20240626-114209-44

"In February, CSG Justice Center staff continued to socialize the guidelines and engage key partners in the field, provide technical assistance (TA) to selected states, finalize materials for outreach strategies related to language for TA opportunities, and further identify project next steps. Throughout the month, the team worked on opportunities to advance communication of the project. The project team submitted the pre-recorded virtual presentation to APPA for public accessibility, delivered an in-person presentation during the APPA conference, and continued working on the first draft of a journal article for the Journal of Community Justice for the International Community Justice Association (ICJA).     In finalizing materials for TA opportunities, the project team was able to apply final edits to the informational one-pager about the TA opportunities available and updates to the Take Action webpage to inform audiences about opportunities for requesting technical assistance, other ways they can take action on this project, and how to stay in touch. The CSG Justice Center Communications team also developed promotional toolkits to be shared with BJA and partners for marketing the TA opportunities.    The CSG Justice Center team began developing an agenda for a virtual peer meeting that will bring together all the TA states in mid-March.On February 12, CSG Justice Center staff met with a clinical professor at Harvard Law School to discuss the Risk Assessment Tools Database (RiskDB), a project of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. During this meeting, the project team gained valuable insights into the intricacies of the collection of information and how the database is used. We aim to have future discussions with the professor to learn more about this resource.   On February 20, the pre-recorded virtual presentation, providing an overview of the National Risk and Needs Guidelines project, was released to the public. The presentation will remain accessible to conference attendees via the APPA conference application until March 20.   On February 26, CSG Justice Center staff, alongside the senior policy advisor at BJA, the director of the Utah Criminal Justice Center and associate professor of College of Social Work, and the deputy chief of the Probation & Pretrial Services Office, presented at the 2024 APPA Conference in Seattle, WA. The presentation provided an overview of the technical assistance opportunities to help correctional agencies adopt the 13 National Guidelines for Post-Conviction Risk and Need Assessments. The benefits of technical assistance for adopting the 13 national guidelines, while supporting the overarching mission of improving evidence-based practices, was also discussed at length. There were an estimated 30-40 attendees present during the session.  On February 26, the project team shared results with those who completed the self-assessments before finalization of the results page. We were able to provide their submission’s results summary, as well as some additional information about available resources and TA opportunities.  The project team continues to strategically develop the communication templates to be used with states to share information about the use and understanding of risk and needs assessment instruments based on the audience. Upon completion of a first draft, the project team will tailor the document to various templates for specific audiences.   Technical Assistance (TA) States: Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) On February 26, the project team was notified by the Deputy Commissioner of Field Services that the active draft of the Request for Proposal (RFP) was approved by their legal department and that MPS is aiming for the RFP to be posted within the coming weeks.On February 26, MPS tentatively invited CSG Justice Center staff to provide a virtual presentation to the National Association of Probation Executives (NAPE) outlining the National Risk and Needs Guidelines project and the associated benefits of TA in adopting the 13 national guidelines while supporting theoverarching mission of improving evidence-based practices. The presentation is set to occur in late March, and the project team will provide BJA with an initial presentation draft for review and approval in early March. The agenda is still being discussed, and the project team is awaiting confirmation that they will be included to present.   Due to additional reviews and approvals from the MPS team including a new commissioner, the previously planned focus group meetings encountered delays. CSG Justice Center staff will continue collaborate with MPS to coordinate and facilitate virtual focus group sessions throughout March for entry-level probation officers as part of our ongoing efforts.   Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC), Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties (MACCAC), and Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO)  On February 1, 6, and 8, CSG Justice Center staff attended and completed a virtual introductory workshop, provided by MN DOC, to train staff on the LS/CMI instrument. This comprehensive workshop spanned 5 days, with each session lasting 4.5 hours, concluding in mid-February. The primary goals of the workshop are understanding the purpose and use of the LS/CMI instrument, scoring methodologies, engaging in simulated LS/CMI interviews with normative feedback, collaborating on case planning with clients, exploring quality assurance measures, and mastering the successful scoring of assessments.   On February 16, CSG Justice Center staff conducted Minnesota’s monthly working group meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, MN Tribal Nations, and MACPO. During the meeting, CSG Justice Center staff provided a brief update of the rough draft for the RFP for the validation of the LS/CMI Risk and Needs Assessment Minnesota and discussed possible trailer tools to be considered during the validation process and capabilities of MN’s integration systems for data entering and retrieving. Discussion also centered on the status of any further assistance needed from CSG Justice Center staff for the Tribal Nation representatives meeting with the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council taking place February 21 and continued discussions about the goals, objectives, and focus of the MN team’s TA strategy.    On February 23, CSG Justice Center staff attended Minnesota’s Community Supervision Advisory Committee Meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. During the meeting, CSG Justice Center staff provided a brief overview of the project, an in-depth analysis of the TA strategy in Minnesota (MN), and discussed the goals, objectives, and focus of the MN team.   New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC)   On February 16, the project team connected with the NJ DOC director of the Office of Compliance and Strategic Planning to discuss updates regarding the next steps with the research partner and hiring staff for this project. "