Maintaining safe and secure communities is one of the most important functions of county governments. Effective collaboration between the county, the local court system, justice system partners and community-based organizations can increase public safety, improve communities and make it easier for people to access the services and supports they need to thrive.

NACo and its partners at Rulo Strategies and Praxis Consulting, with funding from the State Justice Institute, invite you to apply to join the Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration initiative. The initiative is designed to support court and county leaders as they partner to establish local strategic priorities and align resources to achieve their justice and public safety goals.

The Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration initiative will support up to 10 counties with an interest in working together to achieve better outcomes, enhance justice systems and improve public safety. More specifically, this is an opportunity for counties, courts and justice system partners to identify and prioritize local needs, consider evidence-based approaches (e.g., policies, practices, programs) to address these challenges and develop strategies and align resources for bringing about system improvements. The initiative will provide opportunities to:

• Establish a collaborative and sustainable relationship between county leaders, judges and justice stakeholders
• Participate in a structured and facilitated process of identifying gaps and prioritizing strategies and solutions to address key local justice issues
• Learn from subject-matter experts and peers from other jurisdictions about evidence-based approaches and other innovative strategies; and
• Learn about how ARP dollars and other federal funding can be leveraged to increase access to justice, reduce the number of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders involved in the justice system, enhance community trust and reduce reliance on incarceration.

At the conclusion of the initiative, participating counties will have a written implementation plan addressing their top justice-related priorities.

Participating counties will receive expert facilitation and technical assistance over the course of the project at no cost to them. We anticipate each county will use the expertise and assistance offered through this initiative in different ways based on their unique needs. There is no direct funding offered to sites selected through this opportunity.

The Application for this project is closed. To learn more about the selected sites, click the links below: 

NACo Launches Convening County, Court and Justice Leaders Initiative with Five Sites

NACo Selects Second Round of Convening County, Court and Justice Leaders Applicants!