Centering Lived Expertise: Elevating People Impacted by the Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Systems

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the U.S Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance 

People with lived expertise in the criminal justice and behavioral health systems bring a unique perspective through their firsthand knowledge, which can help counties implement more effective responses to people with behavioral health needs in the justice system. Despite the understood importance of including these voices, counties struggle to meaningfully engage people with lived expertise in this work.  

This webinar serves as a companion to the brief, “Centering Lived Expertise: How to Meaningfully Elevate the Voices of People Directly Impacted by the Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Systems,” and will cover the continuum of different types of engagement, outline steps for how counties can set the stage for meaningful engagement, and provide a brief look at how the CSG Justice Center put these principles into action through forming a lived experience advisory panel (LEAP).  

The session will feature a community engagement expert as well as panelists from York County, Pennsylvania, and their Community Advisory Board, who will provide an in-depth look at what meaningful engagement involves at the county level and discuss the wins they achieved and the challenges they still face. 

Speakers: 

• Becky Lockner, Chair, York County Community Advisory Board (presenter/panelist) 
• Katherine Gruver, County of York, Certified Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator (CIT) and Mental Health Boundary Spanner, Trauma Informed Care Certified Instructor (presenter/panelist) 
• Orleny Rojas, Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy (presenter/facilitator) 
• Kate Reed, Project Manager, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center (presenter/facilitator) 
• Megan Davidson, Program Director, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center (presenter/facilitator)