014, 34 per 100 did.
St. Paul Police Expanding New Mental Health Unit
Like law enforcement agencies everywhere, the St. Paul Police Department gets a lot of calls for mental health crises, which take a lot of officers’ time and cost a lot of money. So far this year, Ramsey County dispatchers have handled almost 6,000 calls involving mental health. That’s about 2 percent of incoming 911 calls.
How the Stepping Up Initiative Is Combatting the Mental Healthcare Crisis in Jails
Since joining Stepping Up, both Douglas and Champaign counties in Kansas have implemented mental health screenings in jail to get beyond guesswork and make more informed decisions about the strategies needed to have a measurable impact on the number of people with mental illnesses in their jails. Both counties were also named Stepping Up Innovator Counties for their recent efforts to accurately identify people with serious mental illnesses and collect related data.
Key Missouri Departments Are Working Toward a Turn-Around of State’s Incarceration Rates
State directors and staff in the fields of public safety, mental health, social services, and corrections are rolling out implementations of the state Justice Reinvestment Initiative. It aims to turn around Missouri’s rising incarceration rates by investing in treatment and other services rather than in prisons.
Jailing People with Mental Illness Is a National Problem. The Solutions Are Local.
Throughout the country, in places as diverse as Tucson, Miami, and Milwaukee, people are finding ways to get those with diseases such as schizophrenia, PTSD, and bipolar disorder the help they need rather than locking them up. Common among all approaches is a willingness to address the problem across systems—from the courtroom to the jail to treatment and housing.