State Agencies

During this reporting period, the Washington Department of Corrections (WADOC) continued to work on their FY'21 grant objectives. WADOC has continued to roll out updates on their transgender fluency training and has added information in collaboration with the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico on how the information presented connects with the job duties of staff. The Moss Group did a site visit to WADOC and met with appointing authorities to talk about the gap analysis they completed and helped identify areas of improvement for investigations.

In this webinar, CSG Justice Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) staff provided newly awarded grantees with an overview of BJA, the CSG Justice Center, behavioral health diversion and reentry strategies, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), Connect & Protect (C & P), and training and technical (TTA) assistance. Staff also gave critical context about people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system.

In this webinar, CSG Justice Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) staff provided newly awarded grantees with an overview of BJA, the CSG Justice Center, behavioral health diversion and reentry strategies, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), Connect & Protect (C & P), and training and technical (TTA) assistance. Staff also gave critical context about people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system.

The NRCP provides restorative justice practitioners with individualized support in restorative skills, frameworks, and programmatic implementation. One-on-one coaching is delivered by restorative justice leaders who have a depth of experience from a wide range of restorative justice contexts. Coaching aims to deepen the innate capabilities and confidence of practitioners nationwide.

NCORJ hosted a webinar intended for system actors and community members interested in learning about key principles and philosophy of restorative practices. An introductory presentation offered a brief overview, including the history/origins of restorative practices, approaches to address crime/harm with meaningful accountability, and key recommendations and challenges during the implementation process. This webinar was also provided in Spanish.

The NTCRC Advisory Board met once during fall 2023 on October 2.

Vera TTA coaches conducted a monthly check in with WA DOC. The discussion focused on program implementation.

On November 9, 2023, Vera and the representatives from the U.S. Department of Education attended a graduation at Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Kansas. Graduates from vocation programs, GED programs, and AA programs from Barton Community College participated in the ceremony. The college president and a board member were part of the event along with several faculty. Kansas Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda and Warden Don Langford were also key participants at the graduation. Monica Logothetis, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for ED, also made remarks.

The NTCRC operates several email inboxes for staff and designated projects. Staff field inquiries from treatment court practitioners as well as monitoring inbox-specific inquiries regarding the NTCRC, Painting the Current Picture survey, and Drug Court Review journal. Inquiries range from single-response questions to more labor-intensive continuous assistance or researching targeting information. Response times range from minutes to days depending on the level of inquiry.

NDCRC co-directors Dr. Kristen DeVall and Dr. Christina Lanier presented at three in-person trainings during the fall 2023 reporting period. From October 10-12, they presented two workshops on case management and grant writing in Madison, Wisconsin for the Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals Coordinator/Case Manager conference. From October 18-20, they traveled to Galveston, Texas to present on grant writing and give 2 Q&A sessions. From October 24-26, they gave two presentations in Orange Beach, Alabama on case management and grant writing.