In July, CSG Justice Center staff continued to socialize the guidelines and engage key partners in the field, conduct calls for technical assistance (TA) requests, provide TA to select states, conduct a webinar for the National Association of Probation Executives (NAPE), develop presentations and coordinate logistics for upcoming conference sessions, and further identify project next steps.
CSG Justice Center staff held a virtual call with members of the Utah State Courts to provide a detailed project overview and discuss potential TA opportunities based on the agency's specific jurisdictional needs. The Utah State Courts team will be completing the self-assessment, and the project team will hold a follow-up call to discuss the agency's priorities.
CSG Justice Center staff also held a call with the senior policy advisor at BJA to discuss updates about each TA state, the third virtual peer session, past and upcoming calls for new requests for TA, the status of scheduled conference and webinar presentations, and the upcoming and current items under BJA review.
Throughout July, in response to requests for TA, the project team held follow-up calls with the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the San Diego County Public Defender's Office to continue discussing potential TA opportunities based on the agency's specific jurisdictional needs.
CSG Justice Center staff conducted a webinar for NAPE to provide members of the targeted-audience with a detailed project overview and discuss the various evidence-based benefits of the project's TA opportunities.The project team also further developed the draft of the webinar presentation for the Community Supervision Resource Center (CSRC).
CSG Justice Center staff attended the Justice Clearinghouse, Gender-Responsive Risk and Needs Assessments for Correctional Populations webinar presented by the president of the Bauman Consulting Group. During the webinar, the president covered a comprehensive range of topics, beginning with an overview of her career and her focus on women's risk and needs assessment and gender-responsive programming. She discussed the principles of effective intervention, central risk factors for criminal behavior, and the findings from University of Cincinnati research that highlight the distinct differences in the needs, risks, and system involvement of men and women in corrections. She also emphasized the importance of gender-responsive practices, including the legal and organizational considerations necessary for implementing these approaches, supported by extensive research and international guidelines. During the questions and answer portion, the president asked CSG Justice Center staff to share information about the project and expressed interest in connecting with the project team to discuss possible collaborations. The project team will find out additional information about the new contact organization and potentially schedule a call, if applicable.
Technical Assistance (TA) States:
Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS): Due to scheduling difficulties, the project team continued to work with MPS to schedule outstanding focus group meetings with 3 jurisdictions, which will include line-level probation officers and discussion centered on the strengths and limitations of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) instrument, along with the challenges associated with administering the assessment and implementing the results through case planning. The new expectation is to schedule these meetings during next month to occur in August or early September. Additionally, the July working group meeting, scheduled for July 31, was postponed until August due to increased staff travel requirements and other unforeseen circumstances.
Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC), Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties (MACCAC), and Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO):CSG Justice Center staff attended Minnesota's Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) virtual meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. During the meeting, each working group provided updates on their project, including next steps. Additionally, CSAC members reviewed the charter and operating procedures led by Management, Analysis, and Development (MAD). The Risk and Needs Assessment Working Group was tasked with recommending that both MACCACC and non-MACCAC jurisdictions use the same risk screener and risk and needs assessment instrument as the primary method for supervision assessment. Alternatively, they proposed a universal five-level matrix to ensure consistent supervision levels statewide. Lastly, the group agreed upon standards that reflect all instruments in use be validated on Minnesota's community supervision population, revalidated every five years, due to report on October 29, 2024.
CSG Justice Center staff conducted a monthly working group meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. The working group focused on several key areas, including the progress on the request for proposal and the selection of a vendor for the validation study. It was noted that while a vendor has been tentatively selected, finalizing the contract is pending further clarification on delivery systems. Data entry consistency, particularly in addressing unposted LS/CMI assessments, was highlighted, with a lead identified to oversee the cleanup efforts. The group also discussed the need for a consistent definition of recidivism, which currently considers a new conviction at the misdemeanor level or above, and further refinement of this definition was assigned for the next meeting. Additionally, the inconsistency in the use of pre-screening instruments across jurisdictions was addressed, with a consensus on the need for a validated and unified approach. Action items included the distribution of survey results on risk and needs assessment instruments, providing a list of pre-screener instruments and their costs, and further work on standardizing the use of screening instruments across the state.
New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC): In July, the project team met with the NJ DOC state team to request updates. The NJ team shared that there is currently a statewide hiring freeze that is impacting their ability to hire specialists to administer their risk and needs assessment instrument. It is unknown how long that hiring freeze will last. Additionally, the state team is awaiting a response from the contact provided for the system vendor, Interactive Life. The state team will continue to reach out and look at a second potential vendor.
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