Webinar Archives
Previous NCJA/BJA Webinars
Implementation Science and the Importance of Fidelity: Replicating Evidence-Based Practices
Over the last 15 years criminal justice decision makers, state legislatures and the federal government have increasingly pushed for the adoption of researched based, data-driven or evidence-based programming. This focus has been accompanied by the development of menus of promising and evidence-based programming, including but not limited to; www.crimesolutions.gov, www.nrepp.samhsa.gov and www.blueprintsprograms.com. While improving access to evidence-based strategies is vital, it is also imperative to understand the importance of fidelity and other factors when seeking to replicate a program or practice. Poor implementation of a program model can not only diminish the desired outcomes, but if done poorly can tarnish the reputation of a given program or treatment modality. Implementation Science and the Importance of Fidelity will focus on what science tells us about effective implementation of evidence-based programs and practices and how this can impact desired outcomes. As an applied example, this webinar will describe data and lessons learned from a 15-year project of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to scale-up a menu of evidence-based programs and treatment modalities. Speakers for this webinar are Brian Bumbarger, founding director of the Evidence-based Prevention and Intervention Support Center (EPISCenter) at Penn State University, and Roger Przybylski, founder of the RKC Group.
Addressing the Intersection Between Behavioral Health and the Criminal Justice System
It is often been noted that the largest mental health facilities in this country are local jails and state prisons. The Council of State Government estimated that 14 percent of men and 31 percent of woman in jail and state prison suffered from chronic and persistent mental illness in 2007. Addressing the Intersection Between Behavioral Health and the Criminal Justice System looks at two state-level strategies aimed at preventing those with chronic mental illness from either entering or returning to state and local justice systems. This webinar highlighted the training and technical assistance provided to counties by the Pennsylvania Mental Health and Justice Center of Excellence and Oklahoma’s Collaborative Mental Health Reentry Program. Presenters for this webinar included Dr. Patty Griffin, senior consultant, Mental Health and Justice Center of Excellence, Bob Mann, administrator of mental health operations, Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC),and Donna Bond, manager of correctional, criminal justice and reentry services, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS).
Strengthening Indigent Defense: Understanding State and Federal Resources
During this, the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainright, the landmark case that secured the right to counsel in criminal proceedings, the Justice Department is placing renewed emphasis on helping states meet their constitutional obligation to provide effective representation to indigent defendants. This webinar showcaseD the Justice Department’s efforts to encourage jurisdictions to bring all system stakeholders together and will highlight some of the state and federal resources available to the public defense community. This webinar focused on funding opportunities available through the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program, federal support for public defense initiatives, current opportunities for training and technical assistance and highlight the work of DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative. In addition, attendees heard from state public defenders about the process of applying for grant funds and showcase strategies for integrating the indigent defense function into criminal justice resource planning. Presenters for this webinar were Melanca Clark, senior counsel with the Department of Justice’s Access to Justice Initiative; Edward C. Monahan, director, Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy; Jeanie Vela, office manager, Denver Office of the Colorado State Public Defender; and Jack Cutrone, executive director for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Veteran-Specific Reentry
Veterans Specific Reentry looked at both state and local efforts to help veterans re-enter society, prevent recidivism, address risk factors and connect to benefits earned through service. This webinar focused on efforts taking place within the Indiana Department of Correction’s Veterans Education and Transition Program and county level efforts taking place in Washington State. The presenters for this webinar were Sarah Neidlinger, veteran’s specialist for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Alexis Dean, reentry specialist with the Indiana Department of Corrections and David Green, project manager with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
Establishing Taskforce Best Practices: Oversight and Standardization
This webinar demonstrated how two states leveraged existing law enforcement expertise to improve taskforce communication, command and control structures, operational capacity and investigative outcomes. This webinar will focus on Minnesota’s taskforce specific and statewide oversight bodies as well as Washington State’s successful Taskforce Peer Review model. The presenters for this webinar are Bob Bushman, statewide gang & drug coordinator for the Office of Justice Programs, Minnesota Department of Public Safety and Harvey Queen, program manager, Public Safety Unit, Washington State Department of Commerce.
Leveraging JAG Funds for Successful Reentry
This webinar highlighted two home-grown initiatives that lower recidivism and save taxpayers money. The El Paso County Reintegration and Recovery Program and the Multnomah County Reentry Enhancement Coordination Program use differing variations of a multi-disciplinary, multi-system approach to lower recidivism by 25-33 percent. Through the use of evidence based mental health, substance abuse and wrap around services, these programs are working with returning citizens to improve protective factors and lower risk factors associated with recidivism. Based in Colorado and Oregon, these successful reentry programs were seeded with Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds provided by the respective State Administering Agencies. The speakers for this webinar include Paula Presley, Bureau Chief for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and it’s Reintegration and Recovery Program and Truls Neal, District Manager for the Adult Division of Multnomah County Department of Community Justice. Previous Webinars
Innovations in Public Defense: Using a Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Justice System Outcomes
Innovations in Public Defense: Using a Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Justice System Outcomes focused on two public defender offices who are using innovative programs to improve public safety and client outcomes. These two programs have incorporated a multi-disciplinary approach to public defense which enhances the types of services offered, helps judges make more informed decisions and prevents increased justice system expenditures. Presenters for this webinar were Robin Steinberg, executive director of the Bronx Defenders and Edward Monahan, commissioner of the KY Department of Public Advocacy. Under Ms. Steinberg’s leadership the Bronx Defender Program has developed a holistic defense paradigm that has received a great deal of attention at both the state and federal level. Under Mr. Monahan’s leadership The Department of Public Advocacy’s has refined and expanded its Alternative Sentencing Social Worker Initiative which in August of 2011 won a NCJA Outstanding Criminal Justice Program Award.
Using Evidence Informed Principles in Juvenile Justice: Lowering Recidivism, Reducing Secure Detention and Promoting Positive Youth Development
This webinar will showcase concrete examples of how state level programs are helping to improve outcomes within state level juvenile justice systems and the populations they serve. This webinar will look at how policy changes related to status offenders have impacted secure detention and how evidence driven approaches to juvenile justice can make communities safer, save taxpayers money and allow for more prudent allocation of scarce resources. The presenters for this webinar include: Tara Andrews, deputy director for policy and programs, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Brian Bumbarger, founding director of the Evidence-Based Prevention and Intervention Support Center at Pennsylvania State University and David Jones deputy secretary, Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
John Schools and Demand Reduction
John Schools and Demand Reduction will focus on and explore the evidence base, prevalence and successes of John School programs and other demand reduction techniques being used throughout the nation. In addition to providing a national perspective, the webinar will highlight a successful John School in Waco, Texas. This webinar is the second in a two part series related to human trafficking and law enforcement efforts to reduce victimization. (To view part one please see the Human Trafficking webinar below). The presenters for this webinar include Michael Shively, Ph.D., senior associate, Abt Associates and Investigator Anita Johnson, with the Waco Police Department. Dr. Shively is one of the pioneers in researching John Schools and other demand reduction techniques and has been the lead researcher on a number of National Institute of Justice funded studies. Ms. Johnson runs Texas’s first John School which is considered one of the best national examples of law enforcement being actively involved in the establishment of a John School.
Human Trafficking: The Stats, The Trends, and the Law Enforcement Response
Human Trafficking: The Stats, The Trends and The Law Enforcement Response focused on the prevalence and severity of human trafficking. Presenters for this webinar discussed the trends being seen by experts in the 42 federally funded Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces and provided both a national and local perspective on how the human trafficking epidemic is affecting law enforcement and communities around the nation. The two presenters for this webinar are Dr. Jack McDevitt, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and Lt. Derek Marsh of the Westminster California Police Department and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF). focused on the prevalence and severity of human trafficking. Presenters for this webinar discussed the trends being seen by experts in the 42 federally funded Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces and provided both a national and local perspective on how the human trafficking epidemic is affecting law enforcement and communities around the nation. The two presenters for this webinar are Dr. Jack McDevitt, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and Lt. Derek Marsh of the Westminster California Police Department and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF).
Making the Case for Change: Perspectives on Obtaining Buy-in for Criminal Justice Reform
Making the Case for Change: Perspectives on Obtaining Buy-in for Criminal Justice Reform focused on the process of creating change within the criminal justice system. Participants in this webinar will discuss strategies for obtaining political, managerial and front line employee buy-in from key stake holders at all levels of the criminal justice system from courts to corrections.The two presenters for this webinar include: Adam Gelb, Director of Public Safety Performance Project at the Pew Center on the States which works with states on the nationally renowned Justice Reinvestment model and Mike Lawlor, Undersecretary Criminal Justice Policy & Planning Division within the CT Office of Policy & Management.
Pill Mills, Doctor Shopping and Prescription Drug Abuse: Can Prescription Monitoring Programs Stem the Tide?
This webinar focused on one of the nation's fastest growing drug problems, the use and abuse of prescription drugs. Panelists discussed current trends in prescription drug abuse, doctor shopping and the phenomena of “Pill Mills.” In addition panelists will discuss the proliferation of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and how these federal and state funded programs can be leveraged as a resource for state and local law enforcement, human service and public safety professionals.
Our presenters for this webinar were Timothy P. Condon, Ph.D., Science Policy Advisor with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, John L. Eadie, Director of the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) at the Center of Excellence at Brandeis University and Catherine McNamee, Policy Advisor and grant contact for the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Before joining the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Condon was the Associate Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the Director of the Office of Science Policy and Communication. Mr. Eadie is best known for his work co-founding both the Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs (ASPMP) and the National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities (NASCSA).
From Research to Implementation
From Research to Implementation focused on the process of creating evidence based practices, successful implementation and the importance of fidelity to a program model. The panelists discussed a number of issues including: the significance of research and program evaluation, using evidence based policies and practices (EBPP) to address community needs, how programs get recognized as EBPPs, replication and evaluation, and the importance of technical assistance in maintaining program fidelity.
The moderator for this webinar was Clay Yeager the former Director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In the early 1990’s, Mr. Yeager was integral in the process of ushering into Pennsylvania the Communities that Care (CTC) model and dozens of other evidence based practices and programs. The presenters for this webinar included: Dr. Delbert Elliot, the Director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CPSV) at the University of Colorado, Dr. J. David Hawkins an Endowed Professor of Prevention and Founding Director of the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington, and Mike Pennington the current Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Dr. Elliot is best known as creator of the now famous Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative. Dr. Hawkins is best known as the co-founder of both the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) and the well-known and internationally replicated Communities that Care Model.
SORNA Implementation: What You Need to Know
During this webinar, SMART Office Deputy Director Dawn Duran, and senior policy advisors from the SMART Office discussed the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) and the upcoming deadline. Ms. Duran answered questions and discussed the current status of SORNA implementation as well specific assistance the SMART Office can provide to jurisdictions who are working to implement SORNA by the July 2011 deadline. NCJA staff also discussed the association's efforts to ease compliance issues by states.
Trial and Error in Criminal Justice Reform: Learning from Failure
Presented by Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation and co-author of Trial and Error in Criminal Justice Reform: Learning from Failure (Urban Institute Press). This webinar will highlight common mistakes that criminal justice programs have made in recent years, and offer tips for how the innovators of tomorrow can avoid them. By discussing reform efforts that have fallen short of their goals this webinar will help policy makers, SAAs, and program developers more effectively utilize their limited resources.
The New Normal: Advanced Information Sharing
Presented by Paul Wormeli, former executive director of the IJIS Institute, this webinar focused on national trends in technology and moving from data aggregation and warehousing to analysis and predictive capabilities. The New Normal: Advanced Information Sharing will be a high-level overview of the exciting and dynamic ways in which we can use technology, the Internet and advanced management strategies to enhance the work of criminal justice professionals throughout the nation.
Navigating Evidence Based Policies and Practices: What States Can Do To Generate the Evidence?
Topics for this webinar included: What states should know about adoption and evaluation of evidence based practices; What states can do to promote the adoption and evaluation of evidence based practices; Acquiring buy-in; and Strategies for incremental adoption. Presenters for this webinar were: Candice M. Kane, Ph.D., J.D., Chief Operating Officer of the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention and include an open discussion among the following panelists: Cynthia Lum, Ph.D., Deputy Director of The Center for Evidence Based Policy; Phelan Wyrick, Senior Social Science Analyst at the Office of Justice Programs; and Roger Pryzbylski, Founder of the RKC Group.
This webinar series is supported by Grant No. 2010-DB-BX-K086 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART Office, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions are those of the speakers.
