Four Steps for Using Videoconferencing Technology for Parole Decision-Making

Four Steps for Using Videoconferencing Technology for Parole Decision-Making

Parole agencies must have every tool available to protect fairness, maximize efficiency, maintain integrity, ensure public safety, and incentivize positive behavior change, all at manageable costs to the state. Implementing videoconferencing technology according to the four steps laid out in this brief is an effective way to meet these goals.

Jennifer Kisela, Carl Reynolds, Laura van der Lugt | March 2021 | The Council of State Governments Justice Center

Project Credits

Writing: Jennifer Kisela, Carl Reynolds, Laura van der Lugt, CSG Justice Center

Advising: Portia Allen-Kyle, Grace Beil Call, Marshall Clement, Elizabeth Lyon, CSG Justice Center

Editing: Leslie Griffin, CSG Justice Center

Public Affairs: Brenna Callahan, CSG Justice Center

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


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Deputy Program Director, State Initiatives
Jennifer Kisela assesses aspects of local and state criminal justice systems for adherence to best practices and provides technical assistance to jurisdictions implementing Justice Reinvestment legislation. Jennifer provides content expertise in evidence-based practices, risk and need assessments, changing behavior, programming,
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and quality assurance. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, Jennifer worked as the research and continuous quality improvement administrator at Oriana House, a large community corrections agency in Ohio. In this role, Jennifer implemented and oversaw the training and coaching of staff on the use of effective interventions for people in the criminal justice system. Jennifer has also provided training and coaching services as an independent consultant to community corrections agencies throughout the U.S. Jennifer holds a BA in justice studies from Kent State University and an MA in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.
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    Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, State Initiatives
    Carl Reynolds helps manage and develop projects related to courts, corrections, law enforcement, and sentencing. He works on Justice Reinvestment and other projects where expert legal and policy research is needed. Previously, Carl served as director of the Texas Office
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    of Court Administration. From 1997 to 2005, he was general counsel for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), responsible for prisons, probation, and parole. He also was general counsel to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice—the governing body for TDCJ. Prior to that position, he was the executive director of the Texas Punishment Standards Commission, general counsel to the Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, director of the Senate's redistricting staff, and a briefing attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Carl holds a BA from the University of Cincinnati, an MA from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law. 
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    Deputy Program Director, State Initiatives
    As deputy program director of impact for Justice Counts, Laura leads a team that helps policymakers and criminal justice agency leaders use Justice Counts data to improve criminal justice outcomes as part of the program’s foundational belief that it should
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    be easy for decision-makers across the country to use that data to make informed decisions that advance public safety, equity, and fairness. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Laura was the director of research and innovation at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to that, she worked in the Boston (MA) Police Commissioner’s Office of Research and Development. Laura holds a BA in sociology from Bates College, an MA in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in criminology and justice policy from Northeastern University. 
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