TTA Today Blog

Welcome to BJA NTTAC's TTA Today blog! TTA Today posts tell the story of training and technical assistance (TTA) engagements through individual perspectives, including those of DOJ and BJA leaders, staff, technical assistance providers, subject matter experts, community members, and other relevant stakeholders. These posts serve as an informal venue to share relevant updates or best practices from the criminal justice community, as well as to feature first-hand accounts of how TTA impacts state, local, and tribal communities across the nation.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Ensuring Effectiveness of the Prosecution Function through Assessment and Best Practices

April 11, 2019

By Christina Mariscal, Deputy Project Director, and India Hall, Training and Technical Assistance Team Lead, Bureau of Justice Assistance National Training and Technical Assistance Center

Prosecutors play a critical role in the criminal justice process by serving as representatives of the federal, state, or local government in adjudicating criminal offenses. Like other components of the criminal justice system, prosecutors pursue justice with the best interests of public safety in mind. Discretion allows prosecutors to determine the appropriate legal response to each case brought before them, which involves reviewing the charges against an individual arrested by the police or deciding whether an individual should be charged with an offense. With this discretion comes great responsibility and high expectations from numerous stakeholders, including the public.

The National Community Courts Program: Training and Technical Assistance to Address Local Criminal Justice Challenges

March 18, 2019

By Julius Lang, Senior Advisor, and Emily Gold LaGratta, Director of Procedural Justice Initiatives and Deputy Director of Technical Assistance, Center for Court Innovation

Overview

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in collaboration with the Center for Court Innovation, administers the National Community Courts Program under BJA’s larger Problem-Solving Justice Initiative. Community courts are neighborhood-focused court programs that combine the power of the community and the justice system to address local problems.

Support for Criminal Justice Agencies through the Technology Initiatives Assessment Training and Technical Assistance Program

March 11, 2019

Across the United States, criminal justice agencies have adopted various types of technology-based tools and processes to support crime prevention, law enforcement, and other aspects of the justice system. This technology adoption has included the use of hard technology, such as closed-circuit television cameras, computers in squad cars, and body-worn cameras, as well as soft technology, such as risk assessment instruments and crime mapping. However, a recent National Institute of Justice study revealed that the capacity for identifying, acquiring, and using technology tools varies both within and across justice agencies, and many jurisdictions still lack a guiding strategy for technology adoption.

Recognizing the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness with Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities and Resources

January 07, 2019

By Abbe Horswill, Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, Bureau of Justice Assistance National Training and Technical Assistance Center

Puddles, Morse code, and milk. We celebrate them each year on January 11, yet while we are splashing our friends with puddles, learning to spell our names in Morse code, and commemorating the day when milk was first delivered in sterilized glass bottles, we are also called to acknowledge an important issue impacting thousands of people across every country: human trafficking. The U.S. Senate established the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness by a Senate resolution in 2007 to raise awareness and opposition to human trafficking.

The Violence Reduction Response Center: A Comprehensive Source of U.S. Department of Justice Violent Crime Reduction Information, Resources, and Assistance

December 03, 2018

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) offers a wide array of violence reduction information and resources to criminal justice agencies, policymakers, and practitioners, yet many agencies in need of assistance may struggle with navigating available resources and determining the appropriate DOJ points of contact for specific topics. In June 2018, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) launched the DOJ Violence Reduction Response Center (VRRC) to connect state, local, and tribal justice agencies, victims’ groups, and others with crime reduction training and technical assistance (TTA) resources offered by DOJ.

The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program Resource Center to Assist Communities in Response to the Opioid Epidemic

November 26, 2018

By Tara Kunkel, Senior Drug Policy Advisor and Visiting Fellow, Bureau of Justice Assistance

According to provisional counts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses – including illicit drugs and prescription opioids – killed more than 72,000 Americans in 2017, a 2-fold increase in 10 years. The devastating impact of the opioid epidemic is felt not just in families, over the loss of lives, but in law enforcement, health care, schools, and virtually every other segment of society. Responding to this epidemic is one of the U.S. Department of Justice’s top priorities.

The Public Safety Risk Assessment Clearinghouse – A One-stop Online Resource for Practitioners, Researchers, and Policymakers

October 25, 2018

By the Public Safety Risk Assessment Clearinghouse Team, The Urban Institute

Criminal justice agencies use risk assessments to assist with the allocation of limited resources to manage and rehabilitate people at various stages of the criminal justice system: from judges using risk assessment to inform decisions about pretrial detention or release, to probation officers using it to calibrate the intensity of supervision and guide assignment to rehabilitative programming. The increasingly widespread and diverse use of risk assessment has given rise to a varied and dispersed body of commentary, research, and best practice guidance.

Serving Safely – A Program for Enhancing Collaborative Police Responses to People with Mental Illness and Developmental Disabilities

October 11, 2018

A disproportionate number of people who interact with the criminal justice system are persons with mental health disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities, often prompting specialized responses from law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.

Advances in Crime Reduction: Establishing Strategic Decision Support Centers in Chicago, Illinois

October 03, 2018

Background

In 2016, the city of Chicago, Illinois experienced 768 homicides, representing a nearly 60 percent increase from the previous year. With the recent dramatic increase in violent crime – particularly homicides committed with firearms – Superintendent of Police Eddie Johnson and city leaders recognized the need to enhance their crimefighting strategy.

Assessment

Assessing and Expanding Reentry Services and Resources in Erie County, New York

August 30, 2018

Background

Since 2011, Erie County, New York has experienced a 15 percent decrease in total arrests, part of an overall reduction in violent crime arrest and sentencing rates. However, Erie County officials noticed that its reentry population – defined as adults returning from federal, state, and local correctional agencies – experienced a dramatic increase in parole revocations.

Search form

TTA Today Blog

Pages