General Jurisdiction/Trial Courts

Summary
• Tribal Law and Policy Institute program specialists Kris Pacheco, Jordan Martinson, and Precious Benally provided a virtual onsite training to the Nez Perce Tribe HTWC team Dec 7-9, 2021. Training Topics included the following based on an initial consultation with Kenton Beckstead. Additional training topics included:
• Healing to Wellness Court Team Roles and Responsibilities, Team Dynamics and Program Entry-Intake and Eligibility best practices.
• Program document review
o Assess entry criteria (well written in policies and procedures)

This subgrantee seeks assistance in developing a two-day training aimed at honing criminal defense skill as well as fostering a sense of community among defenders. This reporting period we surveyed defense lawyers across the state to determine the best topics and format for delivering training. We also did outreach to the University of North Dakota Law in order to extend the training to include law students to create a pipeline to the defender community.

PDC is seeking assistance in developing best practices around vertical representation (continuous representation for the life of the case). PDC would like to determine best ways to collect data and track vertical representation across the state, learn what areas need to be improved, and educate stakeholders on the benefits of successful vertical representation practices.

This TTA will focus on developing model practices aimed at increasing the diversity of juries in Harris County. We hosted a kick-off meeting on 10/26/2021 that included a number of public defenders from Harris County as well as jury expert, Professor Nina Chernoff. A letter was drafted so that we could begin discussions with other criminal legal system stakeholder on best ways to increase jury diversity.
Jan.-June 2022: Issued correspondence March, April, and June to no avail. Will issue a formal letter to determine whether TTA is still a needed and a possibility.

Provide technical training assistance to develop a mission, vision, and values for this new office including connecting subgrantee with mentors, field experts, and other resources aimed at creating a holistic defense.
January - June 2022: Conducted monthly meetings and set a conference date of November 17-19, 2022. Contracted with National Association for Public Defense to assist in developing an agenda, recruit speakers, and content.

Felony deenders have not had an opportunity to hone their core trial skills and due to ongoing closures of courts, more experienced attorneys need refreshers on critical trial skills. This training will focus on developing a theory of the case, how to impeach witnesses, opening and closing, and voir dire.

Part I: Minnesota, like jurisdictions across the country, has struggled with the persistent under representation of certain racial and ethnic minorities in its jury pools. In this comprehensive fair cross-section training we will cover some of the factors that contribute to those racial and ethnic disparities, why diverse juries matter, how the fair cross-section requirement differs from equal protection, as well as some model practices for improving jury diversity.

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Jurisdictions across the country are grappling with developing comprehensive, cross-sector, community-based crisis response systems that address the needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have mental health and/or substance use disorders and provide early intervention and deflection opportunities away from the justice system.

In this three-part webinar series titled “From the Community to the Courtroom: Increasing Diversity and Access to the Jury Box” the nation’s leading jury experts, scholars, and practitioners discussed why diverse juries matter, the challenges to achieving jury diversity, as well as what solutions and reforms are on the horizon.

In this three-part webinar series titled “From the Community to the Courtroom: Increasing Diversity and Access to the Jury Box” the nation’s leading jury experts, scholars, and practitioners discussed why diverse juries matter, the challenges to achieving jury diversity, as well as what solutions and reforms are on the horizon.