This month, the Bureau of Justice Assistance released a brief on the Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site program developed by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center that offers national resources to law enforcement and behavioral health agencies seeking to tailor response models and implementation strategies to their individual community’s needs. Comprising sheriffs’ offices, metropolitan police departments, rural justice and mental health coalitions, and university police departments, the fourteen learning sites deliver customized training and technical assistance to local agencies on how to improve community responses to the development and implementation of local programming. The brief shares additional information on the program’s features, a link to access more resources, as well as a list of the fourteen learning sites and their individual services.
This month, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) released its annual report celebrating their 60-year anniversary and library of work to transform justice systems, end overcriminalization, and reduce mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty. Supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2020 Second Chance Act Training and Technical Assistance Program, the report shares the incredible strides made among local housing authorities across 17 states to remove restrictions that prevent incarcerated people from obtaining housing through Vera’s Opening Doors to Public Housing Initiative. The annual report also shares its history, heartfelt memoriam for Vera’s late founder - Herb Sturz, a collection of articles on issues addressed this year, and 2021 financial information.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance released a "Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) Compliance Guide" this month to offer support to PIECP certification holders. First instituted in 1979, the PIECP encourages state and local governments to create work opportunities in prisons that aim to place justice-involved individuals in real-world environments that encourage meaningful employment opportunities upon release. This guide shares certification and Cost Accounting Center designation requirements, definitions for key terms, document retention procedures, and certification compliance guidance on prevailing wage/displacement, non-displacement, benefits, deductions, voluntary participation, consultations, and conformity to the National Environmental Policy Act.
In October, the Council of State Governments Justice Center released “Action Points: Four Steps to Expand Access to Housing for People in the Justice System with Behavioral Health Needs.” According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, affordable housing is scarce nationwide and especially among people who have been involved in the justice system or disproportionately face additional societal or systemic barriers including Black and Latinx communities. This brief offers four steps that state leaders can take to increase access to housing and improve justice health outcomes to underserved populations through greater collaboration, assessments, connection, and expansion efforts within our communities.
Last month, the Bureau of Justice Assistance released the “Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Auditors: Information and Resources” factsheet. The National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape (Standards) established a PREA audit that is designed to assess compliance through written policies and procedures followed by institutionalization into day-to-day practices at all levels. PREA auditors are responsible for conducting high quality, reliable, objective, and comprehensive audits that hold agencies accountable. This factsheet shares goals for successful implementation of PREA Standards such as upholding a high standard of independence and integrity and expecting corrective action.
This past November, the Council of State Governments Justice Center in collaboration with the National Police Foundation published “Creating Buy-In: Best Practices for Collaborating with Referral Sources for Crisis Stabilization Units.” Crisis stabilization units (CSU) provide law enforcement officers and mobile crisis teams a safe space to bring individuals during a behavioral health crisis. Buy-in from referral sources, particularly law enforcement agencies, is crucial to ensuring that people are suitably connected to the appropriate CSU. This brief offers three best practices for most effective collaboration with referral sources by understanding the landscape, fostering effective partnerships, and being flexible to ensure success.
Last month, the National Institute of Justice released a knowledge-sharing brief by the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on the use of rapid toxicology screening tools in lieu of comprehensive, confirmatory investigations. According to the U.S. Drug Administration, the average turnaround time for traditional toxicology testing can last up to 31 days. However, contingent on case complexities, systemic issues, rising caseloads, and other unforeseen circumstances, delays often occur. To remedy these growing concerns, offices with larger caseloads have started investigating the use of in-house toxicology screening tools. This brief weighs the benefits, opportunities, realities, limitations, and reliability of rapid in-house toxicology tools in medical examiner/coroner offices.
In September, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released an analysis conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) Infant Abductions Program. Often, the most challenging task at hand upon the receipt of a missing child report is identifying the key factors surrounding the case. This crucial assessment of the initial facts will determine what actions the responding law enforcement agency will perform. Based on an analysis of 334 cases of infant abduction that occurred from 1964 through September 2021, this report helps narrow the focus by listing 10 characteristics of “typical” infant abductors, with four additional characteristics of an abductor who abducts from the home. The report also offers a graph demonstrating trends in infant abductions by year using demographic data as well as an additional section on frequently asked questions.
In October, the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office on Violence Against Women hosted the webinar, “Understanding the Effects of the Pandemic for Domestic Violence Victims.” This webinar shares the investigations, data analysis, and accounts of researchers, victim-service professionals, and federal government representatives working with domestic violence survivors through the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations offer an analysis of domestic violence calls, the inequities faced by underserved populations, and the innovative service provider responses to the unique challenges faced this past year.
In accordance with the Crime Victims with Disabilities Awareness Act, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released this month a report on the violent victimization rates of persons with and without disabilities using 2008-2019 National Crime Victimization Survey data. In 2019, the rate of violent victimization to persons with disabilities was nearly four times the rate of persons without disabilities. This report describes types of disabilities, crime characteristics, victim characteristics, and provides rates of nonfatal violent crime victimization including rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault against persons with and without disabilities.