intellectual disabilities

NCCJD met in person with The Arc of the Capital Area staff who oversee their Family and Juvenile Transition Services. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how NCCJD could support their efforts and promote the chapter's focus on juvenile justice issues among the 650 plus chapter network of The Arc.

NCCJD provide brief remarks at NACDL's national conference in Austin, Texas where NCCJD's National Advisory Committee member Elizabeth Kelley highlighted NCCJD in her plenary presentation and NCCJD fliers were disseminated to among 650 public defenders in attendance.

NCCJD gave a 30-minute presentation on the Pathway to Justice model for FDDC’s criminal justice work group. The purpose of their project is to identify ways Florida’s criminal justice system can more effectively protect the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as victims and suspects.Input from the work group, combined with additional research, will be used to analyze the systemic changes required to protect the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities within the criminal justice setting.

NCCJD staff reviewed Arlington Police Department's Mental Health Update training to ensure people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as autism, were included in the training. As a result, the title of the training changed from “Mental Health” update training to “Mental Health/Mental Illness and IDD training.

NCCJD staff facilitated an in-person focus group meeting with Fort Worth Police Department with support from DOJ's National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. The purpose of this focus group/meeting is to examine potential partnerships and needs related to mental health and disabilities (specifically looking at Mental Illness and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities) in Fort Worth and is related to the National Initiative.

BJA requested NCCJD staff to provide training:
Why Pathways to Justice and Why Now?
Explain growing need for this training, provide case examples using Pathways to Justice model. Provide Law Enforcement Tip Sheet. Explain Pathways to Justice Training: Curriculum overview, agenda and video (video is 4 minutes). Discuss future Steps -Incorporating Pathways to Justice into policing nationally (Disability Response Teams, new technology)
Second session on: Primary Messages to Law Enforcement

Join NCCJD as we delve into the stories that created statewide movements to pass legislation impacting people with disabilities in the criminal justice system as either suspects or victims of crime. Over the past two years, NCCJD has been compiling a database of such legislation in order to help criminal justice and disability professionals understand this issue from a national viewpoint and get an idea of what type of legislation is being passed and why. A brief overview of current findings will be discussed by NCCJD’s Program Manager.

NCCJD staff were asked to participate in this focus group hosted by IACP. The purpose of this focus group is to identify challenges between law enforcement and communities of color and to highlight effective strategies that have been used to develop communities of trust. Focus group participants will be asked to share their experiences in terms of obstacles, successes, and perceptions. This focus group is one step toward the development of a resource highlighting examples of trust, understanding, and collaboration.

NCCJD provided an in-depth look into their signature training "Pathways to Justice" for The Arc's chapter leadership, and also gave a presentation to The Arc's Board of Directors

National Goals 2015 is a unique event and opportunity to summarize the current state of knowledge and identify a platform of national goals in research, practice, and policy in intellectual and developmental disabilities.