Administrators

This is the first in a series of webinars presented by the Vera Institute of Justice’s Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative. The purpose of the series is to highlight reforms to segregated housing (also referred to as restrictive housing or solitary confinement) being implemented by corrections agencies across the country. 

The Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP), in cooperation with the Michigan Judicial Institute (MJI), is pleased to host a two day conference designed to meet the educational needs of anyone who works within the justice system and deals with defendants engaged in drug and alcohol abuse. Whether or not your jurisdiction has a drug treatment court, veteran's treatment court or mental health court, this conference will enhance your skills in dealing with the needs of substance abusing defendants/clients. This year, the conference will feature a Tribal Track, hosted by the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, including workshops on Enablement Prevention, Incorporating Culture and Tradition, and Confidentiality.

This webinar will describe in detail the reasons for the extraordinarily successful police/community trust initiative in Watts, California. Specifically: why the police were bought in; why the community was bought in; what resources it took to sustain the effort; and requisite structural changes, e.g. in police training and evaluation. The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice will focus on the community perspective.

We are plagued with stories about police corruption, poor tactics, excessive use of force and as such public outcry for change is louder than ever. As a result, many agencies have attempted quick fixes (e.g., increased accountability, de-escalation classes, cameras) that have not solved the problem. Additionally, there continues to be a debate about if officers should be warrior or guardians and these conversations tend to create division and foster extreme response options that perpetuate officer imbalance.