Criminal Justice Programs

NACo's Criminal Justice Programs provide technical assistance to counties through educational programming on a range of issues addressing local corrections systems from pre-trial services to local re-entry initiatives. Through these grant-supported projects, NACo helps counties find solutions to safely and effectively divert individuals with mental illness from county jails, enhance local re-entry initiatives and create alternatives to unnecessary juvenile detention. These programs are dedicated to assisting counties with exploring opportunities for efficient and effective use of public dollars. To carry out these program activities, NACo is supported by grants from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Justice Management Institute and the Pretrial Justice Institute, the NetWork for Better Futures, and the Public Welfare Foundation.

Pretrial Justice Resource Page

NACo's recently launched pretrial justice resource page contains information and resources for county officials interested in learning more and/or starting a pretrial services program. To access the webpage, click here.

NACo Announces Partnership with Better Futures Enterprises

The National Association of Counties (NACo) and Better Futures

Enterprises, formerly known as The NetWork for Better Futures, have launched a strategic partnership to advance cost-saving, smart justice practices. To learn more about this partnership, please click here.

2013 Smart Justice Symposium

To view all materials from the 2013 Smart Justice Symposium held in Los Angeles County, CA, please click here.

Publications

Training Opportunities

· Webinar on: The Better Futures Model: Improving Employment Opportunities and Outcomes for Justice-Involved Individuals

Each year, 7 million individuals are released from local jails and return to local communities. Assisting with their employment needs can reduce recidivism and ease in the re-entry process. One distinctive model, Better Futures Minnesota, a social enterprise in Minneapolis, Minn., is helping to create jobs, achieve better results and reduce public spending for individuals returning to communities from jail or prison. Learn about this model, how it’s been adopted in Hennepin County, Minn., and how your county can adopt its principles to achieve better outcomes.

· Webinar on: Front-End Justice Reform: The Role of Risk Assessments in Cost-Saving Justice Reform

How can counties safely reduce jail populations and save county taxpayer dollars? During this webinar, learn how counties have successfully developed and implemented risk assessment instruments in the pretrial decision-making process and how risk assessments have made positive impacts on their justice systems. Find out how your county can create and validate a risk assessment instrument tailored to your jurisdiction's needs and discover some best practices counties have used to overcome common implementation barriers. This webinar features presentations from a pretrial services director, a local judge, and an elected county official.

· Webinar on: Supportive Housing: What You Need to Know about Getting Started

Find out how counties are using the Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) supportive housing model to reduce costs and break the cycle of incarceration and homelessness among individuals with behavioral health needs. Use the resources provided during the webinar to identify ways your county can determine whether this supportive housing model is right for you and how to get started.

· Webinar on: Smart Justice Practices for Counties: Effective Behavioral Health Interventions

Recording

County correctional systems are increasingly challenged in their efforts to meet the needs of justice-involved individuals with mental health and substance use issues. However, many counties have implemented strategies that are both cost-effective and offer more appropriate support for these individuals. Learn about promising and successful models for diverting mentally ill individuals into comprehensive crisis care services and supporting the behavioral health needs of ex-offenders reentering the community after incarceration.

· Forum on: Creating Supportive Housing Initiatives in Your County

Presentations

On June 7-8, 2012, NACo held a one and a half day forum which explored how counties can advance supportive housing initiatives for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. The forum highlighted how the Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) model and its three essential pillars – data driven problem solving, policy and systems reform, and targeted housing and services – can help communities break the cycle of incarceration and homelessness among individuals with behavioral health needs.

· Webinar on: Diagnosing Your Criminal Justice System - Identifying Approaches, Issues, and Priorities

Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils enable justice system stakeholders to convene to create system improvements. However, when does one know if a problem needs to be fixed? What data informs these decisions, and what do you do when stakeholders disagree? Learn how to diagnose your system, make use of your data, and overcome challenges.

· Webinar on: Kentucky Justice Reform - Enhancing Public Safety and Improving Performance

Recording

Find out how Kentucky’s data-driven reforms to the state and local justice systems strengthened probation and parole, and reinvested in community intervention resources.

· Webinar on: Linking Justice Involved Individuals with Supportive Housing

Learn how the Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) supportive housing model can help break the cycle of incarceration and homelessness among individuals with behavioral health needs.

Newsletters

Directory of Local Justice Programs

Directory of Local Justice Programs
National Association of Counties (NACo) has developed a directory of innovative local justice efforts that counties nationwide have enacted to yield better outcomes and more efficiently allocate limited resources.

Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils (CJCCs)

As stated in a Justice Management Institute publication, “Local jurisdictions across the country face significant challenges in criminal justice. As states, counties, and cities try to come to grips with significant budget deficits, local-level courts and criminal justice agencies are being forced to slash their budgets and furlough or lay off personnel. There is a strong need for sound local level policies and practices that enable effective use of limited justice system resources, and there are major challenges that must be overcome if public moneys are to be used wisely and effectively in reducing crime and addressing persistent criminal justice issues.” Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils (CJCCs) address these challenges by enabling justice system stakeholders to convene in an effort to create system improvements.

To read the full Justice Management Institute publication, please visit the following page: http://www.jmijustice.org/publications/improving-criminal-justice-system-planning-and-operations-challenges-for-local-governments-and-criminal-justice-coordinating-councils.

To see how some Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils operate, we have highlighted the work done in three counties below (click on each county’s name to learn more about their Criminal Justice Coordinating Council):

County Justice Program Examples

Other Resources

Contact

Meghan Levine
Justice Associate
202.942.4279

Maeghan Gilmore
Program Director
202.942.4261