The 2020 Institute for State Criminal Justice and Public Safety Executives was held virtually on September 24, 2020. Hosted by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the event brought together Governors’ criminal justice policy advisors (CJPAs) and state administering agency executives (SAAs) to discuss a variety of criminal justice and public safety issues, hear from federal partners, and share best practices.
Over 70 representatives from 38 states, commonwealths, territories, and the District of Columbia attended the Institute. Representatives included CJPAs, SAAs, cabinet officials, and other public safety executives. Outcomes from the Institute include:
• Creating and enhancing relationships between state CJPAs and SAAs;
• Building knowledge and expertise on key criminal justice and public safety policy issues;
• Sharing challenges and lesson learned with peers across the country;
• Identifying opportunities for future intrastate and interstate collaboration;
• Fostering state and federal partnerships; and
• Discussing gubernatorial priorities in the areas of criminal justice and public safety.
The Institute consisted of three panel discussions. Summaries of each session, as well as referenced resources, are included below.
1) COVID-19 Lessons Learned
2) Efforts to Improve Policing and Promote Equity in Public Safety & Criminal Justice
3) The Road Ahead
Please check the box next to the following questions if the answer is 'yes'.
Please enter the applicable Event Date if there is an Event associated with this TTA.
When entering an Event Date, the Time is also required.
If the TTA is targeted to a particular audience or location, please complete the questions below.
Milestones are an element, activity, work product, or key task associated with completing the TTA (e.g. kick-off meeting, collect data from stake holders, deliver initial data analysis).
Please complete the fields below, if applicable, to create a milestone for this TTA.
NGA/BJA/NCJA Institute Planning Call
June 25, 2020: Confirmed Institute dates with BJA
June 25, 2020: Shared draft agenda with BJA
Brief survey released to ask about topics of interest.
September 16, 2020: CJPA survey closed
NGA presented results from a recent national survey of CJPAs administered in the fall of 2020 on law enforcement reform and actions to address racial equity.
o In the survey, NGA asked about whether your governor had taken action toward law enforcement reform and/or addressing racial equity issues. 23 states responded yes, 3 responded no, but that their governor has plans to take action.
o For those that responded yes, NGA asked you to share some additional detail on the type of action your governor has taken. Key themes identified in these responses included the following:
▪ A number of respondents indicated that your governor has established or reconvened a task force or commission to provide recommendations and guidance on law enforcement reform and racial justice
▪ Responses also noted legislative proposals for reform including:
• Banning chokeholds
• Investigating officer use of force
• Changes to officer certification and de-certification
• Reforms to officer recruitment and hiring
▪ Responses also indicated an increase in community and stakeholder engagement, such as establishing citizen advisory groups and surveying communities.
▪ Additionally, a number of responses included improving collection of law enforcement data and addressing racial disparities in traffic stops.
9. September 18, 2020: NGA/BJA/NCJA Institute Planning Call
10. September 19, 2020: NGA/BJA Institute Planning Call
11. September 23, 2020: Pre-Institute materials shared with CJPAs
12. September 24, 2020: NGA/BJA/NCJA Institute Planning Call
July 20, 2020: Institute Save the Date sent to CJPAs
September 2, 2020: Formal Institute Invite sent to CJPAs
September 23, 2020: Pre-Institute materials shared with CJPAs
September 25, 2020: Follow-up Institute materials shared with CJPAs
Please respond to the Performance Metrics below. The Performance Metrics questions are based on the TTA Type indicated in the General Information section of the TTA.
Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
Please call [site:phone] if you need further assistance completing this application.