Ripening States and Projects
Monthly Updates:
In October, the CSG Justice Center 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. The CSG Justice Center staff worked to compile a list of priority states and build out a stakeholder engagement list for future follow-up through the reminder of the year and into 2025.
West Virginia
In October, CSG Justice Center staff planned a site visit to Charleston for November 10-13 to meet with key stakeholders, including the speaker of the house, senate president, and chief counsel to the governor, to discuss and finalize the executive order to form a JRI working group. Emails were sent to these stakeholders to request meetings during the November site visit and we are awaiting a response.
CSG Justice Center staff also met with the chief of staff for the West Virginia attorney general (AG), who is projected to be the next governor, to request a meeting during the upcoming site visit and discuss the state's participation in the project. The AG's staff verified there is no cost to the state for the JRI project, which is encouraging; however, we are still waiting for the AG to confirm their support.
CSG Justice Center staff met with the West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) to discuss the dashboard to track staffing levels between 2022 and 2024 when the National Guard was utilized in regional jails in response to staffing shortages. The dashboard tracks DCR staff recruitment and retention overtime and looks at vacancy and resignation rates as well as the total number of staff.
Missing data was obtained from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and the data review and cleaning process began. Additionally, staff are working with DRC staff to upload jail and prison data and anticipate that prison data will be received first.
CSG Justice Center staff continued reaching out to stakeholders in West Virginia for the November and December site visits.
JAC States and Projects
Monthly Updates:
North Carolina
In October, CSG Justice Center staff finalized the preliminary analysis for both qualitative and quantitative data. CSG Justice Center staff developed a preliminary findings presentation and presented them onsite to North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) stakeholders. Lastly, CSG Justice Center staff started developing the final presentation to be presented in November.
Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) JAC: In October, CSG Justice Center staff began drafting a set of recommendations for NDCS, addressing supervision assessment issues and concerns identified during the August and September site visits. The recommendations will focus on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of parole supervision and ensure agencies align their practices to better support reentry and community supervision outcomes. Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff initiated plans for virtual focus groups with individuals on parole under NDCS Community Supervision Services (CSS).
Nebraska Board of Parole (NBOP) JAC: In October, CSG Justice Center staff initiated plans for virtual focus groups with individuals incarcerated in NDCS facilities and those on parole under NDCS CSS. The focus groups aim to gather insights into parole readiness and reentry experiences. Additionally, the CSG Justice Center staff began drafting a final report with recommendations to enhance communication between NBOP and NDCS, increase NBOP training on NDCS programs, and develop joint policies for special conditions such as transitional housing and electronic monitoring, as well as clearer guidelines for parole plan recommendations.
Hawaii
In October, CSG Justice Center staff worked on the final report summarizing the efforts of the HCR 23 Task Force, developed in collaboration with the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, for submission to the Hawaii Legislature. The report includes key data findings from two primary sources: the Hawaii Paroling Authority's published annual reports and administrative data from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Additionally, the report provides considerations and recommendations to guide the state of Hawaii in enhancing its correctional practices and aligning them with the objectives of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. A project extension was requested and approved by BJA to complete the final report by November 30, 2024.
Further, the CSG Justice Center staff maintained ongoing communication with all relevant stakeholders in Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, and North Carolina to ensure transparency, collaboration, and successful implementation of the ongoing JAC project engagement.
The team continued to call and email legislators and stakeholders to drive conversations around the JAC, including looking to understand the criminal justice system dynamics, the government/political dynamics, the landscape of advocates, and the interplay of the unique relationships of the stakeholders.
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