Justice Systems

Objective 3: Develop and run a national campaign to educate criminal justice agency leaders, policymakers, and the public about the Justice Counts metrics. (Website Work)_19 calls with 20 people from 6 agenciesÊ
7/18: Call with Jessica Hong from Recidiviz to discuss outstanding items with the Prison dashboard mock. The dashboard mock will be ready to submit to the comms team after minor edits. (1 agency, 1 participant)_Ê

"Objective 6: Provide intensive TA to 10 states, supporting the adoption and use of the Justice Counts metrics to drive decision-making. (Founding State Work)  
California 2 calls with 3 people from 2 agencies 
11/15 - Call with Paul Rodriguez (Public Defender) from the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender to introduce the project and encourage them to opt-in. (1 person, representing 1 agency)   

Opportunity for agencies to engage with subject-matter experts and peers to discuss current practices in contraband cellphone interdiction and exchange insights.

The team was invited by the American Correctional Association to deliver a presentation on contraband cellphone-related challenges and the latest developments to combat these at their summer conference in August 2024. The presentation was well-attended by correctional practitioners in the US and other countries, researchers, and students. Attendees were offered an opportunity for in-person light touch TTA following the presentation, with several practitioners meeting with members of the project team regarding questions about interdiction practices and technology implementation.

CSG Justice Center staff collaborated with BJA to develop the agenda, identify speakers, develop the slide deck and conduct outreach to the SRCC network in preparation for the October session.

The OAS Technical Support team administers, maintains, and continues to evolve the Online Audit System (OAS).

Auditors identified in the peer review or documentation review process and referred to peer mentoring by the PREA Management Office (PMO) receive one-on-one coaching from DOJ-certified PREA auditors who are specially trained as peer mentors. National PREA Resource Center (PRC) staff also serve as mentors. Mentors receive intensive training to provide support and resources to a mentored auditor, as well as ongoing support by oversight staff.

National PREA Resource Center (PRC) staff and contractors managed by PRC staff conduct documentation reviews of individual auditor's PREA audits when directed to do so by the PREA Management Office (PMO). Reviewers assess auditors' interim and final reports and review the information and documentation auditors relied on to reach compliance determinations. By utilizing documentation uploaded to the Online Audit System (OAS), reviewers consider both the documentation provided to an auditor by the facility and agency, as well as any additional documentation gathered onsite.

Where an auditor's work has been reviewed in either the peer review process or a documentation review and demonstrates a misunderstanding of PREA Standards or difficulty complying with practices that are outlined in the PREA Auditor Handbook, National PREA Resource Center (PRC) staff works with the PREA Management Office (PMO) to define remediation steps to support the auditor's learning and continuing audit practice. Remediation plans include PMO-approved resources, tools, and mentoring by a peer of the auditor or PRC staff.

Peer reviewers assess auditors' work utilizing a standardized scoring rubric. The National PREA Resource Center PRC) deploys two reviewers for each peer review to conduct a rigorous examination of all the evidence and documentation relied upon by an auditor. The peer reviewers determine the extent to which the auditor has made accurate compliance findings and followed the methodological requirements defined in the PREA Auditor Handbook. From July to December 2024, the PRC worked on seven (7) peer reviews.