Facilities (General Capacity/Security)

From January through April, Vera reviewed and consulted on Louisiana Department of Corrections (LADOC) data plans and policies; consulted on the housing pilot at the Elayne Hunt Correctional Center; and conducted the first site visit in March that included meetings with leadership and tours of two maximum security facilities. At the invitation of the LADOC, Vera also attended the ACA audit of one of its maximum security facilities in April.

January TTA activities included:
- Email exchange - Vera shared a template/example document with reform outcome measures that we suggested they think about tracking.
- In preparation for our phone call, Vera sent a template/example implementation plan, showing how the recommendations from our report could be grouped into "buckets" and then put into an implementation plan.

January TTA activities included email exchanges between NDOC and Vera about the contract for the SAS Initiative; getting a brief description of NDOC to go on the Safe Alternatives to Segregation website's "About Us" page; the upcoming Board of Prison Commissioners meeting in March; and setting up the first Vera-NDOC meeting via phone.

Vera will conduct an assessment of the agency's use of segregation, recommend strategies to reduce the use, and provide techinical assistance with implementation.

The Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative

Vera will conduct an assessment of the agency's use of segregation, recommend strategies to reduce the use, and provide techinical assistance with implementation.

CSG JC staff presented at the conference hosted by the American Probation and Parole Association. 

The Urban Institute serves as the main point of contact for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative for potential sites. In that role, Urban monitors a JRI email address, through which it fields questions from potential JRI sites. Interested groups may also reach out via phone. Urban also responds to media inquiries and general questions from academics and practitioners about JRI.

Steering committee members participated in a special call to discuss state letters of interest to participate in JRI. Members discussed Phase II requests from Arkansas and Georgia and Phase I requests from Missouri and South Carolina.

Steering committee members participated in a call to discuss Phase I updates for Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Louisiana and Phase II letters of interest for North Dakota. Members also discussed juvenile justice updates in seven states.