$25,001 - $50,000

In Massachusetts, the Center began work with the Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts (COE), particularly their Equity Division which is responsible for promoting equity and reduce disparities in courts. The Equity Division, American University, and the Center will partner to conduct a statewide RED assessment to identify disparities and develop recommendations for practice and policy change.

On Thursday July 20, 2023, BJA and the CSG Justice Center convened a National Forecasting Group Meeting on the how courts are leading change at the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice. The meeting set out to achieve the following goals:  
Develop a nuanced picture of the types of court-focused projects and TTA JMHCP has supported, including the strategic value of the JMHCP investment and common challenges these projects have faced

"9/18/23 - Meeting with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, BJA) and Ben Shelor (Policy Advisor, BJA) to discuss the engagement questionnaire and the kickoff webinar. Â

CSG Justice Center staff conducted a site visit with the Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) in Boston, MA, from October 30â€"31 to conduct focus groups with interagency staff. The meetings on 10/30 occured at 55 Green St. in Clinton, MA 01510. During the focus groups, CSG Justice Center staff provided an extensive overview of the National Guidelines project and MPS’s TA application request to all focus group participants.

CSG Justice Center staff conducted a site visit with the NJ DOC in Trenton, NJ. During the in-person meeting, CSG Justice Center staff and NJ DOC staff discussed the WRNA validation and implementation, discussed education for community stakeholders and criminal justice partners, emphasized the importance of the examination of race and ethnicity, and identified current roadblocks and challengesâ€"both internal and external.

On September 11, 2023, CSG Justice Center staff conducted a site visit with MN DOC, MACCAC, MACPO, and Minnesota Tribal Nations, and Dr. Desmarais attended via zoom. During the in-person meeting, CSG Justice Center staff provided an extensive overview of the National Guidelines project and an in-depth analysis of the three agencies’ self-assessment tool results, and began discussing the goals, objectives, and challenges of the MN team’s TA strategy.

This presentation provided an extensive overview of the National Guidelines project, an in-depth analysis of the three agency’s application for Technical Assistance (TA) and the self-assessment tool results, and discussed the goals, objectives, and challenges of the MN team’s TA strategy.Â
Presentation delivered to MN Corrections stakeholders on September 11, 2023, describing the 13 guidelines, TA site status updates, and questions. BJA approved the presentation on September 5, 2023.

CSG Justice Center staff met with Dr. Tabrina Bratton (Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation Administrator for the Department of Corrections) and Lindsay Wallace (Chief of Staff to Secretary Profiri) to learn more about the program assessments the department has performed and discuss how we can assist in their program development. (2 people representing 1 agency)

CSG Justice Center staff met with Ryan Cooper (Deputy Attorney General, Special Prosecutions Division and Designee for Task Force) to discuss his priorities for the task force, his perspective on the greatest issues facing Arkansas’s criminal justice system and gain his insights with regards to strategy. (1 person representing 2 agencies)

CSG Justice Center staff met with Kim Sharp (Executive Assistant at Exodus.life and Task Force Member) to discuss the work of the task force and her experience as a formerly incarcerated individual. (1 person representing 2 agencies)