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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJAC minutes 120817 CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESOURCE DEPARTMENT Justice Advisory Council Meeting Friday, December 8, 2017 West Campus Office Building—Room 004 Hillsborough, NC I. Welcome The meeting of the Justice Advisory Council Meeting convened at 3:06 pm. Commissioner Barry Jacobs welcomed everyone. As there were many new participants to the meeting, Commissioner Jacobs recommended everyone introduce themselves. II. Updates from JAC Stakeholders Detention Center Update: Feasibility Study— Travis Myren reported on the process of the site study for a new Detention Center. Space not being available in downtown Hillsborough required seeking locations outside the downtown area. A decision should be available by January with program recommendations and what the facility may look like. Commissioner Jacobs recommended having discussions with the designers regarding alternatives for incarnation. LEAD and Family Justice Center Visits and Detention Center Staff MH Training— Sheriff Charles Blackwood reported on a site visit to Family Justice Center in Guilford County.The Guilford County Family Justice Center(FJC) is a "one stop shop" for individuals and families in need. The Center provided a place of safety as well as legal and supportive services for victims of domestic violence. Sheriff Blackwood emphasized the collaborative between the county and city to create this type of program as well as the success the program has had in the community. Sheriff Blackwood proposed there may need to be a paradigm shift to organize efforts between Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, UNC and Mebane to construct such an undertaking for increased services to Orange County. Sheriff Blackwood emphasized the need for quality training for his officers. He discussed crisis intervention training for his officers to enable them to recognize mental health clients when they come through the door. He reported his officers are usually the first people that will encounter this population. Diversion Center Model (Alamance Stepping Up) Ric Bruton, Cardinal Innovations provided an overview of visit to the Diversion Center in Bexar County, San Antonio,Texas. Mr. Bruton reported on the success experienced in San Antonio through coordinating and integrating services between healthcare, law enforcement and the judicial system for low level offenders with mental illness. Linda Allison, Co-Coordinator for The Stepping-Up Initiative of Alamance County reported on the tour of the facility in San Antonio and the services provided and specialty training that of all involved. Ms. Allison discussed the coordinated efforts in Alamance County to better serve low level offenders with mental illnesses. The Stepping-Up Initiative in Alamance County is somewhat akin to the Bexar County program.The Stepping-Up Initiative focuses on reducing the number of persons with mental illness or co-occurring and substance use who are involved with the criminal justice system and fostering collaboration between systems, health, law enforcement and judicial to provide optimum care to these individual and minimize their level of incarceration. Ms.Allison discussed the efforts of the Reentry Council Planning Due to time restraints,this item was tabled and will be discussed at the next meeting on March 2, 2018. ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA III. Pretrial Justice Reform Jessie Smith, Professor of Public Law and Government, UNC School of Government discussed the foundational piece of pretrial release options. Ms. Smith provided information on the disparities between the level of offenses and the amount of bonds one have to pay along with the various types of bonds.