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July: 7 Phone Calls with 42 participants representing 23 agencies.
Objective 2: Recruit New Agencies

7/1 – Call with Ansley Dille (Probation Quality Assurance Liaison, Utah State Courts) and Blake Murdoch (Assistant Court Administrator, Utah State Courts) to provide a project overview and discuss potential TA opportunities based on the agency’s needs, with the team primarily interested in discussing the topics of interrater reliability and fidelity. (2 participants, 1 agency)
7/15 – Call with Monique Carter (Chief Deputy of Training & Development, San Diego County Public Defender’s office) and Kaitlyn McCarthy (Resentencing Attorney, San Diego County Public Defender’s office) to provide a project overview and discuss potential TA opportunities based on the agency needs, with the team primarily interested in finding an assessment instrument that will deem efficient in assessing their population eligible for resentencing. (2 participants, 1 agency)
7/30 – Call with Andrew Fox (Research Supervisor, Washington Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), Jason Milliman (Performance Management & Quality Assurance Administrator, WA DCYF), and Ted Ryle (Clinical Director- Juvenile Rehabilitation, WA DCYF) to primarily discuss improving the risk weights of their instrument, which currently is used to only assess needs, and how to best serve their young adult population (18–24 years old) The project team also brought in the director of the CSG Justice Center’s juvenile justice division to increase collaboration among agencies. (3 participants, 1 agency)

Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

7/10 – CSG Justice Center staff attended Minnesota’s Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) virtual meeting, where updates were provided by various working groups, and several administrative tasks were completed, including the approval of the meeting agenda and minutes. The committee discussed returning to Friday afternoon meetings starting in September, with additional meetings planned for November. The Risk and Needs Assessment Working Group was tasked with providing recommendations to CSAC regarding both CCA and non-CCA jurisdictions use a standardized risk screener and assessment instruments or a universal five-level matrix, with all instruments to be validated and revalidated every five years, with recommendations due by October 29, 2024. (15 participants, 3 agencies)
7/15 – CSG Justice Center staff conducted a monthly working group meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. Focusing on progress with the request for proposal and vendor selection for the validation study. Key discussions included data entry consistency, refining the definition of recidivism, and addressing inconsistencies in the use of pre-screening instruments across jurisdictions. The group agreed on action items, including distributing risk and needs assessment instrument survey results, providing a list of pre-screener instruments and their costs, and standardizing screening instruments, with the next meeting scheduled for August 21, 2024 (17 participants, 8 agencies)
7/15 – Call with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance) to discuss updates for the National Risk Guidelines project. During the call the project team provided updates about each TA state, upcoming presentation and conference attendance, and upcoming and current items under BJA review. (1 participant, 1 agency)
7/18 – CSG Justice Center staff conducted a webinar for the National Association of Probation Executives (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 (11 participants, 11 agencies).

August: 7 Phone Calls with 27 participants representing 10 agencies.
Objective 2: Recruit New Agencies

8/13 – Follow-up call with members of the Arizona Supreme Court to discuss their self-assessment results and begin mapping out their technical assistance needs. The meeting included discussions on the current state of assessment reliability, revalidation needs, and existing gaps in training and supervision for probation officers. Key challenges include inconsistencies in officer training, resource constraints, and the absence of a formalized process for ongoing training and booster sessions. Another call will be scheduled in September to solidify a technical assistance strategy. (3 participants, 1 agency)
8/20 – Follow-up call with Shelley Cortese (Associate Director- Community Corrections, Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RI DOC)) and Barry Weiner (Assistant Director- Rehabilitative Services, RI DOC) to discuss their self-assessment results and begin mapping out their technical assistance needs. The project team will schedule a follow-up call in September to solidify a technical assistance strategy. (2 participants, 1 agency)

Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

8/5 – Call with Kelly Mitchell (Assistant Commissioner, Community Services & Reentry, MN DOC) and Julie Rud (Area Director, Field Services, MN DOC) to discuss the Minnesota Risk and Needs Working Group’s functions and next steps. (2 participants, 1 agency)
8/7 – Call with Cyndi Mausser (Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy/CSRC) to walkthrough the final draft of the upcoming webinar presentation set for September 26. The project team will confirm with CSRC in September if the presentation was approved by BJA and attend one final walkthrough prior to the webinar. (1 participant, 1 agency)
8/14 – CSG Justice Center staff attended Minnesota’s Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) meeting alongside representatives from the MN Department of Corrections (DOC), MACCAC, and MACPO. During the meeting, each working group provided updates on their projects and outlined next steps. The CSAC also discussed and approved recommendations for governance of the committee, and the Domestic Violence Steering Committee presented reunification principles. At the next meeting, subcommittees will provide updates on their progress, attendees will review and approve both the CSAC charter and operating procedures and the draft request for proposal for the workload study , and CSG Justice Center staff will continue work to finalize recommendations due to CSAC on October 29 around the use and validation of risk and needs assessment instruments. (18 participants, 6 agencies)
8/19 – CSG Justice Center staff assisted internal colleagues with a virtual site visit by conducting a brief presentation centered around the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model for members of My Health My Resources of Tarrant County in TX.
8/20 – Call with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance) to discuss updates for the National Risk Guidelines project, specifically around TA progress with New Jersey DOC. (1 participant, 1 agency)
September: 11 Phone Calls with 41 participants representing 16 agencies.
Objective 2: Recruit New Agencies

9/5 – Follow-up call with MT DOC to discuss their self-assessment results and begin mapping out their technical assistance needs. (3 participants, 1 agency)
9/17 – Call with Akea Daley (Director, Returning Citizens Division, MBI Health) and Dr. Josephine Namayanja (Associate Executive Director, Institute for Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in Polar Regions (iHARP)) requested TA around (2 participants, 1 agency)
9/23 – Call with Michael Salinas (Executive Director, Youth Recovery Connections) requested TA around communication and responsivity, as related to risk and needs assessment, and guidance for reviewing and identifying better substance use screener tools. (1 participant, 1 agency)
9/25 – Follow-up call with MT DOC to finalize priority guidelines and establish a plan and next steps for the TA process. The project team will submit a TA request proposal to BJA in October to begin the technical assistance process. (3 participants, 1 agency)
Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

9/4 – Call with Christina McCale (Editor-in-Chief/Marketing, Justice Clearinghouse) to discuss potential partnership and webinar details. (1 participant, 1 agency)
9/5 – CSG Justice Center staff attended the MN Risk and Needs Assessment Working Group meeting to discuss the subaward funding process and validation study for the LS/CMI instrument; receive an update on recidivism definitions for general, violent, and sex offense recidivism; review the schedule and process for CSAC recommendations in October; and briefly review outstanding questions for the working group. (15 participants, 4 agencies)
9/6 – Call with Brian Mirasolo (Deputy Commissioner, Field Services, MPS) to discuss the upcoming RFP vendor presentations and a potential new RFP for capacity building. (1 participant, 1 agency)
9/16 – Call with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance) to discuss updates for the National Risk Guidelines project, specifically around TA progress with New Jersey DOC. (1 participant, 1 agency)
9/19 – Call with Cyndi Mausser (Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy/CSRC), Brian Mirasolo (Deputy Commissioner, Field Services, MPS), and Dr. Sarah Desmarais (lead writer of the National Guidelines and President, Policy Research Associates, Inc.), to walkthrough the final draft of the upcoming webinar presentation set for September 26. (3 participants, 3 agencies)
9/26 – CSG Justice Center, along with Brian Mirasolo (Deputy Commissioner, Field Services, MPS), and Dr. Sarah Desmarais (lead writer of the National Guidelines and President, Policy Research Associates, Inc.), conducted a virtual webinar for the Community Supervision Resource Center (CSRC). The webinar addressed common challenges, solutions, and areas for improvement in risk and needs assessment instruments and processes. It also highlighted the benefits of adhering to national guidelines and shared key findings from the supplementary self-assessment tool. Additionally, participants gained insight into priority areas for states currently receiving technical assistance.
9/30 – Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) meeting to elect co-chairs from the 3 delivery systems, review the schedule for presenting and voting on recommendations, receive an update from the DOC Commissioner on the ISR recommendation, vote on a recommendation for domestic violence reunification principles, and review updates from the multiple sub-committees developing recommendations. (15 participants, 8 agencies)
October: 7 Phone Calls with 24 participants representing 8 agencies.
Objective 2: Recruit New Agencies

10/2 – Follow-up call with Akea Daley (Director, Returning Citizens Division, MBI Health) to further discuss requested TA around communication and enhancing the use of their risk and needs assessment instrument. (1 participants, 1 agency)
Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

10/2 – CSG Justice Center staff attended the MN Risk and Needs Assessment Working Group meeting to discuss recommendations for statewide consistency in risk and needs assessments, including the use of the LS/CMI as the primary assessment instrument and a universal pre-screener for felonies, gross misdemeanors, and targeted misdemeanors; review the process for developing statewide policies and revalidation procedures; explore the need for a validated, Minnesota-tailored tool; and prepare for presenting these recommendations to the Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) on November 4, 2024. (16 participants, 4 agencies)
10/3 – Call with the CSRC team to debrief the webinar presentation that took place on September 26. (2 participants, 1 agency)
10/15 – Call with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance) to discuss updates for the National Risk Guidelines project, specifically around TA progress with New Jersey DOC. (1 participant, 1 agency)
10/23 – Call with Patti Gavin (Field Training Director, MPS) to discuss attendance and presentations at the Second Chance Act conference in Philadelphia, PA in December. (1 participant, 1 agency)
10/30 – Call with Brian Mirasolo (Deputy Commissioner, Field Services, MPS) and Mike Coelho (Deputy Commissioner, Programs, MPS) to discuss the use of screeners for drug courts in Massachusetts, as well as whether the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) could be used for emerging adult adults. (2 participants, 1 agency)
10/31 – CSG Justice Center staff attended a virtual presentation by Dr. Brian Lovins (President, Justice System Partners) to discuss their proposal for the request for proposal (RFP) by MPS. CSG Justice Center staff will schedule a follow-up meeting with MPS staff in November to discuss recommendations and final vendor selection. (3 participants, 2 agencies)
November: 5 Phone Calls with 32 participants representing 11 agencies.
Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

11/4 – CSG Justice Center staff attended the Minnesota Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) meeting, which included a review of the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) principles and recommendations from the MN Risk and Needs Working Group. (16 participants, 10 agencies)
11/6 – CSG Justice Center staff facilitated the MN Risk and Needs Assessment Working Group meeting to discuss creating a consistent and equitable approach to statewide risk and needs assessments. Key topics included developing a universal pre-screener based on the LS/CMI validation study or utilizing Hennepin County’s pre-screener. The group emphasized the importance of a policy framework to guide implementation, balancing statewide consistency with flexibility for offense-specific assessment instruments while promoting equity and addressing regional and racial disparities. Lastly, the group proposed a 5-level model to standardize assessment cut-off scores and supervision levels across MN. (15 participants, 4 agencies)
11/15 – CSG Justice Center staff attended the second Minnesota Community Supervision Advisory Committee (CSAC) meeting in November to discuss and approve the final recommendations report to submit to the DOC Commissioner for approval. (16 participants, 10 agencies)
11/25 – Call with Kelly Mitchell (Assistant Commissioner of Community Services and Reentry, MN DOC) to discuss project next steps and risk and needs assessment pre-screener instruments. (1 participant, 1 agency)
11/26 – CSG Justice Center staff connected with Veronica Cunningham (Executive Director/CEO, American Probation and Parole Association) to discuss potential collaboration in technical assistance initiatives, contributing to their magazine, and opportunities to meet with their board members. (1 participant, 1 agency)
December: 3 Phone Calls with 12 participants representing 6 agencies.
Objective 3: Expand the adoption of the national guidelines for post-conviction risk and need assessment and support implementation in up to six states.

12/4 – CSG Justice Center staff facilitated the MN Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) Working Group meeting to discuss recommendations for creating a consistent and equitable approach to statewide risk and needs assessments. Key topics included (1) developing a universal pre-screener using data from the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) validation study or utilizing Hennepin County’s pre-screener statewide, (2) developing a policy framework to guide implementation, balancing statewide consistency with flexibility for offense-specific assessment instruments, and (3) the potential use of a five-level model to standardize assessment cut-off scores and supervision levels across MN. (10 participants, 4 agencies)
12/17 – Call with Ed Hauck (Research and Evaluation Supervisor, Ramsey County, MN MACCAC) to discuss MN pre-screeners and to provide a debrief on MN RNA working group initiatives. (1 participant, 1 agency)
12/17 – Call with Jeffrey Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance) to discuss updates for the National Guidelines project, including the status of selected TA sites, upcoming conferences, and upcoming items for review. (1 participant, 1 agency)