IN SESSION
A JAD
NEWSLETTER
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Harris County, Texas, is striving to lead in criminal justice innovation in the United States. The efforts described in this NEWSLETTER represent JAD's work for the Harris County Commissioners Court, and only a selection of JAD's pioneering policy work. In the coming months and years, JAD will continue to build coalitions with local stakeholders, identify successful initiatives from other jurisdictions and forge innovative, evidence-based reforms from the ground up. |
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Resources for National Crime, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Awareness |
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Established in 1988 through an amendment to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, OVC is charged by Congress with administering the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund). Through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the Fund supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives.
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As long as there have been people who care about making the world a better place, there have been individuals advocating for sexual assault prevention.
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During March 30th's Commissioners Court, the Commissioners recognized April as Child Abuse Recognition Month.
The goal of The CAC is to provide all of the services children need in one place. From providing space in their building for dozens of other agencies to special training to protect children, the CAC is a resource to help Harris County and Texas children from abuse.
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POLICY BRIEFCASE
News & Information on Policy Work by JAD
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Survivors of Crime - CJCC Presentation
By: Veronyka James, PhD - JAD
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On March 11, 2021, during the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) meeting, JAD proposed the Survivors of Crime Standing Committee's framework and composition.
The development of the structure for this Standing Committee came from the County’s vision of Justice and Safety, "to promote safe, healthy, thriving communities through restorative justice and evidence-based strategies that foster public trust, prevent violence and trauma, reduce racial and economic disparities, and minimize criminal justice exposure where at all possible.”
The Standing Committee members would serve as ambassadors for survivors of crime in Harris County. They will be charged with capturing all survivors' voices, providing their perspectives, and conducting outreach. Additionally, this Committee would recommend improvements to service delivery for survivors of crime, identify challenges they face, and propose practical and equitable solutions.
The approved committee composition is nine (9) voting members, comprising of the following:
- Kathryn Griffin-Townsend
- Three vacancies for survivors of crime, through an open application process
- Four vacancies for subject matter experts/criminal justice stakeholders, through an open application process
- Expert on trauma/mental health
- Restorative justice expert
- A representative from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office
- Expert on housing/public services
- A member from JAD
We will be reaching out to service providers who serve survivors of crime and ask them to share information with individuals interested in applying. We also plan to hold a community event explaining the Committee’s purpose and inviting community members to apply.
The CJCC presentation explains the purpose of this Standing Committee and its composition can found here:
To download and view the presentation, click here.
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Equity Index
By: Brandi Ebanks Copes
In partnership with various Harris County Departments, the Justice Administration Department recently launched the Criminal Justice Equity Index.
The Equity Index is a dashboard that allows individuals to take a closer look at the justice-involved population through an equity lens, providing data on arrests and defendant disparities that can stem from that decision point. Also in this initial launch, cursory data about arrest locations, defendant demographics, and zip code level demographics provided by the U.S. Census.
The data on this dashboard is separated by calendar year, starting in 2015, and refreshed daily. As this is an initial launch of what will be a growing data set, JAD intends to follow up in future launch phases with additional data regarding the defendant indicators that have been identified and functionality that will allow individuals to pull raw de-identified data utilized in the index.
Scroll down to the Policy Byte Section for the user guide information and snapshots of the index.
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CJCC Meeting Recap
By Stephanie Armand, JAD
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The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council held its first meeting this year on March 11th.
Chair, Judge Hidalgo welcomed the new members to the council.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis was nominated as Chair and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was nominated as Vice-Chair. The elections will be held at the next meeting.
Some highlights from the meeting included, Veronyka James, PhD, presented the proposed structure and roles/responsibilities of the Survivors of Crime Committee that was approved. Interested individuals may apply through an open application process. More details to follow…..
Brandi Ebanks Copes presented the first phase of the Criminal Justice Equity Index.
Wayne Young and Henry Gonzales presented on the Critical Intervention Mapping (CIM) for Harris County youth. The Mental Health Standing Committee will be using the foundational work from the CIM to develop and execute a juvenile justice action plan.
Colin Cepuran, PhD, presented on Felony Bail Practice: The Landscape in Harris County.
Ana Billingsley, Hena Rafiq, and Gabriela Solis, Harvard Fellows, presented on the projects that they have been implementing in Pretrial Services and at the Jail Diversion Center.
Here are the presentation link and video if you missed out.
The next Criminal Justice Coordinating Council meeting is June 24th at 12:30 p.m. Save the date on your calendars!
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IN FOCUS
Spotlight on Media & News Announcements
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COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS ANNOUNCE A NEW
STRATEGY TO REFORM THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
IN HARRIS COUNTY
By: JAD, The Harris Center, and Harris County Juvenile Probation Department
The Harris County Judge’s Office, Harris County Juvenile Probation, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the Harris County Justice Administration Department, and other community stakeholders have recently completed a Critical Intervention Mapping of the Harris County juvenile justice system. The Critical Intervention Map serves as a framework for juvenile justice and mental health systems to use when developing strategies to improve mental health services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Representatives from 33 different community organizations established priority areas and developed an action plan. The action items include building or increasing community supports for youth and families; increasing behavioral health capacity to support a continuum of care for youth and families; increasing access of information to youth and families at all points of contact; and examining the re-entry process with an emphasis on housing, employment, and education.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who chairs the Harris County Juvenile Board and Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, said, “Incarcerating youth-only weakens their ties to family, community, and school, and makes it more likely that they will return to criminal justice involvement. The path to a meaningful support system that includes diversion and community-based mental health services runs through the community - and they must have a voice in this process.”
“The juvenile justice system should not be the system that first identifies a child’s need for mental health services. By identifying and addressing this need sooner, we may keep more young people from entering the juvenile justice system altogether,” added Henry Gonzales, Executive Director of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. “Our existing collaborations allow families to easily access needed services once they are in our system. We need to find ways to ensure they are able to get these services at other points, just as easy as they do when they intersect with our system.”
The Mental Health Standing Committee of the Harris County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will act as the lead in implementing the action plan. “Every community I know has gaps when it comes to filling mental health needs. Now, our community has identified the needs and prioritized them so that we can begin to find ways to fill those gaps and improve the delivery system for children and families,” stated Wayne Young, CEO of The Harris Center and chair of the Mental Health Standing Committee.
These strategies may also help other vulnerable populations, such as children and families involved in the child protective services system and victims of human trafficking.
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In the News
Media Articles
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Media Coverage on the Harris County Crime Statistics and Bail Reform Memo. |
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Media Coverage on the Harris County Crime Statistics and Bail Reform Memo.
KPFT - 90.1
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Community Impact Newspaper
Media Coverage on Senate Testimony for Bill SB21
News 88.7 - Houston Public Media
Media Coverage on Youth Reinvestment Fund
News 88.7 - Houston Public Media
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JAD's Dr. Colin Cepuran joins Commissioner Ellis and
Harris County Partners for "One for All" Podcast
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Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis's team invited JAD Senior Policy Analyst, Dr. Colin Cepuran to join the conversation on redefining justice on the podcast, One For All.
Harris County is redefining justice and reimagining public safety.
On this episode of One For All, you'll hear from Harris County Judge Nata Cornelio and Judge Genesis Draper. They will talk about what is important to them when it comes to reform and give us a peek behind the bench at what is happening in our courts.
Also, this panel will break down bail, indigent defense, and other initiatives happening here in Harris County. Sasha Legette from Pure Justice, Dr. Colin Cepuran from the Harris County Justice Administration Department, and Christina Leon from our Precinct One policy team. This panel will break down bail, indigent defense, and other initiatives happening here in Harris County.
If you would like to learn more about anything you heard in this episode here are some helpful websites:
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To listen to the newest podcast, visit Harris County Precinct 1, One For All
https://anchor.fm/oneforall/episodes/Redefining-Justice-in-Harris-County-etb2d5/a-a51dnnm
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POLICY IMPACT
A Look at Policy & Partnerships at Work
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Victim Services Gap Assessment
By: Veronyka James, PhD - JAD
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"Survivors of violent crime face many barriers to healing along their journey to recovery. Experiencing interpersonal violence, such as a physical or sexual assault, or a gunshot wound or stabbing, can cause devastating, lifelong psychological and/or physical consequences, especially if the survivor does not receive timely and effective support services. Untreated trauma has costly consequences for the survivor, their family, and the larger community.” Addressing the needs of survivors of crime (e.g., housing, medical and mental health treatment, etc.) is essential for Harris County to fulfill its vision of Justice and Safety “to promote safe, healthy, thriving communities through restorative justice and evidence-based strategies that foster public trust, prevent violence and trauma, reduce racial and economic disparities, and minimize criminal justice exposure where at all possible.”
On September 10, 2019, Commissioner Rodney Ellis requested the Justice Administration Department (JAD) to complete a victim services assessment. JAD was charged with assessing existing victims’ services and identifying gaps in the way resources are used to meet the needs of survivors of crime. JAD partnered with a consultant with Impossible 6, Suzanne Brown-McBride to collect information related to three key issues: 1) what do victim service stakeholders think JAD can do to support survivors of crime in Harris County?; 2) what public data are available, or not, that can help understand crime victimization in the County; and 3) how are victim services supported and funded?
JAD, with Ms. Brown-McBride, conducted over 35 hours of interviews with 30 agencies that provide either direct services to crime survivors or support for those that provide direct service to assess these resources and identify gaps that currently exist in Harris County. The survey is only an initial overview of information about victimization data, services, funding, and process improvement in the County. “Despite over 35 hours of interviews with service providers, there are still many agencies and crime types that remain to be explored and are not within the scope of [this initial exploration].”
The complete findings will be submitted to Commissioners Court; however, preliminary results show critical challenges to service provision in Harris County. One of the challenges is how data are collected, compiled, and synthesized to understand victimization within the County. Particularly, there needs to be better data available to understand the incidence of crime, even when not reported to authorities, and to describe survivors' needs, especially those within un/underserved populations. Additionally, there are emerging areas of concern for survivors (e.g., inconsistencies with U-Visa certification), the need to identify model policies and interventions to improve access to resources, and the importance of promoting which services are available.
COVID-19, like affecting society as a whole, has also impacted victimization and demand for services. Service providers indicated that victimization, as well as its severity, has increased during COVID-19. In addition to seeing an increase in victimization and severity, service providers have limited resources, resulting in survivors being turned away (e.g., emergency shelter turn away rates are over 70%). Additionally, providers are struggling to find flexible funding sources that can be used to assist survivors and programs are concerned about how they will continue to fund resources and services. “One program noted, demand is up, donations are down, and fundraising is almost impossible right now.”
In addition to the challenges presented by COVID-19, services targeting underserved or marginalized communities are struggling for resources. New providers are struggling to establish and fund their services for underserved survivors (e.g., those who have been justice-impacted, members of the LGBTQ+ community). JAD will develop solutions and policies on the principles of evidence-based strategies to address the issues found through this assessment.
JAD is committed to survivors of crime, especially those who have traditionally been underserved. As expressed by Ms. Brown-McBride, there were many agencies and crime types not explored in this initial examination, so more work needs to be done to understand the challenges faced by all survivors and their service providers. Stay tuned for the full report, coming soon in Commissioners Court.
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POLICY BYTE
Data & Analytics News-Bytes
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(Click the image to direct you to the Criminal Justice Equity Index User Guide) |
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The Criminal Justice Equity Index Dashboard (Phase 1)
By: Perlo Gernale, JAD
The Criminal Justice Equity Index dashboard looks at the arrests in Harris County from different perspectives. The dashboard is updated daily and includes the following metrics to help view discrepancies across various sectors:
- Race and ethnicity (including a Relative Rate Index calculator)
- Gender
- Mental health history
- Substance use history
- Foster care history
- Homelessness history
Future phases will include a detailed look at the different indicators, the ability to filter data to discover more perspectives, and data trends and analysis over time.
To help the public interpret the data and interact with the dashboard, JAD has created the Criminal Justice Equity Index User Guide. The guide provides background information about the Equity Index, definitions, and information about the dashboard, and examples of useful metrics and other helpful information that will help maximize the dashboard's usefulness.
The hope of developing the dashboard is that users will discover avenues to better equality amongst Harris County residents.
If you have any questions about the dashboards or guide, please contact the Harris County Justice Administration Department by email at jad@jad.hctx.net.
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ACROSS TEXAS
A Spotlight on JAD Staff Talking Justice & Policy
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Dr. Cepuran Goes to Austin
By: Colin Cepuran, JAD
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JAD Research Policy Analyst Colin Cepuran traveled to Austin on March 18 to testify on SB 21’s impact on Harris County.
If enacted, SB 21 would expand the use of secured bail in Harris County. Doing so would prove to be a financial burden for Harris County taxpayers, add to the Harris County jail population that is close to capacity, and contradict local initiatives being implemented in response to the ODonnell Federal Consent Decree.
The policy team worked together to produce written testimony providing quantitative estimates of each of these effects. Since then, the bill author has released a committee substitute. JAD’s policy team has done an initial analysis on the ways in which the committee substitute differs from the original bill, available here.
No action was taken on March 18, but the bill was voted favorably out of committee as substituted on April 8.
To view the fact sheet on bill SB21 click here.
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JAD ODonnell Project Manager presents on the Implementation
of the ODonnell Consent Decree
By: Bree Cummings, JAD
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On Wednesday March 31, 2021 ODonnell Project Manager, Bryonne “Bree” Cummings presented at the Harris County Justice Technology Committee updates on the implementation of the ODonnell Consent Decree.
The formation of the Justice Technology Committee was approved in Commissioners Court on January 31, 2017. Its formation was a collaborative process with Harris County Justice Community organizations and leadership through a Strategic Planning Committee and engagement in conversational leadership.
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JUSTICE LEAGUE
A Spotlight on work being accomplished by
Harris County Justice Departments
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Justice Departments Join Together for Grant Application for Program to Address Domestic Violence Violations at Highest Risk for Fatality
By: JAD, DAO, and HCDVCC
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The Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) has been in discussions with the Justice Administration Department (JAD) to work on a grant to build a program that recognizes and prioritizes high-risk domestic violence cases.
In February 2021, HCDVCC approached JAD about taking on the lead applicant role for a Department of Justice grant from the Office on Violence Against Women for their Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking program. The program encourages state, local, and tribal governments and courts to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law requiring the coordinated involvement of the entire criminal justice system. The grant requires the lead applicant to be a governmental entity but also requires the governmental entity to formally partner with a non-profit victim service provider.
Background:
In the mid-1990s in Houston, Texas, the Coalition Against Domestic Abuse began meeting. The group consisted of local service providers and provided an opportunity for networking. These meetings created informal connections between agencies, and it became apparent that a formal entity would be beneficial. In April of 1996, the Harris County District Attorney and Houston Police Chief called a meeting to bring the community leaders and stakeholders together to focus on this issue as well as to address increasing safety for survivors of domestic violence, holding batterers accountable, and preventing future violence in households in Harris County. From this meeting, the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) was formed. Working with local law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations, victim support services, policy-makers, or the community itself, HCDVCC strives to ensure that victims of domestic violence in Harris County are served by the people and resources they need.
Over the years, HCDVCC has been a frequent partner with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO), an organization comprised of 329 prosecutors, 90 investigators, and 277 support personnel who are dedicated to making the community safer through evidence-based prosecution. HCDVCC works closely with the HCDAO’s Domestic Violence Division, a specialized division within the HCDAO, that focuses on family violence offenses including recanting and minimizing victim cases, identified high-risk intimate partner cases, and intimate partner homicides. A 2018 Texas Council on Family Violence grant awarded to HCDAO led to the creation of the Harris County Domestic Violence High-Risk Team (DVHRT). In a 2019 collaboration, the facilitation of the project was moved to HCDVCC. The DVHRT was formed to reduce lethal and near-lethal intimate partner violence assaults and to audit the entire domestic violence response system by identifying and closing gaps in service and protection. Piloted in the city of Pasadena, the second-largest city in Harris County, with the Pasadena Police Department, cases that are most at risk for homicide as assessed using an evidence-based risk assessment tool, the DA-LE (Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement) are referred to DVHRT to provide safety and support to survivors, and accountability and rehabilitation to those who use violence.
Today, a collaborative effort between JAD, HCDAO, and HCDVCC has led to a project for the grant proposing the expansion of the current DVHRT model. The project will build a strategic plan for reinforcing other systems to manage the volume of cases in new comprehensive ways that center safety and accountability as the responsibility of systems and organizations rather than the victims of the crime of domestic violence. The project will form an Advisory Committee of the existing leaders from the current DVHRT with the addition of culturally specific service providers to analyze data systemically and comprehensively from law enforcement, HCDAO, and service provider partners related to high homicide rate and/or high call volumes.
Should the grant proposal be successful, the partnership could result in $1M in funds for the project over a 4-year period beginning October 1, 2021. Awards will be announced later this year.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
What’s Happening Around Harris County
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The Harris County District Attorney’s Office’s commitment to finding innovative ways to connect and communicate with victims of crime led to the recent creation of the Victim Information Management System (VIMS).
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office Information Systems Division conducted numerous information-gathering meetings and shadowed Victim Assistance Coordinators to determine the victim-centric program and database parameters. After months of programming and testing, the District Attorney’s Office launched VIMS in June 2020 for Victim Assistance Coordinators.
The program is experiencing great support among Victim Assistance Coordinators. Victim Assistance Coordinator Maria Guerrero explained, “VIMS has been an instrumental tool to better serve victims of crime. This system has allowed us to facilitate initial contact with victims of crime, via phone, email, and mail. It has provided Victims Assistance Coordinators with a centralized mechanism to track all their activity with victims of crime.”
Benefits of VIMS include:
- Streamlined and organized caseload management features
- The ability to send or upload documents from VIMS without requiring additional software
- Automated email reminders to crime victims regarding the Victim Impact Statement (which has resulted in improved return rates)
- Statistics are automatically tracked and can be accessed instantly
- Victim Assistance Coordinators can identify cases and conduct searches using a victim’s name or phone number
- Victim Assistance Coordinators can document and track victim advocacy on unfiled or direct-to-Grand-Jury cases
- The VIMS program can initiate emails, text messages, and phone calls to victims
An important feature of VIMS is its ability to interface with other HCDAO programs. Any notes entered into VIMS by a Victim Assistance Coordinator are automatically uploaded to the case system used by Assistant District Attorneys and HCDAO Investigators so that everyone is informed about victim contact.
VIMS will continue to evolve to enhance communication with crime victims and to assist Victim Assistance Coordinators with their caseloads. Future plans include expanding VIMS usage to victim advocates beyond the Victim Services Division, such as the Case Workers and Social Workers in the Domestic Violence Division.
Special thanks regarding the creation, training, and continued improvement of VIMS should be given to JoAnne Musick, Gary Zallar, Michael McDougal, Evan Peterson, Stephen Quick, Mario Gonzalez, Craig Mann, Litty Thomas, Thomas Garza, Teresa Coronado, Colleen Jordan, Alexandro Guajardo, and Maria Martinez.
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The Importance of Caring, a Constable’s Approach to Public Service
by Jerry Garcia, Harris County Constable Precinct 2
and the JAD team
Constable Jerry Garcia may be new to Precinct 2, but he is not new to his role as a public servant. He has been in law enforcement for over 23 years, starting in 1998 with Precinct 5. Constable Garcia took office on January 1, 2021.
Constable Garcia immediately began restructuring and reorganizing his department. Although Constable Garcia has been busy with his transition, his team has been able to concentrate not only on law enforcement issues but social issues as well.
In addition to implementing changes to improve the quality of law enforcement services and partnering with entities like JAD to create new policies based on best practices, Constable Garcia’s community work in Precinct 2 is drawing a great deal of attention.
Through Constable Garcia’s Adopt A Senior Program, he and his team have delivered over 52,000 meals to seniors in need, delivered water to those in need, and partnered with the Humane Society to provide pet food for those needing assistance among other things.
When asked what is one of the most important things a public servant should bring to the table, his response was, “We need to care”. So we thought we would explore what that meant.
JAD Communications and Media Relations Manager, Laura Lucas, sat down to chat with Constable Garcia on his mission to exemplify why caring is important and how it fits into law enforcement.
For Constable Garcia, caring means putting people first. A trait that he is exemplifying through some of the community outreach he and his department are doing. From helping those who are unable to register themselves for the Covid-19 vaccine due to lack of technology to help feed those less fortunate, Garcia understands and values the position he has been placed in.
“I'm in a position now where I can truly make a difference. I'm here because God has placed me here. Why did he place me here? To take care of his people. I know I'm a police officer, but I'm a human being first.” – Said, Constable Garcia. “I know who I am and I know where I come from. The same people that voted for me, they're asking for help. I'm going to do everything I can to help them.”
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Among the numerous outreach work done by Precinct 2 Constables, one incident aided in bringing the team closer. One of the deputies heard about a fire in the Vietnamese community of their precinct at a two-story apartment complex. A 70-year old woman was living in an apartment that had caught fire. While her apartment did not receive unlivable damage, her window was broken and the apartment suffered smoke damage. This incident occurred during one of the colder evenings Harris County was experiencing. The Constable’s deputies boarded up her window and encouraged her to go to her neighbors for the night. Two nights later, the deputies checked on her and found her living in her smoke-damaged apartment with very little food. Constable Garcia and his deputies were able to solicit help from several Vietnamese businesses who gathered approximately $10,000 dollars worth of food for the woman and her struggling neighbors.
“I grew up in a poor, underserved, unprotected neighborhood in Northside Houston. I know what it's like to be ignored, neglected, and pushed aside.” Said, Constable Garcia. Nobody reached out to help us. I know there are groups and organizations that help people, but there are a lot of people that fall through the cracks. Many times, we fell through the cracks and I don't want people to fall through the cracks. I know what it's like. I know the struggles. I remember.”
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Commissioner Garcia Announces New Pilot Program, "Shot Spotter" Helping Law Enforcement Identify Location of a Weapon Fired
By Office of Commissioner Precinct 2 - Commissioner Garcia
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Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia is proud to announce the pilot program “ShotSpotter” launches in the Aldine area this month.
This unique technology utilizes state-of-the-art analysis of sound characteristics of gunshots to determine where and what kind of weapons have been fired.
As a former law enforcement officer, Commissioner Garcia saw firsthand how gun violence impacts communities, now he continues to look for ways to reduce it. He presented Commissioners Court with the “ShotSpotter” program in December of 2020 where it passed unanimously.
Aldine was chosen as the first neighborhood for ShotSpotter due to the high gun crime rate that coincides with low rates of reporting by residents. This new technology will help law enforcement pinpoint where the shots are being discharged, enabling officers to respond faster and find the perpetrators.
“This is cutting edge technology I’ve wanted to bring to our region since I led the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office under Mayor Lee Brown. The goal is to make our county, our neighborhoods, and our officers safer. Rhetoric on crime has become a political pain point used to sell fear. Often, the loudest voices you hear would rather see themselves being tough on TV than do the hard work to make a difference” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “We choose a different path – using smart solutions to make a difference in keeping people safe. ShotSpotter is a step toward getting smart on gun violence. This investment in innovative technology will save lives and help officers do the job of getting danger off the streets. If successful, I hope to see ShotSpotter placed all over Harris County.”
If ShotSpotter is effective in reducing gun violence, expect other Harris County Commissioners to investigate whether ShotSpotter is right for their precincts.
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Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Cagle hosted a virtual “Community Breakfast” on March 2 to identify gaps in mental health services, foster unity between government and nonprofit organizations, and spread awareness of mental health resources in Harris County.
During the online event, mental health experts, nonprofits, Harris County entities, and community leaders shared resources and participated in discussions led by 12 speakers - including Jim Bethke, the director of the Harris County Justice Administration Department, Wayne Young, the CEO of The Harris Center, and Dr. Anita Jaffer, the manager of Psychological Services with the Children’s Assessment Center.
Cagle hosted his first Community Breakfast last year. That event focused on crime victim services, aimed at improving communication between nonprofits and Harris County entities. It was so successful that he decided to host the event annually, with a new topic each year.
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The second public meeting will be held on April 28th, 2021 at 11:30 am. To sign up for the public event, please register here. The event will be hosted and recorded on Webex. The recorded event will be uploaded onto our Youtube at a later time.
The agenda can be found here to download.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL (CJCC)
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JAD Will Hold the Next CJCC Meeting on
Next CJCC Meeting
Thursday, June 24th
12:30pm - 2:00pm
The Harris County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) was created by the Order of Harris County Commissioners Court dated July 14, 2009.
The CJCC works collectively to manage systemic challenges facing Harris County's criminal justice system and strengthen our communities' overall well-being by developing and recommending policies and practices that improve public safety, promote fairness, equity and accountability, and reduce unnecessary incarceration and criminal justice involvement in Harris County.
The CJCC collects and evaluates local criminal justice data to identify systemic issues and facilitates collaboration between agencies, experts, and community service providers to improve Harris County's criminal justice system in accordance with best practices.
The CJCC meets quarterly and the 2021 schedule is as follows:
June 24, 2021
September 9, 2021
December 9, 2021
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