School Safety Plans: A Snapshot of Legislative Action

A new checklist helps jails and prisons prepare people for reentry, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Democrats passed a $3 trillion relief package on Friday that features a number of items related to criminal justice, including more than $1 billion in additional spending to address coronavirus outbreaks in prisons and sweeping changes for how incarcerated people are managed during the pandemic.

As local leaders seek funding for programs and initiatives that reduce criminal justice system involvement among people with behavioral health needs, one resource they can tap into is the State Administering Agency (SAA).

Financing the Future of Local Initiatives, a new set of tools from The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, was developed as part of the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge and walks counties through the planning process for sustainability and scaling. We recently piloted the tools in Lake County, Illinois.

The CSG Justice Center is committed to using our energy and influence to oppose racism and racial bias and support our nation’s justice systems to live up to their highest ideals.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center applauds the bipartisan introduction of a new bill on Thursday that would fix a U.S. Small Business Administration rule restricting or disqualifying some people with criminal records from accessing emergency funding designed to assist small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.