Treatment courts implement community-based treatment and rigorous monitoring to help individuals and to reduce recidivism and incarceration. To help establish treatment courts, the Center for Court Innovation, which developed New York City’s first drug court and New York’s first mental health court, manage the program Treatment Courts Online, The National Training System for Treatment Court Practitioners (treatmentcourts.org).
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is now accepting nominations for the Congressional Badge of Bravery, which honors federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who have shown exceptional bravery in the line of duty. Annually, the U.S. Attorney General awards the medals, and the recipients’ Congressional representatives present the awards.
“To meet the definition of an act of bravery, nominees for the Congressional Badge of Bravery must have either:
Criminal justice professionals engaged in today’s national debate about criminal justice reform can learn from past efforts at collaboration. In 2019, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill saw a need for prosecutors and police chiefs to have candid conversations and really listen to each other when making policy decisions.
Join CNA and its partners (Arizona State University, and Justice and Security Strategies) for a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Policy and Implementation Program (PIP) webinar. “Implementing BWC Technology in a Small Agency” will take place on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET.
Join the National White Collar Crime Center for their webinar “NDCAC Resources for Law Enforcement in the Digital Age” on December 15, 2020 at 1:00–2:15 p.m. ET. The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Domestic Communications Assistance Center (NDCAC) aims to help law enforcement agencies find and use resources to address the challenges of advanced communications services and technologies.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recently released the Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims (ELERV) Strategy, 2nd Edition. The guide offers a customizable approach to victim response and is designed for all law enforcement staff in various sizes of agencies. ELERV outlines the benefits and challenges of adopting victim-centered, trauma-informed philosophies and practices as well as ways to successfully implement them. Some highlighted resources include:
SAMHSA’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, which is run through Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), is convening four topical Communities of Practice (CoPs) to work intensively with select communities on the following topics:
The National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), established in 2017, provides federal support through the U.S. Department of Justice to tribal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors to help reduce violent crime. PSP sites participate in a three-year program and receive tailored support and training and technical assistance opportunities. PSP recently released their annual report highlighting 21 sites participating in the program, 5 of which graduated from the program and 10 of which were added to the program in 2019.
As part of National Native American Heritage month, we’re highlighting the work of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI), who provides training and technical assistance to tribal communities. One of their grant programs, under the Bureau of Justice Assistance, is to provide training and technical assistance to Tribal Healing to Wellness (Drug) Courts.
The Institute for Intergovernmental Research, with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, issued a solicitation to support state, local, and tribal governments in buying equipment necessary for drug take backs and disposals of unused drugs from law enforcement, first responders, and/or citizens. To complement National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, this funding opportunity allows communities to expand this initiative all year round.