Ripening States and Projects
Monthly Updates:
In July, CSG Justice Center staff remained focused on general ripening activities related to planning for follow-up engagements that will build on connections made at the National Summit to Advance States' Criminal Justice Priorities in December 2023. In July, CSG Justice Center staff conducted follow-up outreach to the 670 recipients of the mailed hard copies of data snapshots that were originally created and distributed at the National Summit to a comprehensive contact list of legislative and gubernatorial leaders in all 50 states. To date, we have held conversations with 110 recipients.
In July, the CSG Justice Center team continued providing information on JRI to state leaders and stakeholders in West Virginia. The CSG Justice Center team continues to engage with stakeholders to submit a data use agreement (DUA) to state agencies in West Virginia. This agreement aims to understand trends related to how long individuals are incarcerated in West Virginia jails and prisons, as well as how the population on community supervision may be contributing to admissions. The team is requesting case-level jail, prison, and parole data from the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR). Additionally, the team seeks to understand how the courts are processing and sentencing individuals who are either incarcerated in West Virginia's prisons or jails or who are on community supervision, and how those decisions may be contributing to jail or prison overcrowding.
The CSG Justice Center team worked with representatives from all three levels of West Virginia's state government and agencies, to identify dates for a team site visit in August to drive conversations and continued support around JRI with stakeholders. CSG Justice Center staff continued to meet with representatives of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, courts, and other key public safety and behavioral health officials to continue assessing a commitment to engage in the JRI process. We engaged with stakeholders to identify members to be a part of the working group, spearheading the continued engagement to result in legislative and or administrative recommendations to West Virginia's Justice system.
The CSG Justice Center team will continue to call and email legislators and stakeholders to drive conversations around JRI, including discussing the development of data snapshots and how they can be used as a tool when discussing criminal justice reform.
JAC States and Projects
Monthly Updates:
In July, CSG Justice Center staff received the signed DUA from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC). With the approval, CSG Justice Center staff subsequently received 120 data sets to begin processing and cleaning for analysis. Additionally, the project was granted a no-cost extension from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), extending the deadline to November 30, 2024. With the extension in place, CSG Justice Center staff connected with DAC staff to brainstorm options for a legislative outreach plan and identify key stakeholders to connect with on a future site visit. CSG Justice Center staff conducted three virtual focus groups with representatives from North Carolina's DAC leadership, Probation and Parole, and Judicial branch leadership to gather additional information on JRA policies and practices. CSG Justice Center staff compiled notes from these focus groups in a summary report identifying common themes and trends.
In Nebraska, the CSG Justice Center maintained ongoing communication with stakeholders to ensure transparency, collaboration, and successful implementation. CSG Justice Center staff also planned and finalized a site visit for August 19-22, which will include observing parole officer interactions with clients and meetings with supervising officers. On July 18, oversight of parole supervision officially transitioned from the Nebraska Board of Parole (NBOP) to the Nebraska Department of Corrections (NDCS). Parole supervision is now referred to as the Community Supervision Services (CSS) unit within NDCS. The director of parole under NBOP resigned from their position effective on the transition date, and NDCS will be posting for a new position to oversee the CSS unit.
In Nebraska, the CSG Justice Center team held several meetings in July to discuss shared expectations and the importance of measuring the success of the parole board process, addressing several challenges, including Nebraska's policy changes, the implementation of the 5 Key model, and the transition of parole supervision under NDCS. There was a strong emphasis on the need for data integration, risk and needs assessments, and real-time policy recommendations for Nebraska. NDCS is focusing on programming, policy updates, and managing a 12% vacancy rate, while NBOP is working on internal transitions and effective communication with NDCS. Upcoming initiatives, such as NDCS's Reentry 2030 and Recidivz projects, aim to improve data systems for better decision-making in the parole process.
Also, in July, CSG Justice Center staff completed the analysis of data from the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) and continued overseeing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) process between the Hawaii Parole Authority (HPA) and the Criminal Justice Research Institute (CJRI) to obtain HPA data for a September presentation. CSG Justice Center staff participated virtually in the July 22 HCR 23 Task Force meeting to discuss potential legislative recommendations. Throughout the month, CSG Justice Center staff engaged actively with key state stakeholders to review data and discuss task force recommendations.
The team continues to call and email legislators and stakeholders to drive conversations around the JAC, including discussing the development of data snapshots and how they can be used as a tool when discussing criminal justice reform. Based on prior calls and emails with legislators and stakeholders, the team formulated a list of priority states for a more strategic outreach plan dedicated to pursuing JAC-related goals and deliverables.
Please check the box next to the following questions if the answer is 'yes'.
Please enter the applicable Event Date if there is an Event associated with this TTA.
When entering an Event Date, the Time is also required.
If the TTA is targeted to a particular audience or location, please complete the questions below.
Milestones are an element, activity, work product, or key task associated with completing the TTA (e.g. kick-off meeting, collect data from stake holders, deliver initial data analysis).
Please complete the fields below, if applicable, to create a milestone for this TTA.
Please respond to the Performance Metrics below. The Performance Metrics questions are based on the TTA Type indicated in the General Information section of the TTA.
Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
Please call [site:phone] if you need further assistance completing this application.