FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN - … Business...criminal justice system came together to revise...

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN

2 Mecklenburg County FY2017-2019 Strategic Business Plan

Strategic Business Plan CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES

Criminal Justice Services Smart Justice Creating Safer Communities OUR

We lead data-driven decision making, effective programming, and interagency collaboration to reduce criminal justice involvement and strengthen the well-being of our community by promoting collaboration between city, county, and state criminal justice agencies; establishing and measuring criminal justice performance measures; managing criminal justice programs and services; and developing initiatives that enhance systemic performance and heighten public safety.



Our Environment DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW Criminal Justice Services (CJS) is a County department with 60 employees and an annual budget of $11.7 million. Programs within CJS are becoming nationally recognized centers of excellence in their fields. In fiscal year 2015, Pretrial Services was a pilot site for the Arnold Foundation Public Safety Assessment tool. Drug Treatment Court celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015 and received the Cultural Proficiency Award from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Research & Planning is leading the County’s participation in the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety + Justice Challenge and launched the Criminal Justice Data Warehouse in 2015, which will serve as a platform for criminal justice system analysis. The Forensic Evaluations Unit began a post-doctoral internship program that drew nationwide interest. Re-Entry Services is integrating an array of services for individuals transitioning back into the community from prisons. DEPARTMENT SERVICES CJS provides the following County services to enhance the effectiveness of the criminal justice system:

• Business Management Division provides budget and fiscal management, grant management, contract and vendor management, and strategic business plan support.

• Criminal Justice Advisory Group convenes criminal justice leaders for coordination and collaboration.

• Research & Planning produces performance data and research analysis on the criminal justice system.

• Drug Treatment Court oversees evidence-based treatment to chemically-dependent offenders.

• Forensic Evaluations conducts psychological evaluations of court-involved individuals.

• Juvenile Crime Prevention Council uses state funding to assist at-risk and court-involved youth.

• Pretrial Services provides objective risk assessments to judicial officers making bail decisions, and supervises defendants awaiting trial to mitigate risk of failure to appear or new criminal activity.

• Re-Entry Services provides case management services for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Within its budget, CJS oversees three contracts totaling $5.5 million that fund 81 state positions in the 26th Judicial District. CJS also manages a portion of the state mandated funding for court facilities. Although the funding relationships with the state

justice agencies are significant, this strategic plan focuses on the goals and objectives for the County-provided services. TRENDS Decrease in Jail Population - Since 2008, the average daily population in our County jails has gone down by 42 percent. The criminal justice system came together to revise its practices and programs to achieve this accomplishment. Across the nation, there is growing recognition that even a short stay in jail may detrimentally impact an individual’s life, livelihood, and family. Locally, there is ever growing consensus that pretrial jail stays should be reserved for those individuals who may truly be threats to our community. Effective Use of Data and Best Practices - Criminal justice system leaders increasingly acknowledge the power of skillful data analysis to inform decision-making and impact change. CJS Research & Planning offers a team of analyst’s ready to respond to system needs and to lead data-driven initiatives. CJS programs continually evaluate their services and evolve to incorporate evidence-based practices. Care for the Mentally Ill in the Justice System - It is unfortunate that many individuals with mental illness and substance abuse problems find themselves in our jails and prisons. Our treatment courts offer therapeutically appropriate alternatives to incarceration. The jail liaison within CJS identifies individuals with serious mental illness and/or developmental disabilities and works to obtain their release into a treatment setting. A Criminal Justice Advisory Group committee is studying options to prevent the frequent arrests and jail stays of those with mental illness. Recidivism - To successfully reenter our community and reintegrate, individuals returning from prisons and jails need supportive case management services. To avoid recidivism, individuals must quickly meet basic needs for housing and employment. Communication pre- and post-release and coordination of services are keys to success. Collaboration Within and Across Systems - Recognizing the need for collaboration to achieve shared goals, Mecklenburg County has convened and supported the Criminal Justice Advisory Group (CJAG) for ten years. Since problems and community needs span across systems, CJAG leaders frequently partner with leaders from behavioral health and other human services. National Interest, Spotlights, and Funding Opportunities - Our justice system consistently presents us with big and fundamental problems to solve. CJS is poised to take advantage of national interest in justice issues, realizing positive publicity for our programs and grant funding for our work ahead.



Our Goals

Director’s Message

Criminal Justice Services (CJS) helps to optimize Mecklenburg County’s investments in criminal justice. Through CJS, the County provides select services that enhance the administration of justice and assist individuals involved in the justice system. The first three goals of the strategic plan align closely to the CJS mission to ensure a justice system that is data-driven, effective and collaborative. The fourth goal of the CJS strategic plan focuses on the newly created Business Management Division.

Goal 1: Promote data-driven decision making to improve the criminal justice system. Pretrial Services has gained national recognition for its implementation of a risk-based assessment tool that is optimizing the way we use our jails to detain pretrial defendants. Through the data warehouse, Research & Planning will provide real-time data and analysis to inform and affect change. Forensic Evaluations will continue to provide psychological assessments to ensure appropriate court proceedings for children and adults.

Goal 2: Advance effective, evidence-based programming to meet individual needs and reduce criminal justice involvement. CJS will seek County funding to build Re-Entry Services into an integrated portal for individuals returning to our community from prisons and jails, focusing on housing and employment. The Treatment Courts will leverage best practices and outcome data to ensure appropriate justice and effective treatment. Forensic Evaluations will seek to increase its staff capacity to identify those with mental illness in our jails and seek their release into treatment. To provide high-quality programming with demonstrable results, CJS case managers urgently need an effective case management software system. Research & Planning will provide assessment and assistance to increase the quality and effectiveness of programming for justice-involved individuals.

Goal 3: Lead interagency and cross-departmental collaboration to optimize the County's investments in criminal justice. Research & Planning will continue to support the Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Advisory Group (CJAG) and other county departments’ collaboratives to reduce justice involvement of county residents. Re-Entry Services will support the work of Re-Entry Partners of Mecklenburg, our local re-entry council. All CJS services will seek ways to maximize partnerships with other County departments, such as with the Consolidated Human Services Agency and especially with the Sheriff’s Office.

Goal 4: Enhance business operations to provide excellent service to all Mecklenburg County and outside agency customers. The Business Management Division was created to proactively support the Criminal Justice Services Department mission and strategic goals. The division will focus on streamlining business processes, enhancing department operations, maintaining knowledge management, and facilitating talent management and professional development.

It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve as Director of Criminal Justice Services for Mecklenburg County. CJS has established itself as an entity of excellence; noted for its innovation and dedication to our criminal justice system and those we serve. The success of CJS is due to the hard work and tireless efforts of the CJS team and its partners.

CJS has valuable programs consisting of managers who are experts in criminal justice research and planning, forensic evaluations, pre-trial services, re-entry services and treatment courts. The experience and dedication of CJS employees is reflected daily. The strength of this strategic plan is a result of the vision, commitment to best practices and motivation to serve our community of the CJS team. I would like to thank CJS managers Janeanne Gonzales, Jessica Ireland, Hope Marshall, Dr. Stephen Strzelecki, and Amira Barnett. I would also like to recognize CJS management analysts Katy Fitzgerald and Michael Griswold for their assistance in developing this plan.

I look forward to working with the CJS team and our partners as we continue our efforts to take CJS to the next level.

-Sonya L. Harper, Director, Criminal Justice Services

Criminal Justice Services has a strong track record of innovation and excellence, with valuable programs and talented employees.

The CJS program managers are experts in criminal justice planning, forensic evaluations, pretrial services, re-entry services, and treatment courts. The strength of this strategic plan is a result of their vision, commitment to best practices, and motivation to serve our community.

CJS employees are dedicated to their work and ready to take CJS to the next level.

The goals of the strategic plan closely align to the CJS mission to ensure a justice system that is data-driven, effective and collaborative.



GOAL 1: Promote Data-Driven Decision Making to Improve the Criminal Justice System

Objective 1: Increase availability of meaningful data to inform management decisions and enhance understanding of the criminal justice system

Strategy A Optimize the use of a local criminal justice electronic data sharing system.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Operationalize the use and maintenance of the Criminal Justice Data Warehouse.

♦ Develop and institutionalize collaborative process for updating and tracking the annual jail population forecast model. This is a joint initiative between CJS and MCSO.

FY 2018

♦ Collaborate with justice system partners to identify opportunities for development of meaningful reports of justice system data.

♦ Publish public-facing, web-based criminal justice system dashboards.

Total associated costs: FY 2017—FY 2018 $TBD by ITS

Performance Measures

◊ Project completion rate (existing CJS SLI)

◊ Percent increase in unique visitors per month

◊ Ratio of actual to budgeted maintenance costs

Comments ◊

Few jurisdictions in the nation have a data repository that equips justice system leaders with information to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and interoperability of the various criminal justice agencies. The Criminal Justice Data Warehouse provides Mecklenburg County with a unique advantage in understanding its system with current and historical data. The Warehouse retrieves information from the record management systems of the Arrest Processing center, the Mecklenburg County Jail, and the Mecklenburg County courts to provide comprehensive data on the adult criminal justice system. It allows for real-time analysis of trends, providing critical information for decision-making, which is crucial for stakeholders interacting with the public, the media, and their constituency. Through a public-facing data dashboard, the public will have access to a set of justice system data for use in their own analyses, which will increase transparency and contribute toward a positive perception of the criminal justice system among Mecklenburg County residents.



GOAL 1: Promote Data-Driven Decision Making to Improve the Criminal Justice System (cont’d)

Objective 2: Increase the efficiency and timeliness of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) risk-assessment process

Strategy A Automate the process of completing the PSA risk-assessment tool.

Actions ◊

FY 2018

♦ Secure all necessary access and permissions required from outside agencies to automate the completion of the PSA tool.

♦ Collaborate with Mecklenburg County ITS to establish the scope and timeline for the PSA automation project.

♦ Collaborate with Mecklenburg County ITS and outside agencies to ensure the proper integration of external data into the CJLEADS system.

Total associated costs: FY 2018 – FY2019 $500,000 (grant)


◊ Percent of PSAs completed through the automated process

◊ Percent reduction in manually completed PSA assessments

Comments ◊

Automation of the Pretrial Services Public Safety Assessment (PSA) will be completed with anticipated funding from the McArthur Foundation. The PSA uses objective criminal history data to identify defendant’s risk of failing to appear at court, risk of committing new criminal activity, and risk of committing new violent crime. Currently, Pretrial Services completes the PSA on defendants immediately prior to First Appearance, and the information is made available for the judge when setting conditions of release. Automating the PSA would allow the magistrates to use this tool during arrest processing so that decisions to detain defendants consistently consider risk. In doing so, costly jail bed days are used to detain those who pose a risk to the community, while low-risk defendants are diverted from jail. Based on current data, automating the PSA could result in up to a 10% reduction in the pretrial jail population on any given day. In looking ahead three years, our resources will be used wisely, and spent on detaining high-risk defendants.




Objective 3: Transition the Pretrial risk-assessment tool, Public Safety Assessment (PSA), to the magistrate level to make risk-based information available to magistrates when making their initial bond decisions

Strategy A Secure stakeholder endorsement for this transition, especially from the Chief District Court Judge and the Chief Magistrate.

Actions ◊

FY 2018

♦ Develop training module for magistrates and other relevant stakeholders designed to teach these individuals how to use the PSA risk-assessment tool.

♦ Collaborate with the magistrates to develop policies and procedures for when the PSA should be completed by the magistrates and when it should be completed by Pretrial staff prior to first-appearance.

♦ Collaborate with Mecklenburg County ITS to install the PSA application onto the computers in the Magistrates’ Office.

FY 2019

♦ Provide ongoing quality assurance and analysis for the PSA tool after moving the tool to the Magistrates’ Office.

Total associated costs: FY 2018 $0


◊ Percent incidents where PSA scores were created for consideration at initial bond setting

◊ Percent reduction in PSA assessments completed by pretrial staff

Comments ◊

Once the PSA becomes automated and the magistrates begin using the PSA to inform initial bond decisions, Pretrial Services will reallocate staff resources to optimize timely release of individuals referred to Pretrial Services. Currently, Pretrial Services is only able to release 63% of defendants within 24 hours of referral. A growing body of research supports the idea that the longer a low-risk defendant stays in jail, the more likely they are to recidivate. As a result, it is paramount that Pretrial Services works to quickly facilitate the release eligible defendants. Having additional resources would help expedite the release process. As judicial officers (magistrates and judges) become increasingly comfortable with using the PSA, we anticipate that referrals to Pretrial Services will increase. Assuming an aggressive concurrence rate with the PSA of 65%, Pretrial Services would expect to receive annual referrals slightly over 1,300. In March 2015, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a revised Pretrial Services Eligibility Policy. The policy prohibits all high-risk defendants from receiving supervision from Pretrial Services regardless of their charge and 2) permits the Court to make referrals for supervision on low and moderate risk defendants. These defendants receive consideration for supervision from the program if they meet program eligibility requirements and are not charged with murder, sex, robbery, or escape related offenses.




Objective 4: Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of forensic evaluations available to Mecklenburg County courts

Strategy A Create new types of forensic evaluations and/or modify existing types of forensic evaluations based on the input of quarterly meetings with judges, Mecklenburg County programs and/or community stakeholders.

Actions ◊

FY 2017—FY 2019

♦ Schedule a minimum of quarterly meetings with Mecklenburg County Judges, Youth and Family Services Attorneys, the Council for Children's Rights, Guardian ad Litem program, the District Attorney's Office and/or Public Defender’s Office.

♦ Monthly meetings with staff psychologist and post-doctoral fellow to review feedback from quarterly stakeholder meetings and develop forensic psychological evaluations to meet their expressed needs.

♦ Validate any new or modified forensic psychological evaluations to ensure that the tool is performing as expected.

Total associated costs: FY 2017—FY 2019 $0

Performance Measure

◊ Develop and implement at least one new or modified type of forensic psychological evaluation before the end of FY19.

Strategy B Increase the number of forensic evaluations assigned to an evaluator within the prescribed local timeframe.

Actions ◊

FY 2017—FY 2019

♦ Conduct at least 10 meetings with various County agencies and community stakeholders to provide education on the forensic evaluation referral process.

♦ Schedule monthly internal meetings to review progress to date and develop additional plans as needed to successfully meet this goal.


Performance Measure

◊ 33% increase in the number of forensic evaluations assigned to an evaluator within the prescribed local timeframe.

Comments ◊

The mission of the Forensic Evaluations Unit is to provide the Mecklenburg County Courts with scientifically, ethically, and legally sound evaluations, consultation, and other services related to psychology in order to assist the Courts in their task of properly administering justice. The Unit is involved with cases in Juvenile Court, District and Superior Criminal Courts and Clerk of Court-Special Proceeding Division, and conducts a variety of evaluations that include the following: Parental Competency Evaluation (Rule 17), Parenting Capacity Evaluation, Juvenile Capacity to Proceed, Juvenile Transfer to Superior Court Evaluation, Mental Status at the Time of Offense, Competency to Waive Miranda Rights, Risk Assessment for Future Violence, Capacity to Proceed Screening Evaluation, and Multidisciplinary Evaluation.



GOAL 2: Advance Effective, Evidence-Based Programming to Meet Individual Needs and Reduce Criminal Justice Involvement

Objective 1: Obtain appropriate tools to provide comprehensive case management services for CJS clients

Strategy A Increase capacity for performance tracking and records management in the provision of direct services by CJS services.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Develop comprehensive case management system available to Re-Entry, Pretrial, Treatment Courts and Forensic Evaluations.

FY 2018

♦ Establish tracking mechanism to identify individuals who are interfacing with more than one CJS program.

♦ Establish tracking mechanism to identify individuals who are interfacing with CJS and other county programs.

Total associated costs: FY 2017—2018 $TBD by ITS


◊ Full implementation of Pretrial Services data system by November 2017

◊ Full implementation of Drug Treatment Court data system by end of FY2018

◊ Full implementation of Re-Entry Services data system by end of FY2018

◊ Establish tracking mechanism to identify individuals who are interfacing with more than one CJS program by end of FY 2018.

Comments ◊

Two CJS services, Re-Entry Services and Treatment Courts, urgently need a case management software system. Re-Entry Services uses an Access database, software that the County no longer supports. When entering notes, each case manager creates a duplicate version of the database. The Re-Entry Services program manager must regularly merge the duplicate versions of the database to ensure an integrated records system. Until March 2015, Treatment Courts used a state-supported Management Information System. In March 2015, the system crashed and the Administrative Office of the Courts does not plan to replace the system. The Treatment Courts are using Excel spreadsheets and Word documents to maintain records and track program performance information. The Treatment Courts would like to complete a treatment court-wide outcome evaluation, which is included later in this plan (Goal 2, Objective 6). This outcome evaluation has been postponed until FY19 because the Treatment Courts currently do not have performance data readily available to assess.



GOAL 2: Advance Effective, Evidence-Based Programming to Meet Individual Needs and Reduce Criminal Justice Involvement (cont’d)

Objective 2: Increase the capacity of Re-Entry Services to provide service to CJS clients

Strategy A Provide skilled case managers to deliver services to individuals returning to Mecklenburg County from incarceration.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Provide case management services for juveniles aging out of the juvenile system and at highest risk for entering the adult system (16+ years of age) through a DPS Alternatives to Commitment grant.

♦ Assist with case management and monitoring, assist clients with navigating various systems (education, employment, benefits, etc.), and provide ongoing client support by applying for an ABC Board grant.

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Deliver services to those returning from state prisons and the Mecklenburg County Jail

Total associated costs: FY 2017 $63,299

Human Capital Criminal Justice Case Manager $59,937 (new)

Communications iPhone and service $612 (new)

Other ♦ Training, Travel, Dues ♦ Support Services

$1,270 (grant) $12,000 (grant

Total associated costs: FY 2018 - 2019 $83,589

Human Capital Criminal Justice Case Manager $59,937 (ongoing)

Communications iPhone and service $612 (ongoing)

Other ♦ Training, Travel, Dues (Case Managers) ♦ Support Services

$1,508 (ongoing) $21,532 (grant)




Objective 2: Increase the capacity of Re-Entry Services to provide service to CJS clients (cont’d)

Strategy A Provide skilled case managers to deliver services to individuals returning to Mecklenburg County from incarceration (continued).


◊ Attrition rate (inverse measure)

◊ Successful completion of individual case plan

◊ Percent of all RES clients served within the target population (moderate to high risk/needs)

◊ Number of juveniles enrolled vs. Number of juveniles identified

Comments ◊

Re-Entry Services was implemented in October 2013 by a grant from the NC Department of Public Safety as one of five pilot sites. Other sites include: Buncombe County Health and Human Services (Buncombe County), Life of NC Inc, dba STRIVE (Pitt County), NC Community Action Association (Nash/Edgecombe/Wilson Counties) and Robeson County Department of Public Health (Robeson/Scotland/Hoke Counties). State funding for prison re-entry services expires June 30, 2016. A one year re-arrest rate for the first cohort completing some level of service is 27%, while those dropping out are re-arrested within one year at a rate of 43%. Our goal to reach a 16% re-arrest rate by the end of FY2019 and to slash our dropout rate in half to 19%. To date (November 2013-December 2015) Re-Entry Services has served 389 clients and currently has 112 active clients among three case managers. During this same period, 146 clients have been placed in employment, about six placements per month with an average starting wage of $9.54/hour. Males account for 91% of our clientele with 82% of clients being African-American. CJS will seek grant funding for case managers for the jail and juvenile re-entry populations to deliver services similar to those provided for the prison re-entry population. The addition of a case manager for juveniles aging out of the juvenile justice system will provide added supports needed to provide structure, skill building and guidance to a group most at-risk to entering the adult justice system, those aged 16-18 being released from NC Youth Development Centers (training schools) whose next offense puts them in the adult system. For example, during FY16 we have had one pilot case working with Juvenile Court Counselors, training school case workers, and a family member; this juvenile is currently in stable housing, developing prosocial networks, attending CPCC full-time and working part-time with no further offenses. For both the jail and juvenile populations, we utilize both facility in-reach and community outreach to close the revolving door of incarceration and criminal activity. Peer support specialists (PSS) have been used successfully with the criminally involved mentally ill population with initial research showing a 53% reduction in re-incarceration for offenders with mental illness, and a 22% reduction for the general offender population (Peerstar LLC, Pennsylvania). Both Pennsylvania and Texas have implemented PSS programs within correctional facilities and support programs in the community. The addition of PSS has shown increases in quality of life, coping mechanisms, medication compliance, daily functioning, rate of employment and earnings, and social networks. Re-Entry Services will use PSSs with those clients in need of additional supports, especially since depression, anxiety and stress are seen in a majority of offenders; they will also assist offenders in navigating different service systems, role modeling and developing cognitive, social and employment retention skills.




Objective 3: Improve access to affordable housing for those with criminal histories

Strategy A Develop housing network for those with criminal histories.

Actions ◊

FY 2017—FY 2019

♦ Identify number of available beds, program requirements and funding sources.

FY 2018

♦ Develop plan to expand the number of available beds in Mecklenburg County.


Human Capital Resource Coordinator $45,430 (new)


Human Capital Resource Coordinator $45,430 (ongoing)

Other ♦ Training, Travel, Dues $750 (ongoing)


Human Capital Resource Coordinator $45,430 (ongoing)

Other ♦ Training, Travel, Dues $750 (ongoing)


◊ Percent increase in the number of beds available in Mecklenburg County

◊ Percent increase in the number of housing partners in Mecklenburg County

Strategy B Examine feasibility of residential options within the community.

Action ◊

FY 2018

♦ Coordinate with justice system partners and County stakeholders to identify individuals who are potentially eligible for/have access to benefits.


Human Capital Existing resources based on costs identified in Objective 3, Strategy A.

$0

Performance Measure

◊ Complete feasibility analysis by the end of FY 2018.




Objective 3: Improve access to affordable housing for those with criminal histories (cont’d)

Strategy C Seek opportunities to increase use of subsidized and supportive housing for those with criminal histories.

Actions ◊

FY 2018

♦ Develop housing resources for hard to house persons, including sex offenders.

FY 2019

♦ Implement plan to expand the number of available beds for sex offenders in Mecklenburg County.


Other State program housing (60 housing slots) Local program housing (30 housing slots) Juvenile program housing (15 housing slots)

$30,000 (new) $15,000 (new) $7,500 (new)


Other State program housing (60 housing slots) Local program housing (30 housing slots) Juvenile program housing (15 housing slots)

$30,000 (ongoing) $15,000 (ongoing) $7,500 (ongoing)


◊ Percent of referred sex offenders requiring housing who received housing

◊ Percent increase in the use of subsidized and supportive housing

◊ Percent increase in the number of beds available for sex offenders




Objective 3: Improve access to affordable housing for those with criminal histories (cont’d)

Strategy C Seek opportunities to increase use of subsidized and supportive housing for those with criminal histories (continued).

Comments ◊

Objective 3 aligns with Strategy K (Balance available housing options) of the Mecklenburg Livable Communities Plan. Resource coordination involves ongoing networking with agencies, community partners and individuals. The Resource Coordinator (RC) will work with other housing programs as well as identify new housing partners willing to house felony and chronic misdemeanor offenders. This population differs from that in most housing programs in that they are restricted from living in most subsidized and/or supportive housing and their records are too lengthy for expungements, which can help those with less criminal history. The RC will also coordinate referrals for identification, food, medical care, transportation, clothing and other basic needs that support employment. We average 335 annual referrals to community agencies; 117 referrals for clothing/food/cell phone assistance; 86 for medical/dental/vision; and 97 for mental health/substance abuse/medication/sex offender support (total of 635 community and service referrals). A Resource Coordinator would allow for a formal referral and follow-up system and monitoring of actual services. Housing for residents returning from prison is a major barrier to reintegration, especially employment. This population is faced with homelessness and unstable housing environments, both of which prevent them from providing a stable address and maintaining steady employment. Housing for those with lengthy criminal histories is extremely limited, even more so for registered sex offenders, and many times not on a bus route making it more difficult to obtain services and employment. Most of our high risk/high need offenders are also ineligible for expungements which could open up housing services and the majority cannot meet the definition of homelessness required for housing programs. Research shows the likelihood of re-arrest increases 25% with each change in residence. Housing slots will enable Re-Entry Services to work with partners to serve hard-to-house residents, as well as work with housing partners to create stable housing with public safety and supervision as priorities. Without formal regulations, a Resource Coordinator will provide a formal structure for halfway owners to provide services in a therapeutic environment and encourage and monitor the use of evidence based practices. In FY15/16 Re-Entry Services paid for 81 monthly housing slots for 31 offenders, most of whom would have left prison without a housing plan.




Objective 4: Facilitate the creation of employment opportunities for persons with criminal histories

Strategy A Develop training-to-employment opportunities for in-demand positions.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Build network of employers willing to hire persons with criminal histories.

FY 2018

♦ Identify fields in which training-to-employment tracks can be created.

♦ Collaborate with the County Manager’s Office Workforce Development group to address employment retention and barriers to employment.





◊ Average starting wage per job placement

◊ Percent of individuals in job placement after 6 months




Objective 4: Facilitate the creation of employment opportunities for persons with criminal histories (cont’d)

Strategy A Develop training-to-employment opportunities for in-demand positions (continued).

Comments ◊

Objective 4 aligns with Strategy O (Enhance partnerships between workforce development initiatives and employers) of the Mecklenburg Livable Communities Plan. The majority of persons with criminal records who have been incarcerated tend to share many of the same qualities: low academic achievement, low vocational skills attainment, and limited success in obtaining stable employment. Additionally, they lack many of the cognitive behavioral skills necessary to retain employment, such as conflict resolution and goal setting. The Job Program Specialist and Intern positions will work with other workforce development professionals and employers to identify and create jobs and training tracks most likely to lead to steady employment. Education, as well as vocational and retention skills training in identified areas/industries, will offer returning residents a path to more employment opportunities. Re-Entry Services currently works Goodwill Industries, Charlotte Area Fund, Urban Ministry Center, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Center for Community Transitions, and central Piedmont Community College and many other agencies to provide educational and vocational supports. Since beginning the program, 718 referrals for soft and retention skills training, education, identification/documentation, certifications and job leads are made by Re-Entry Services; 146 job placements have been recorded through these referrals in addition to employment obtained by the offenders completing skills classes. About six placements per month are made with an average starting wage of $9.54/hour. Our goal is to increase placements to 15-20 per month with an average starting wage of $11-15/hour by the end of FY2019. Currently we have thirteen clients enrolled in diploma programs at CPCC, with eight more set to begin in March 2016; additionally we have one enrolled in the Community Culinary School of Charlotte with two more set to enroll in the next few months (the school is free to residents of Mecklenburg County; Re-Entry Services assists with housing costs during the three month program). On average 718 referrals for soft and retention skills training, education, identification/documentation, certifications and job leads are made by Re-Entry Services; 131 job placements have been recorded through these referrals in addition to employment obtained by the offenders completing skills classes. The Job Program Specialist and Intern positions will allow for the development of employment tracks with higher wages, in-reach from employers, and the use of Certificates of Relief (a legal process similar to expungements that provides relief for the offender).




Objective 5: Reduce number of individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) detained in Mecklenburg County Jail Central and Jail North

Strategy A Ensure Transport Orders are signed and filed for SMPI individuals that are found to be Incapable to Proceed (ITP) to trial and in need of psychiatric treatment/stabilization.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ A Court Liaison will attend all Capacity to Proceed hearings for defendants in the custody of the Sheriff in order to identify the individuals that are found Incapable to Proceed and in need of psychiatric treatment/stabilization.

♦ Court Liaison will track ITP cases in jail, will assume responsibility for submitting the Transport Order, and ensure execution of the Transport Order.


Human Capital Mental Health Licensed Clinician $67,507 (new)

IT Standard Office Equipment/Licenses $1,637 (new)


Other Travel Allowance $1,500 (new)


Human Capital Mental Health Licensed Clinician $67,507 (ongoing)

Other Travel Allowance $1,500 (ongoing)


Human Capital Mental Health Licensed Clinician $67,507 (ongoing)

Other Travel Allowance $1,500 (ongoing)

Performance Measure

◊ Decrease in the number of days a defendant spends in jail after being found ITP and in need of psychiatric hospitalization and stabilization/restoration.




Objective 5: Reduce number of individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) detained in Mecklenburg County Jail Central and Jail North (cont’d)

Strategy B Track progress of Incompetent to Proceed (ITP) cases receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment and assist in coordinating the legal and services needs prior to discharge.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Court Liaison will monitor progress of ITP defendant during hospital treatment and provide updated status information to the Court, defense attorney and assistant district attorney.

♦ Court Liaison will assist in coordinating implementation of services (housing, benefits, etc.) so that stabilized ITP defendants can be safely released to community while awaiting trial.


Performance Measure

◊ 25% decrease in the number of defendants returning to jail after discharge from the hospital (establish baseline in FY16).

Strategy C Decrease arrest rate for individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), who are identified as “high-end users” of law enforcement and mental health services and have a pattern of frequent arrests for low-level offenses.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Execute and/or expand MOUs between CJS, County Programs, community partners and law enforcement in order to communicate information regarding specific individuals identified as "high-end users" when they come into contact with law enforcement prior to being arrested.

♦ Use various alternatives to incarceration when individuals identified as "high-end users" are involved with possible illegal activities. These alternatives can include Out-Patient Mental Health Commitment, Emergency Respite, Peer Assistance/Respite and Crisis Stabilization.

Total associated costs: FY17 $0

Human Capital Existing Jail Liaison Position $0

Performance Measure

◊ 25% decrease in the number of individuals in the identified group that are booked into jail.




Objective 5: Reduce number of individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) detained in Mecklenburg County Jail Central and Jail North (cont’d)

Strategy C Decrease arrest rate for individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), who are identified as “high-end users” of law enforcement and mental health services and have a pattern of frequent arrests for low-level offenses (continued).

Comments ◊

Objective 5 aligns with Strategy L (Coordinate the work of organizations addressing the needs of at-risk residents) and Strategy A (Build a Safe Community) of the Mecklenburg Livable Communities Plan. Currently the Jail Liaison performs diversionary screenings and evaluations on approximately 300 defendants/inmates per year that are designed to identify and divert individuals with severe mental illness from the criminal justice system into treatment with the mental health system or alternative programs when appropriate. Additionally, the Forensic Evaluations Unit performs between 80 to 100 court-ordered Capacity to Proceed Screening Evaluations per year, of which 30% of the individuals are found have significant mental health issues that result in them being determined to be not capable to proceed to trial. While recommendations for these individuals include placement and stabilization in a State psychiatric hospital, there is presently no definitive process to obtain the court order to transport these individuals to a State hospital. As a result, many defendants remain in jail and do not receive appropriate behavioral health treatment, which can result in a further decompensation in their functioning and/or release from jail while still experiencing significant mental health issues. Further, defendants that are transported and treated in a State psychiatric hospital frequently are returned to jail after being stabilized, where they are likely to decompensate and re-experience significant mental health issues. Finally, as part of the Criminal Justice Advisory Group’s Street Campaign, over 50 individuals have been identified as having frequent recurring involvement with the criminal justice system for minor infractions (trespassing, open-container, etc.), which is a consequence of their mental illness/homelessness issues. The addition of a Court Liaison position would allow many of the areas of need above to be addressed, as well as expand the capacity to work with more individuals with mental illness that are involved with the criminal justice system, reducing the burden these individuals place on County resources including days in jail, recurring court hearings and policing services in the community.




Objective 6: Maximize the Treatment Courts’ effectiveness

Strategy A Expand the capacity of the Treatment Courts’ drug test lab.

Actions ◊

FY 2017:

♦ Hire additional staff to increase lab productivity.

FY 2018

♦ Upfit current drug lab to allow for increased output.


Human Capital Existing PT temporary lab technician to a PT permanent position (salary is existing, $4,800 benefits)

$4,800 (new)

Total associated costs: FY 2018 $ 38,918+

Human Capital PT Permanent Lab Technician Benefits Lab Technician

$4,800 (ongoing) $32,481 (new)


Assets/Facilities Location enhancements $TBD by AFM

Total associated costs: FY 2019 $ 37,281

Human Capital PT Permanent Lab Technician Benefits Lab Technician

$4,800 (ongoing) $32,481(ongoing)

Performance Measure

◊ Percent increase in the output of the Treatment Courts’ drug lab by the end of FY19.




Objective 6: Maximize the Treatment Courts’ effectiveness (cont’d)

Strategy B Complete a treatment court-wide outcome evaluation by the end of FY19.

Actions ◊

FY 2018

♦ Identify sources of data and obtain the necessary permissions and/or agreements needed to access this data.

FY 2019

♦ Identify and contract with consultant to conduct treatment court evaluation.



Other External consultant for treatment court evaluation $75,000

Performance Measure

◊ Percent of recommendations implemented by the end of FY 2019

Strategy C Identify and promote tools to ensure quality assurance and use of best practices for serving justice-involved populations.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Analyze/Review ORAS, GAIN-Q3 scores to ensure that individuals classified as high-risk/high-need are receiving the services that they require.

♦ Work with local providers to implement evidence-based programming targeted at criminogenic risks and needs.


Performance Measure

◊ Proportion of clients served that are identified as High Risk/High Need.




Objective 6: Maximize the Treatment Courts’ effectiveness (cont’d)

Strategy A Expand the capacity of the Treatment Courts’ drug test lab.

Comments ◊

Having celebrated 20 years of operations in 2015, the Mecklenburg County Drug Treatment Court (DTC) program has grown from operating one to now operating six treatment courts. Each of these courts were developed to address an identified need for a unique justice-involved population in response to changes within the local community that had a negative impact on the courts and County services. All six courts have been operational for a minimum of ten years. Since FY12, the County has provided full management oversight and funding for these court programs, which has allowed for an in-depth look at operational and programmatic effectiveness to address program efficiency and ensure the highest possible outcomes for justice-involved Mecklenburg County residents. Additionally, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals published “Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards, Volume I” in 2013, with Volume II being released in July 2015. DTC has used the 10 core standards included in those volumes to guide changes in program operations.

1. Target population 2. Historically Disadvantaged Groups 3. Roles and Responsibilities of the Judge 4. Incentives, Sanctions, and Therapeutic Adjustments 5. Substance Abuse Treatment 6. Complementary Treatment and Social Services 7. Drug and Alcohol Testing 8. Multidisciplinary Team 9. Census and Caseloads 10. Monitoring and Evaluation

The National Drug Court Institute (NCDI) will be delivering a training on the drug court standards to CJS on April 28, 2017. The three strategies included in the FY17-19 strategic plan will serve to further enhance the program as it aligns itself with these National Standards. Specifically:

1. Strategy A will address operational concerns regarding drug and alcohol testing by increasing the quantity and quality of testing completed internally in support of the programs.

2. Strategy B will provide invaluable feedback regarding the effectiveness of operational changes made to date regarding the program’s ability to reduce recidivism among Mecklenburg County residents and its impact on the criminal justice system and the use of public services like emergency department visits, foster care and youth and family services, homelessness, etc.

3. Strategy C will confirm the program is targeting the appropriate individuals for participation in one of the treatment courts by ensuring they are assessed as being high risk/high need and receive the appropriate services to address those risks and needs.

While many items have been addressed, much remains to be done to bring all our collaborative partners (over 40 agencies) into agreement regarding the implementation of effective, evidence-based programming for these services. It is our goal to become a model program for North Carolina and treatment courts across the Country.




Objective 7: Provide objective research, evaluation, and performance monitoring for county and community-based agencies

Strategy A Launch the Research & Planning Division’s Research and Evaluation Program

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Finalize Research & Planning Division Research and Evaluation guide

♦ Formally launch program by informing CJS divisions and partners of enhanced services that will be available through the CJS Research & Planning Division

FY 2018

♦ Develop annual research and evaluation plan

♦ Conduct planned and ad-hoc projects

♦ Institute an annual evaluation process to continually refine and improve the Research and Evaluation Program



Human Capital Management Analyst $62,057 (new)



Other Training and Travel $3,000 (new)


Human Capital Management Analyst $62,057 (ongoing)

Other Training and Travel $3,000 (ongoing)


◊ Percent of projects accepted

◊ Percent of projects completed within 45 days of estimated completion date




Objective 7: Provide objective research, evaluation, and performance monitoring for county and community-based agencies (cont’d)

Strategy A Launch the Research & Planning Division’s Research and Evaluation Program (continued).

Comments ◊

The Research & Planning Division's products contribute to increased efficiency and effectiveness within the criminal justice system by supporting objective, evidence-based decision making. The Research & Planning Division is also tasked with researching, developing, piloting, and implementing new projects and programs aligned with the Criminal Justice Services mission of reducing criminal justice involvement and strengthening the well-being of the community. The Research and Evaluation Program will allow the Division to better manage the multitude of requests it receives throughout the year. In addition, the Research and Evaluation Program will allow the Division to offer an enhanced portfolio of research, evaluation, assessment, and performance monitoring services to the other CJS divisions and also to its partnering agencies. These enhanced services will allow Research & Planning and CJS to continue to advocate for and advance effective, evidence-based programming within the local criminal justice system.





Strategy B Launch a Correctional Programs Checklist (CPC) Quality Assurance Program.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Create systematic process for CPC assessments to occur on an ongoing basis throughout each year with optional guidance for implementation of recommendations.

♦ Foster a culture that encourages and rewards quality, evidence-based criminal justice programming throughout Mecklenburg County.

FY 2018

♦ Create multidisciplinary team of certified CPC assessors to conduct two assessments per year.



Human Capital Existing resources based on costs identified in Objective 7, Strategy A

$0

Other Certification of CPC; annual refresher trainings $8,500


◊ Percent of recommendations implemented after two years from assessment





Strategy B Launch a Correctional Programs Checklist (CPC) Quality Assurance Program (continued).

Comments ◊

National research shows that only 25 percent of programs serving the justice-involved population meet standards in use of evidence-based practices. Most programs do not track their impact by measuring outcomes or they self-evaluate their services incorrectly, leading to inaccurate impressions regarding the effectiveness of their programming. By not applying best practice principles, some programs have a reverse impact than intended and may contribute to recidivism. An estimated 30 to 40 community-based organizations receive referrals or funds from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg juvenile and adult justice systems to conduct programming for justice-involved individuals. Clients may be referred or court-ordered to these programs for diversion or deferred prosecution, for post-adjudication diversion, or as part of a sentence. However, very few of these programs have been assessed regarding their effectiveness in treating the offender population. In alignment with the CJS mission, the Quality Assurance Program will provide the justice system with objective data that will benefit programs by providing an assessment of their services and recommendations for improvement, while also enabling better decisions to be made regarding referrals and case planning for justice-involved individuals. Criminal Justice Services has created a team of professionals who are certified in administering the Correctional Programs Checklist assessment tool. This tool can be used to help programs understand how well they provide evidence-based services to people who face certain unique challenges that stem from involvement in the justice system. “The Evidence Based Correctional Program Checklist (CPC) is a tool developed for assessing correctional intervention programs, and is used to ascertain how closely correctional programs meet known principles of effective intervention. Several recent studies conducted by the University of Cincinnati on both adult and juvenile programs were used to develop and validate the indicators on the CPC. These studies found strong correlations with outcome between both domain areas and individual items.” University of Cincinnati, see: https://www.uc.edu/corrections/services/program_evaluation.html. No other entity in Mecklenburg County provides assessments to measure the effective use of evidence-based, best-practices among services for the offender population. At this time, three community-based programs have been assessed and two additional assessments are being planned. A full roll-out of the Quality Assurance program is contingent on funding for additional positions in the Criminal Justice Research & Planning team. Once operating at full capacity, we anticipate the following results: 12-15 programs assessed per year; 12-15 programs receiving technical assistance to implement recommended changes; measurable increase in use of evidence-based practices among assessed programs; increased use of county funds for documented evidence-based programming; heightened standard of excellence for justice programs; and a measurable decrease in recidivism and associated collateral impacts of participants in assessed programs. While the Research & Planning Division may ultimately not control how many recommendations are implemented, this measure will be a useful internal indicator for how well this service is being delivered.

https://www.uc.edu/corrections/services/program_evaluation.html





Strategy C Support performance monitoring of CJS programs and CJS-funded programs.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Support and create additional performance monitoring systems for CJS programs.

♦ Improve service-level measures for all CJS and CJS-funded programs.

♦ Conduct or facilitate program assessments to measure program efficacy and efficiency.


Human Capital Existing resources $0


◊ Percent of recommendations implemented after one year from evaluation

◊ Percent of performance measures and targets aligned with best practices and/or national industry standards

Comments ◊

The Research & Planning Division will work directly with the other CJS divisions to develop performance monitoring frameworks with which each CJS division can easily monitor their performance relative to predetermined goals. The Research & Planning Division will continue to assess and improve the department’s portfolio of service level measures in order to align these measures with both national best practices and CJS’ department budget. While the Division may ultimately not control how many recommendations are implemented, this measure will be a useful internal indicator for how well this service is being delivered.




Objective 8: Pretrial Services will operate according to national standards for providing effective pretrial programming

Strategy A Pretrial Services will attain national accreditation through the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA)

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Gather the necessary documentation/process indicators to prepare an accreditation binder for the auditors.

♦ Participate in bi-weekly conference calls to review the accreditation standards.

♦ Participate in accreditation site visits.

FY 2018

♦ Finalize Pretrial Services accreditation requirements.



Other Accreditation fees $10,000 (existing)

Performance Measure

◊ Pretrial Services will receive full accreditation by NAPSA by the end of FY 2018

Comments ◊ CJS has begun the process of attaining national accreditation through NAPSA. The Pretrial Services Division has assembled a team to begin working on the requirements. CJS anticipates an on-site evaluation to occur in June 2017.




Objective 8: Pretrial Services will operate according to national standards for providing effective pretrial programming (cont’d)

Strategy B Pretrial Services will continuously monitor and periodically revalidate the use of the Public Safety Assessment-Court (PSA-Court) risk assessment tool.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Complete biennial PSA-Court revalidation in partnership with external consultant.

FY 2018

♦ Pretrial Services, in conjunction with the Research and Planning Division, will monitor the use of PSA-Court risk assessment tool.

FY 2019

♦ The Pretrial Services Division and the Research and Planning Division will complete the biennial PSA-Court revalidation.



$0



$0



$0

Performance Measure

◊ PSA validation completed in FY 2017 and FY 2019.

Comments ◊ CJS is committed to continually monitoring and revalidating the use of the PSA to ensure that the PSA is being used properly and that appropriate recommendations are being provided to the court system.



GOAL 3: Lead interagency and cross-departmental collaboration to optimize the County's investments in criminal justice

Objective 1: Develop coordinated effort to deliver services to, and promote the reintegration of, individuals with criminal records

Strategy A Support local re-entry council in ongoing collaborative efforts.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Provide coordination and facilitation of council meetings.

♦ Develop arrest-to-re-entry strategy for higher-risk individuals.

♦ Participate in community-wide events of the re-entry council.

♦ Conduct Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis with Re-Entry Partners of Mecklenburg (RPM).

Total associated costs: FY17 $0


◊ Re-Entry Council Membership growth/expansion rate

◊ Two career expo events focused on persons with criminal records

Comments ◊

Mecklenburg County is fortunate to have a local re-entry council, Re-Entry Partners of Mecklenburg (RPM). RPM is organized as a coalition of government and private agencies whose purpose is to integrate a variety of services for formerly and currently incarcerated persons and people with criminal records (PCRs) and to increase public safety for the community. RPM Meets monthly on the third Thursday from 2-4pm (except for the month of December) and rotates among the location of member agencies. The goals of this coalition are to:

• Develop a collaborative community strategy for serving Persons with Criminal Records (PCR); • Advocate for PCRs; • Include a variety of workforce development, criminal justice, justice administration, social

services and faith-inclusive agencies that will actively participate in the efforts of RPM; • Educate employers about the benefits of hiring an individual with a record; • Sponsor a Job Fair at least once per year; • Identify needs and provide access to responsive service network for PCRs; • Identify and maintain a resource guide for community agencies (e.g., employment, education,

housing, etc.); and • Educate the public and service providers.



GOAL 3: Lead interagency and cross-departmental collaboration to optimize the County's investments in criminal justice (cont’d)

Objective 1: Develop coordinated effort to deliver services to, and promote the reintegration of, individuals with criminal records (cont’d)

Strategy A Support local re-entry council in ongoing collaborative efforts (cont’d)

Comments.

◊

RPM has been successfully in the “Ban the Box” campaign with the City of Charlotte and delivering Career Expos twice annually. Career Expos are held for the PCR population with employers who have expressed a desire to employ PCRs, educational and vocational program vendors, and RPM members acting as hosts and navigators. The network has increased collaboration among its membership and a continued move toward a formal structure. Member agencies include:

Center for Community Transitions Melange Health Solutions

Changed Choices Men's Shelter of Charlotte

Charlotte Area Fund NC Community Action Association

Charlotte Housing Authority NC Department of Commerce

Charlotte Rescue Mission NC Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice

Charlotte School of Law NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Charlotte Works NC Public Defender's Office

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department New Beginnings Treatment Center

Dress for Success Charlotte Oxford House International

Exodus Foundation, Inc Parker House Foundation

Foundation for the Carolinas Q Foundation

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont ResCare Workforce Services

Helping Homeless to Housing Social Serve (aka Non-Profit Industries)

Hope Haven, Inc Suit Up Charlotte

Hoskins Park Ministries The Relatives

InnerVision, Inc Urban Ministry Center

Jackson Park Ministries US Attorney's Office

Legal Aid of NC US Bureau of Prisons - Bennettsville, SC

McLeod Addictive Disease Center US Department of Veterans Affairs

Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Services US Probation Office

Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office YWCA of the Central Carolinas




Objective 1: Develop coordinated effort to deliver services to, and promote the reintegration of, individuals with criminal records (cont’d)

Strategy B Identify and integrate local, state and federal resources serving the re-entry population.

Actions ◊

FY 2018

♦ Identify existing resources, gaps in services and supports, strengths and barriers in key service areas.

♦ Determine strategies to address gaps in services and supports, implement services as needed, and provide technical assistance to community agencies implementing services.




◊ Percent of referrals that received appropriate service

◊ Percent of all queries originating from external partners

Comments ◊

For a fee, The University of Maryland will create a resource database for Mecklenburg County. The database provides information on services, with maps and driving directions to locations. The University of Maryland database tool also provides a means to regularly update information, which is essential in a changing service environment. RPM will have an annual update drive to update and verify information contained in the database. The database can also be used across departments such as Community Support Services and Social Services. CJS is currently exploring whether the new CRM platform can deliver the same functionality as the resource database from the University of Maryland. These conversations are ongoing.




Objective 2: Support the Criminal Justice Advisory Group (CJAG) and other community-based collaborative efforts.

Strategy A Provide leadership, facilitation, data, and administrative support to the CJAG and the CJAG Home, Street, Neighborhood and Community Campaign.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Meet administrative needs of the CJAG.

♦ Assist in creating action plans and proposals to address identified needs.

♦ Support grant-funded or collaborative system responses in accordance to approved action plans.



◊ Percent of action plans implemented

◊ Annual customer service score (existing CJS SLI)

Comments ◊

The use of criminal justice coordinating councils is a national best practice and, when functioning optimally, these groups contribute toward improved understanding of local crime data and issues, increased collaboration among the various agencies, focused and supported resource allocation, higher quality programs, and a synergistic impact through common or complementary goals and strategies.

The Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Advisory Group (CJAG) is a multi-disciplinary criminal justice coordinating council with a mission to making a positive difference in the Mecklenburg County criminal justice system through communication, research, coordination, and planning. The group collaboratively develops programs and policies, and advocates change, in the interest of improving public safety.

The CJAG Home, Street, Neighborhood and Community (HSN&C) Campaign has the following goals:

• Home - Protect domestic partners from high-risk abusers. This group has implemented the lethality assessment tool with all local police departments and is developing a plan to implement a domestic violence pilot program among law enforcement agency partners. It will pursue a grant opportunity to fund this pilot.

• Street - Eliminate the cycling of frequent front-end users in the criminal justice system. This group is creating proposals for addressing four priorities of diversion of homeless individuals, employment for people with mental illness/disability, mental health crisis services/center, and peer respite services/center. The group recently updated the existing Sequential Intercept Map that depicts diversion and deferral opportunities for individuals at each point of the justice system process.

• Neighborhood - Address citizen initiated complaints effectively and responsibly. This group evaluated the citizen-initiated complaint process and presented findings to the CJAG in 2016. The CJAG and this subcommittee will explore adopting policy changes to improve this unique process in our local justice system.

• Community - Reintegrate individuals returning from prison safely into the community. This group is exploring opportunities to expand the capacity of the community to serve individuals returning to Mecklenburg County after incarceration.

At the end of three years, we anticipate that all subcommittees of the HSN&C Campaign to have created action plans addressing the priority areas identified by their groups, developed a funding plan, and begun implementing their plan to improve the justice system within their target area.




Objective 2: Support the Criminal Justice Advisory Group (CJAG) and other community-based collaborative efforts (cont’d)

Strategy B Provide leadership, facilitation, data, and administrative support to non-CJAG collaborative efforts.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Assist in creating action plans and proposals to address identified needs.

♦ Support grant-funded or collaborative system responses in accordance to approved action plans.

♦ Pilot and help sustain promising or evidence-based programming in response to identified needs in the local justice system.



◊ Percent of action plans implemented

◊ Annual customer service score (existing CJS SLI)

Comments ◊

The Criminal Justice Services Research & Planning Division researches, develops, provides consultation, pilots and implements new projects and programs aligned with the Criminal Justice Services mission of reducing criminal justice involvement and strengthening the well-being of the community. For programs showing a measurable or promising impact, plans for sustainability are created. For example, in partnership with the Public Defender’s Office and the Charlotte School of Law, the team successfully piloted the grant-funded Driver’s License Restoration Clinic. The program is now established as an official clinic within the Charlotte School of Law. The Division currently manages system-wide criminal justice grants, such as the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and the Safety + Justice Challenge. Both grants require a collaborative approach that engages all criminal justice agencies, which the Planning team effectively facilitates and promotes the use of data and evidence-based practice within these projects. The Division has a variety of expertise and experience which allows the group to enhance the work of other task forces and work groups. Currently, the Division provides data, input, and partnership in the following groups: Health Department’s Violence Prevention workgroup, Health Department’s Mental Health group, Livable Communities Plan workgroup, Cardinal Innovations Crisis Continuum committee, the Frequent Users of Medic group, the JCPC, and more. While the Research & Planning Division may ultimately not control how many recommendations are implemented, this measure will be a useful internal indicator for how well this service is being delivered.




Objective 3: Monitor racial disproportionality in the adult criminal justice system and partner with local justice system stakeholders to reduce any identified disproportionalities

Strategy A Implement an approach to monitor disproportionality in the adult criminal justice system.

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Create baseline measurements of disproportional involvement in the justice system at all justice system intercept points.

♦ Provide regular data reports on the system status related to disproportionalities.

♦ Synchronize efforts with partner agencies and other County departments to address issues of disproportionality in their fields.

FY 2018

♦ Improve capacity to pull data on race and ethnicity from the CJS Data Warehouse.


Total associated costs: FY 2018 $TBD by ITS

Information Technology Warehouse and source system updates. $TBD by ITS


◊ Provide report on the contributors driving racial disproportionality and disparities in our local system based on the collaboration with all law enforcement and other justice system agencies by end of FY18

◊ Percent change in the ratio of racial/ethnic disproportionate involvement at the Magistrate Decision Point

◊ Percent change in the ratio of racial/ethnic disproportionate involvement at the First Court Appearance Decision Point

Comments ◊

Evidence-based and best practices around addressing racial disproportionality and disparities are emerging. The research indicates that use of data in discussing and holding agencies accountable leads to measurable reductions in racial disproportionality and disparities. Consequently, it is a priority of the Criminal Justice Research & Planning team to create and report data on racial disproportionality and disparities emerging from adult criminal justice data on a quarterly basis. At the end of three years, the team plans to have collaborated with all law enforcement agencies and other justice system agencies to gather context data and provide a well-rounded report on the contributors driving racial disproportionality and disparities in our local system.

As part of the supportive role that the team fills on other projects and initiatives, in a similar fashion, the team will support and facilitate collaborative efforts to address issues of disproportionality through organized discussions, pilots, and/or programming with partner agencies and other County departments.

The CJS Data Warehouse retrieves information from the record management systems of the Arrest Processing Center, the Mecklenburg County Jail, and the Mecklenburg County Courts to provide comprehensive data on the criminal justice system. Currently, the options for race and ethnicity in the CJS Data Warehouse vary between the Arrest, Jail, and Court universes. This is due to the variance in the race and ethnicity options in the relevant source systems that the warehouse draws upon (AP, OMS, and ACIS). CJS would like to work with county partners and IT to explore options for the standardization of race and ethnicity options across the local justice system.



GOAL 4: Enhance business operations to provide excellent service to all Mecklenburg County and outside agency customers

Objective 1: Improve management of CJS budget by streamlining business processes

Strategy A Implement a Business Management Division (BMD) policies and procedures manual

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Develop policies and procedures in line with County Finance policies and incorporate audit recommendations.

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Provide training on financial policies, procedures, and fiscal responsibilities. ♦ Monitor department divisions and outside agencies adherence to policies and procedures.







◊ Conduct two trainings annually

Staff Training Completion Rate

Comments ◊

The Business Management Division was created to proactively support the Criminal Justice Services Department mission and strategic goals. The division provides budget and fiscal management, grant management, contract and vendor management, risk management plan, and strategic business plan support. The divisions primary responsibilities include providing excellent customer service, carrying out the policies and goals established by the department director, promoting compliance with applicable policies, procedures, laws, and regulations, planning, organizing, directing, and managing the business operations of the department, developing and monitoring the department’s annual budget, providing information, educational opportunities, and technical assistance, and coordinating contractual procedures and monitoring. The department will offer training opportunities on an annual basis to educate management, staff, and outside agencies of current practices. These opportunities will ensure the success of the department meeting county established goals.



GOAL 4: Enhance business operations to provide excellent service to all Mecklenburg County and outside agency customers (cont’d)

Objective 1: Improve management of CJS budget by streamlining business processes (cont’d)

Strategy B Collaborate with Finance on management of departments fiscal and budget responsibilities

Actions ◊

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Coordinate with Finance in working through the accounts payable process to include reviewing and approving invoices, and encumbrance of funds.

♦ Meet with department division budget administrators on a monthly basis to review budget line spending, BEST and FAST performance, and receive requests for service.

♦ Prepare an itemized budget during the annual budget process with information supplied from the CJS management team.




◊ Department BEST performance

Department FAST performance

Strategy C Enhance management of department grants

Actions ◊

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Establish clear roles and responsibilities for each grant.

♦ Manage communications between department and Finance.

♦ Prepare and submit narratives and financial reports.

♦ Review project goals and objectives and the associated budget costs on a regular basis during the project implementation .



Performance Measure

◊ Efficiency of grant management operations

Comments ◊ BMD will ensure the team has budget and project management assignments, strong fiscal systems, and controls, and that each team members understands and adheres to relevant laws.




Objective 1: Improve management of CJS budget by streamlining business processes (cont’d)

Strategy C Enhance management of department grants

Actions ◊

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Establish clear roles and responsibilities for each grant.

♦ Manage communications between department and Finance.

♦ Prepare and submit narratives and financial reports.

♦ Review project goals and objectives and the associated budget costs on a regular basis during the project implementation .



Performance Measure

◊ Efficiency of grant management operations




Objective 2: Oversee and enhance CJS department operations

Strategy A Continue risk management efforts

Actions ◊

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Develop and foster growth of new CJS Business Management Division.

♦ Begin succession planning in preparation of possible attrition and loss of organizational history anticipated with new departmental leadership.

♦ Identify and address outside influences that may negatively impact departmental/divisional operations or community and stakeholder perceptions of the department (i.e. media, other organizations, etc.).

♦ Assess CJS employee work spaces to identify exits, address office arrangements to ensure escape routes and minimize barricades between staff and offenders.





Performance Measure

◊ Complete CJS work space assessment by the end of FY 2018.

Complete CJS succession plan by the end of FY 2018.

Comments ◊

Some degree of risk is inherent when working in the criminal justice system and with justice involved populations. To minimize safety concerns associated with inherent risk, considerable time and effort will be dedicated to completing an assessment and implementing change. Succession planning will begin with electronic warehousing of department records, reports, evaluations, etc. Training options will be expanded for line staff prepared to advance within the department.




Objective 2: Oversee and enhance CJS department operations (cont’d)

Strategy B Implement a plan to review department business processes

Actions ◊

FY 2017 - FY 2019

♦ Introduce a business process improvement cycle.

♦ Identify and prioritize improvement projects to reduce waste and improve operational performance.

♦ Direct the application of process improvement solutions to optimize department business processes.




◊

Operationalize business process improvement cycle by end of FY 2018

Number of improvement projects identified.

Comments ◊

A continuous improvement plan will be implemented to ensure the departments effectiveness and efficiency in conducting business. The plan will focus on improved morale, increased productivity, increased adaptability, and error reductions.




Objective 3: Maintain knowledge management plans and platforms

Strategy A Strengthen department-wide communication

Actions ◊

FY 2017

♦ Develop a department-wide Strategic Communications Plan.

♦ Provide effective communication to employees on the components of the strategic business plan and their contributions to the plan.

♦ Publish a monthly department newsletter to keep all employees up to date on the latest department news, activities, and upcoming County trainings.

FY 2018

♦ Implement department-wide Strategic Communications Plan.

♦ Develop intradepartmental knowledge sharing and “lunch and learn” program.

♦ Publish a Criminal Justice Services annual report that recaps the year’s activities, performance measures, highlights employees, etc.




Other Annual Report Printing (existing resources) $0



Other Annual Report Printing (existing resources) $0

Performance Measure

◊ Fully implement department-wide Strategic Communications Plan by the end of FY 2018.

Comments ◊

CJS contains seven divisions and CJS office locations include: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, the County and Courts Office Building (CCOB), The Post-Judgment Services Center at the Courthouse, the Drug Court Office at the Courthouse, Arrest Processing and the Jail. Through a communications plan, CJS will regularly update employees on news and events across CJS services and will strengthen the identity and cohesiveness of the department.




Objective 4: Facilitate effective talent management and professional development

Strategy A Centralize talent management efforts

Actions ◊

FY 2018—FY 2019

♦ Manage position maintenance and approved budget for salary and benefits.

♦ Facilitate the recruitment and on-boarding process for all CJS divisions.

♦ Manage changes to position descriptions, communicate job role expectations, and share career path opportunities.

♦ Launch a corporate mentoring program within the department.




◊

Department retention rate

Decrease the number of days beginning to end of the department hiring process

Launch mentoring program by the end of FY 2018

Comments ◊ Mentoring program is expected to increase employee retention, enable company succession plans, and improve workforce productivity

Strategy B Encourage employees to obtain membership in relevant professional organizations

Action ◊ FY 2017-FY 2019

♦ Develop, maintain and share a list of organizations in which CJS employees are members

Total associated costs: FY 2017-FY 2019 $0

Performance Measure

◊ Proportion of employees with at least one professional organizational membership

Comments ◊

Since CJS advocates for the adoption of industry best practices, CJS already budgets for professional organization membership fees so that employees may become members and be exposed to new developments and best practices in their fields. CJS can potentially increase the percentage of employees with at least one professional organizational membership by publishing a list of organizations in which CJS employees are members. This will expose all employees to the organizations that are relevant to their programs and to which, given the approval of their supervisors, they could become members.



GOAL 5: Maintain Environmental Sustainability of Operations

Objective 1: Adhere to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines

Strategy A Monitor department practices to ensure adherence to environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines

Actions ◊

FY 2017 - FY 2019

♦ Identify a department representative to work with the County’s Sustainability Manager to track and meet the department’s environmental goals.

♦ Educate department employees on the importance of adhering to the County’s environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines.

♦ Enforce the department’s adherence to the County’s EPP guidelines by monitoring purchasing habits.

♦ Embrace new and innovative opportunities for improving the environmental-friendliness of the department’s purchasing habits.

♦ When making purchasing decisions, consider the full cost of the products—environmental, social, and economic.





◊ Dollars spent on recycled paper / Dollars spent on all paper purchases

◊ Dollars spent on environmentally preferable office supplies / Dollars spent on all office supplies

◊ Dollars spent on remanufactured printer cartridges / Dollars spent on all printer cartridges

Comments ◊ The CJS Green Team Captains are working to support Green Purchasing by purchasing office supplies and paper made with recycled content, purchasing items with minimal plastic packaging, and grouping purchases so as to reduce the number of courier trips required to deliver purchased items.



GOAL 5: Maintain Environmental Sustainability of Operations

Objective 2: Provide employees with opportunities to learn about and practice environmentally-friendly activities (via the County’s Work Green program)

Strategy A Support employee involvement in environmentally-friendly activities (via the County’s Work Green program)

Actions ◊

FY 2017 - FY 2019

♦ Identify a department representative to work with the County’s Sustainability Manager to track and meet the department’s environmental goals.

♦ Educate department employees on the importance of participating in the County’s Work Green program.

♦ Educate department employees on opportunities to participate in the County’s Work Green program—via educational opportunities (i.e. Lunch & Learns), volunteer opportunities, alternative commuting (i.e. carpooling, mass-transit, walking, or cycling), and other unique employee engagement campaigns.

♦ Enforce the department’s participation to the County’s Work Green program by consistently monitoring performance.




Performance Measure

◊ Total number of Work Green credits earned by the department’s employees

Comments ◊ Each CJS division has created a Green Team that is charged with increasing awareness of environmentally-friendly activities. As part of this effort, the Pretrial Services Green Team recently adopted a local stream and CJS as a department has adopted a local street.

FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN - … Business...criminal justice system came together to revise...

Documents

Transcript of FY2017-2019 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN - … Business...criminal justice system came together to revise...