Youth (under 15)

The NV team conducted the following TA in October: Email to NDOC site leads detailing progress on assessment, outlining next steps, and addressing scheduling matters; Phone call to NDOC site lead Duran following up on the 10/17 email detailing progress on assessment, outlining next steps, and addressing scheduling matters; Further follow-up to site leads adding even greater detail about progress on assessment, outlining next steps, and addressing scheduling matters.

The NC team conducted the following implementation TA in October: a phone meeting with DPS staff to check in, learn updates on reform efforts, and provide feedback; Provided (via email) written feedback on a draft memo from DPS, which summarizes some of their recent reforms.

The MN team conducted the following TA in September: outreach by Vera staff to MNDOC via email; Email follow up with MNDOC regarding status of staffing changes, project updates; Phone meeting with Mary McComb, MNDOC liaison to discuss assessment time frame, confer about data analysis, and learn about project updates from MNDOC; Review of MNDOC policy reform documents provided by Mary McComb via email.

The NV team conducted the following TA in September: email communication regarding data validation; video conference meeting with NDOC research staff to address questions about the administrative data and analysis; follow up email related to the 9/7 meeting with research staff, the purpose of which was to frame the questions Vera staff had about data from NDOC; phone call with CO Duran to provide updated information regarding assessment timeline and project deliverables; email to outline data elements and data time frame with NDOC research staff; video conference meeting with NDOC research

The Vera team facilitated a five hour meeting with VADOC leadership -- including Director Harold Clarke -- where we presented preliminary observations and potential strategies for reform to VADOC's Segregation Reduction Committee. The team's observations were based on our five site visits to VADOC facilities to date where we met with VADOC facility staff on all levels (e.g., uniformed officers, programming and treatment staff, executive leadership).

On 9/13/17, the UT team held External Stakeholders WebEx meeting with UDOC leadership -- including Executive Director Rollin Cook, and Director of Prison Operations, Jerry Pope -- along with representatives from Utah's ACLU and Disability Law Center.

In September, the Louisiana team made progress in their data analyses, LADOC policy summaries, and outreach to external stakeholders. The team connected with Vera’s leadership and the internal Reimagining Prison initiative to figure out how Vera can assist the LADOC in repurposing of the cell-blocks at Camp J, a segregation unit, at the Louisiana State Penitentiary that will be closing by early 2018.

In August, Vera clarified site visit logistics with NDOC and learned final important details about the three facilities visited during upcoming site visit. Vera conducted a site visit to High Desert State Prison where the team learned about policies and practices related to segregation, facility operations and population breakdown, and special populations and programs at the facility. Vera also conducted a focus group with staff and a focus group with incarcerated people, and went on a tour of HDSP.

In August, Vera reviewed VADOC’s submission of qualitative and quantitative descriptive data including a data dictionary, disciplinary offense report information, and various other restrictive housing specific documents. The data request focused on four categories of statistical information: average daily population; admissions to segregation; releases from segregation; and disciplinary segregation.

In August, Vera conducted two TA calls with Utah. The first informational phone call with UDC's site lead (Jerry Pope, Director of Prison Operations) focused on rescheduling the upcoming external stakeholder meeting with representatives from Utah's local ACLU and Disability Law Center. The purpose of this planning activity was twofold: 1) to understand how the unique relationship between UDC, ACLU and DLC developed overtime, and 2) to cultivate and promote greater collaboration between all the SAS Initiative sites and their respective external stakeholders.