In April, CSG Justice Center staff continued extensive planning, coordination, and communication internally, with project partners, and with members of the project’s national steering committee. CSG Justice Center staff continued to work closely with staff from Recidiviz to advance the “state data” component of the project, including (a) ensuring that the publicly available, aggregate-level data being compiled adhered to the agreed-upon framework and (b) reviewing and confirming Recidiviz’s findings on correctional data in all 50 states. CSG Justice Center staff also worked with staff from Recidiviz and leadership from the Correctional Leader’s Association to prepare a preview web page of the data scan to give state correctional directors an opportunity to view their state’s data and provide feedback before the corrections component of the data scan is made public. CSG Justice Center staff worked closely with project partner Measures for Justice (MFJ) to finalize the structure of the project’s seven issue-specific subcommittees. CSG Justice Center staff held eight calls with potential subcommittee members to discuss their role. MFJ sent out invitations, and 64 people have agreed to serve on the subcommittees with 3 spots yet to be filled or confirmed at the end of April. Meetings for each of the subcommittees have also been scheduled to take place throughout May, based on scheduling polls completed by members of the subcommittees. CSG Justice Center staff and MFJ have been working on developing materials for the first subcommittee meeting, including a Metrics Handbook, which includes information about the Justice Counts project, the roles and responsibilities of subcommittee members, and the framework each subcommittee will use to develop metrics. Lastly, CSG Justice Center staff worked with staff at the National Association of Sentencing Commissions to plan for a presentation on Justice Counts at the beginning of May.
New Insights:
CSG Justice Center staff worked with MFJ to develop a Metrics Handbook that will be the basis for each subcommittee’s work in developing metrics. The Handbook is based on the extensive literature review performed by MFJ, who condensed the review into seven issue-specific frameworks of relevant metrics to be used by each subcommittee as a starting point. Staff from across the CSG Justice Center reviewed these frameworks to help refine their substance and presentation. After creating several separate documents, including these frameworks and a roles and responsibilities of subcommittee members document, CSG Justice Center staff determined that it would be most efficient to combine all the documents into one larger handbook that could serve as a reference for all subcommittee members. While the document is long, when subcommittee members receive the Metrics Handbook a few days before their respective meetings, they will be directed to the sections that are appropriate to their work. They can review the larger document if they desire.
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• 4/7: Call with Measures for Justice staff to discuss processes for the first subcommittee meeting and development of materials for the meetings.
• 4/9: Call with Product Manager from Recidiviz about the data scan component of the project, including the design for the data scan deliverable, available resources, and plans for operationalizing the data scan in the coming weeks and months.
• 4/12: Call with Chief Deputy Sheriff (Davidson County, Tennessee) to discuss the Justice Counts Jails Subcommittee. Discussion included the Chief’s role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more.
• 4/13: Call with Executive Director (Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention Youth & Victim Services) to discuss challenges and uses of criminal justice data in Maryland.
• 4/13: Call with Senior Policy Advisor from BJA to discuss the state data component of Justice Counts, long term planning, and development of materials for the first subcommittee meeting.
• 4/13: Call with Legislative Advocate (Maine Municipal Association) to discuss their appointment to the Justice Counts Law Enforcement subcommittee.
• 4/14: Call with Project Director (The Moss Group) to discuss their appointment to the Justice Counts Jails Subcommittee. Discussion included their role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more.
• 4/14: Call with Consultant and Former Assistant Commissioner for Probation (Tennessee Department of Corrections) to discuss their appointment to the Justice Counts Community Supervision subcommittee. Discussion included their experience with Tennessee DOC (particularly in a policymaking or oversight context), their role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more.
• 4/14: Call with Executive Director (Arizona Criminal Justice Commission) and National Criminal Justice Association to discuss newly passed criminal justice data legislation in Arizona and plans for implementation.
• 4/15: Call with Senior Director of Consulting and Research (NRI) to discuss the approach to addressing behavioral health-related issues in the Justice Counts project ahead of the initial meeting of the various issue-specific subcommittees in May 2021. They have significant experience in a number of relevant areas and will assist staff from the CSG Justice Center, Measures for Justice, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and other project stakeholders and partners to ensure that behavioral health is appropriately considered in the creation of the metrics.
• 4/15: Call with Deputy Commissioner (Massachusetts Probation Services) to discuss their selection for the Justice Counts Community Supervision subcommittee. Discussion included their experience with Massachusetts Probation Services, envisioned role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more. At the conclusion of the conversation, Deputy Commissioner related that they felt that Commissioner Edward Dolan should serve on the subcommittee in this slot.
• 4/15: Call with Measures for Justice staff regarding materials for the first subcommittee meeting.
• 4/19: Call with Former Director (Iowa Department of Corrections and Illinois Department of Corrections) to discuss their appointment to the Justice Counts Prisons Subcommittee. Discussion included the Director’s role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more.
• 4/19: Call with Measures for Justice staff to discuss subcommittee composition, logistics for the first meeting, and development of meeting materials.
• 4/20: Call with Policy Director (National Criminal Justice Association) to discuss our conversation with the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission and to share progress updates about the subcommittees and data scan.
• 4/20: Call with Retired Chief of Corrections (Orange County, Florida) to discuss their appointment to the Justice Counts Jails Subcommittee. Discussion included Chief (Ret.) role on the subcommittee, relevant areas of interest/focus for the subcommittee’s charge, and more.
• 4/22: Call with Director of Research Operations of Measures for Justice to discuss scheduling the first subcommittee meetings.
• 4/26: Call with Senior Medical Advisor, NASMHPD to discuss the approach to addressing behavioral health-related issues in the Justice Counts project ahead of the initial meeting of the various issue-specific subcommittees in May 2021. They will help coordinate among staff from CSG Justice Center, Measures for Justice, NRI, and other project stakeholders and partners to ensure that behavioral health is appropriately considered in the creation of the metrics.
• 4/28: Call with Research Manager (University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute) to update them on the progress of the Justice Counts project in recent months and ensure that they and their colleagues are available to assist with several subcommittees. They will assist the project’s prisons subcommittee, and a colleague from UCCI will assist the project’s community supervision subcommittee.
• 4/28: Call with Measures for Justice staff to discuss the agenda for the first subcommittee meeting and developing materials for those meetings.
• 4/29: Call with staff from the National Council for State Legislators (NCSL) to provide an update on the Justice Counts project and discuss a report NCSL will write on the use of data among state legislators.
• 4/29: Call with Senior Policy Advisor from BJA to discuss materials for the first subcommittee meetings.
• 4/30: Call with Director of Reentry Programs and Services (North Carolina Department of Public Safety) to provide an update on the Justice Counts project, discuss roles and responsibilities of subcommittee members, and plan for review of the state data.
• 4/30: Call with Product Manager and Senior Software Engineer from Recidiviz about the data scan component to discuss the staging site to be shared with corrections directors before the data scan is published on the Justice Counts website.
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