This week, experts from the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) presented at the American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) 48th Annual Training Institute in New York City. The presenters described CJI’s history of working with community supervision agencies in multiple states and the organization’s ability to provide a wide range of training and technical assistance to complex justice system challenges using data and evidence-based approaches.
Conference Highlights
- CJI team members discussed the National Black Letter Standards for Community Supervision and the process behind the creation of the first national community supervision standards
CJI presenters Spurgeon Kennedy, Valerie Meade, Caitlin Flood, and Melanie Pitkin discussed the progress made by the Black Letter Standards Working Group—a geographically diverse assembly of community supervision agency leaders and researchers—and the group’s plan to ensure the Standards are evidence-based, effective, and accessible to the field. The presenters then invited feedback from the audience about what the Standards should include and how their supervision agencies might implement them. The audience members provided fantastic input, which will be pivotal in shaping an effective education and outreach plan. The National Black Letter Standards for Community Supervision project is facilitated by CJI in collaboration with the APPA and the workgroup, and is funded by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). As part of this process, representatives from NIC and APPA leadership, research consultant Christopher Lowenkamp, and CJI team members have been assembled to finalize commentary for the Standards before sending to the APPA Board for review. The goal is for the Standards to be shared with the field in Spring 2024.
- CJI’s Revocations Team presented strategies to promote success on community supervision
Presenters Colby Dawley, Valerie Meade, Maja Vlajnic, and Caitlin Flood shared findings and recommendations emerging from CJI’s Revocations Project, a collaboration with five supervision agencies in four states supported by Arnold Ventures. The team also provided audience members with an assessment checklist to aid agencies in evaluating their community supervision policies and practices. Despite the early hour of the presentation, the audience remained engaged and were excited to learn more about opportunities to partner with CJI in the future.
The CJI team is grateful to our partners at APPA for the opportunity to present and looks forward to continued collaboration with community supervision agencies across the country!
Learn more about how CJI partners with organizations to improve community supervision practices.