In September, CSG Justice Center staff continued to socialize the guidelines and engage key partners in the field, conduct calls for technical assistance (TA) requests, provide TA to select states, conduct a presentation at the International Community Justice Association (ICJA) conference in Louisville, KY, conduct a webinar for the Community Supervision Resource Center (CSRC), develop and submit a proposal for the 2025 American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) Winter Conference, and further identify project next steps.
CSG Justice Center staff met with the Deputy Commissioner of Field Services for Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) to discuss the upcoming request for proposal (RFP) vendor presentations.
CSG Justice Center staff also held follow-up calls with members of the Montana Department of Corrections (MT DOC) to discuss their self-assessment tool results and TA priorities. The project team will submit a formal TA request to BJA next month to begin the TA process.
The project team created a Microsoft booking page to streamline the scheduling of TA requests. CSG Justice Center Communications staff updated all promotional materials to include the new booking page, and the project team ensured alignment with both the TA request form and the self-assessment tool. As a result, the project team held two TA request calls with leaders from MBI Health Services in Washington, D.C., and a representative from Youth Recovery Connections in Hollister, CA, to assess their potential fit for TA. Follow-up calls will be scheduled for October.
On September 26, staff from the CSG Justice Center, along with the Deputy Commissioner of Field Services (MPS) and the lead writer of the National Guidelines and President of Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), conducted a virtual webinar on behalf of the Community Supervision Resource Center (CSRC). The webinar addressed common challenges, solutions, and areas for improvement in risk and needs assessment instruments and processes. It also highlighted the benefits of adhering to national guidelines and shared key findings from the supplementary self-assessment tool. Additionally, participants gained insight into priority areas for states currently receiving TA.
Technical Assistance (TA) States:
Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS)
Due to scheduling difficulties, the project team continues to work with MPS to schedule outstanding focus group meetings with 3 jurisdictions, which will include line-level probation officers and discussion centered on the strengths and limitations of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) instrument, along with the challenges associated with administering the assessment and implementing the results through case planning. The new expectation is to postpone these efforts until after the RFP vendor presentations. The project team will coordinate with MPS in October to solidify scheduling for both the focus group meetings and the working group meeting.
Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC), Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties (MACCAC), and Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO)
CSG Justice Center staff participated in Minnesota's Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) virtual meeting alongside representatives from the MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. During the meeting, each working group provided updates on their projects and outlined next steps. The CSAC also elected two co-chairs representing MACCAC and MACPO, reviewed the schedule for presenting and voting on recommendations, received an update from the DOC Commissioner on the intensive supervised release (ISR) recommendation, and voted on a recommendation from the Domestic Violence Steering Committee regarding reunification principles. At the next meeting, subcommittees are scheduled to present recommendations on multiple deliverables including recommendations for assessment-driven case planning and the use and validation of risk and needs assessment instruments.
CSG Justice Center staff finalized JRI Phase II subaward funding documents, including funding for the validation of the LS/CMI instrument and master trainer training to support ongoing quality assurance efforts for the LS/CMI instrument. In the future, subaward documents will be submitted to BJA for review and, upon approval, a contract will be executed with the MN DOC.
New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC)
In September, CSG Justice Center staff communicated to NJ DOC that all TA initiatives will be paused indefinitely with NJ DOC until the statewide hiring freeze is lifted, and NJ DOC is able to restart its work. CSG Justice Center staff will redirect resources to other states requesting TA. An official formal request was sent to BJA in early September for approval. The NJ DOC team notified CSG Justice Center staff that some progress has taken place, for which they will be providing updates in October, and have offered to provide periodic updates.
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