Inmate Assistance Programs

Presentation to West Virginia’s Regional Jail and Corrections Legislative Oversight Committee on the efforts to start JRI in the state of West Virginia. This involved informing the committee of the tribranch bipartisan support and the signed letter of interest to be submitted to funders for a West Virginia JRI project approval.

Meeting with Heather Tubman-Carbone (Associate Deputy Director, BJA), Jeff Locke (Senior Policy Advisor, BJA), (Robert Shelor, Senior Policy Advisor, BJA), Len Engel (Director of Policy and Campaigns, CJI), Barbara Pierce (Director of Justice Initiatives, CJI), and Colby Dawley Deputy Director, CJI) to (1) discuss state outreach following the National Summit and coordinate next steps; (2) define the JRI Assessment Center’s areas of focus and criteria for approval; and (3) discuss any remaining issues related to JRI ripening.

CJI provided significant support to the Oklahoma Legislature during the 2024 legislative session. This support was primarily: data analysis, legislator education, and research on crime trends in states that have passed justice reinvestment legislation. Oklahoma's legislative session began on February 5th, 2024 and adjourned Sine Die on May 30th. CJI staff traveled to Oklahoma City throughout the legislative session to provide members with information on JRI in Oklahoma and discuss the key findings of the MODERN Justice Task Force.

CJI provided significant support to the Oklahoma Legislature during the 2024 legislative session. This support was primarily: data analysis, legislator education, and research on crime trends in states that have passed justice reinvestment legislation. Oklahoma's legislative session began on February 5th, 2024 and adjourned Sine Die on May 30th. CJI staff traveled to Oklahoma City throughout the legislative session to provide members with information on JRI in Oklahoma and discuss the key findings of the MODERN Justice Task Force.

Reentry from a jail, prison or a residential treatment experience can be challenging for fathers and can often be a critical point in their lives. Growing into a good father can be a powerful motivation, supporting prosocial change. Fathers are a critical necessity for the future of our children and communities. Healthy, engaged fathers are safer in our communities and can significantly impact the successful, healthy development of their children.

Advanced Motivational Interviewing
Virtual Dates of Training October 24 and November 14
In Person Dates of Training December 7th and 8th
The Choctaw of Oklahoma Department of Criminal Justice is requesting is requesting training on
Advanced Motivational Interviewing for all of their probation staff. The training would consist
of two days of basic Motivational Interviewing that will be provided online and two days of
training focused on advanced Motivational Interviewing skills that will be in person. This

Training Session Descriptions and Learning Objectives:

This is a 20 week virtual academy that prepares new probation, corrections and reentry professionals to work with correctional clients.
Tribal Community Corrections & Re-Entry Program

In partnership with other agencies, CSG hosted the National Summit to Address States’ Criminal Justice Challenges event which brought together leaders and teams from all 50 states to learn more about the critical criminal justice challenges states are currently facing, and how data and research and other state examples may help identify new and effective strategies to address those challenges.

During this reporting period, JDI coaches were able to schedule check in with officials from the Michigan Department of Corrections at least once a month. Within the last couple of months, Michigan staff enrolled in the PREA Academy course. MDOC staff also had a meeting with their IT department, ADSS, to discuss updating current IT systems that would draw down on allocated grant funds. Unfortunately, ADSS is in the early stages of a complete agency-wide IT overhaul, which means that any updates to the existing system with grant funds would be short-lived.