MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT
Harris County Holds Disparities in Criminal Justice Conference
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THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL HOLDS MEETING TO DISCUSS STEPS TO HELP DECREASE OVERCROWDING IN THE JAIL |
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The Harris County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) works collectively to manage systemic challenges facing Harris County's criminal justice system and strengthen the overall well-being of our communities 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. In this latest meeting, key stakeholders from various county departments came together to discuss important initiatives, ongoing projects, and future plans aimed at enhancing public safety and improving the Harris County criminal justice system. Let's dive into the highlights of the meeting!
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During the August 2022 Council meeting, the Council requested that the Office of Justice and Safety (OJS) collect data that is needed to solve the criminal justice system’s challenges, from overpopulation and safety in the Harris County Jail to the criminal case backlog. To that end, OJS Deputy Director of Special Projects Michael Giordanelli provided an update on the requested data. The Council was presented with a chart prepared by OJS outlining the status of each item in the data needs request, with the following information included for each item: 1) data collection status, 2) the quality of the data; 3) links to available dashboards or sources; and 4) additional commentary regarding each item’s data availability. Mr. Giordanelli and AJ Roy, OJS Deputy Director of Data and Technology, entertained questions from the Council and also emphasized the primary drivers for the current jail population.
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Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia presented an update from the Violence Prevention Subcommittee. The Subcommittee has found that domestic violence outnumbers all violent crime, and the Subcommittee is therefore focusing on this area. Disrupting domestic violence incidents are critical, especially because children are involved and domestic violence incidents can escalate to domestic violence homicides. Takeaways include the following:
- Sustainability after ARPA funding ends
- Sustaining initiatives combating violent crimes in microzones
- Expanding The Safe Surrender Program
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Perrye Turner, Deputy County Administrator for Justice & Safety, presented an update from the Jail Population Subcommittee. As of June 19, 2023, the total jail population stood at 9,565 inmates. This was a decrease of 176 inmates or 1.8 percent of the jail population from two months prior; when the last CJCC meeting was held. As compared with the jail population from 6 months ago, this was a decrease of 433 inmates or 4.3 percent of the jail population in January 2023 (9,998 inmates in January 2023). The current average length of stay (ALOS) in the jail was 193 days, which was down seven days from March 2023.
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Wayne Young, CEO of the Harris Center, presented an update from the Mental Health Subcommittee and the newly updated Sequential Intercept Model (SIM).
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Sheriff Ed Gonzalez informed the members that the strategic planning session will be rescheduled in August with more information to follow.
Overall, the June meeting of the CJCC was productive and highlighted ongoing efforts to improve the criminal justice system in Harris County.
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POLICY BRIEFCASE
News & Information on Policy Work by OJS
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OJS ATTENDS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION TRAINING THAT USES DATA AND RESEARCH TO IMPROVE SOCIAL SYSTEMS |
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The Office of Justice and Safety began Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training with Evident Change, a nonprofit organization that uses data and research to improve our social systems. The training kicked off in April with a two-day in-person session with Michele Harper, Director of DEI and Marisol Martinez, DEI Senior Specialist of Evident Change. The training uses conceptual frameworks for thinking about race, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of justice work by creating an experiential learning environment.
Evident Change has developed content that facilitates topics addressing implicit bias, intersectionality, microaggressions, cultural awareness, dominant culture values, allyship, and structural oppression. The training will continue through October with various in-person and virtual sessions led by Michele, Marisol and Hannah Devries. OJS' goal is to complete this training and build a train-the-trainer model with Evident Change that can be shared and utilized by other Harris County organizations.
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HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OJS, TO HOST SECOND ANNUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION CONFERENCE
Harris County Public Health is gearing up to host its second annual Violence Prevention Conference on September 20 – 21, 2023. Themed Breaking the Cycle of Trauma and Rising Against Community Violence, this conference will serve as a platform to address the urgent need for violence prevention strategies and explore innovative approaches to tackle violence within Harris County and beyond.
Attendees can expect to:
- Learn evidence-based strategies to effectively address community violence through violence prevention programming. Additionally, providing valuable resources to advocate for improvements of systems and policies that perpetuate trauma within communities impacted by violence.
- Gain a better understanding of the importance of public health approaches as part of the public safety infrastructure.
- Acquire knowledge of principles and practices of public health approaches to violence and how it differs from traditional law enforcement. Additionally, learn about the training available to help them engage with individuals most at risk of being perpetrators or victims of violence.
- Learn about the connection between violence and trauma and its effects on victims, families, and communities, to increase their understanding of the importance of developing strategies and interventions to address the trauma caused by violence-informed care. Attendees will leave knowing how to identify the signs and symptoms of trauma in individuals and communities affected by continued violence.
Join HCPH and other departments as they bring together renowned experts, community leaders, and passionate advocates who are committed to making a lasting impact. Reserve your ticket and prepare to attend a transformative event aimed at fostering safer and more resilient communities. The conference will be hybrid with limited tickets available for in-person attendance.
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THE HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL HAS NAMED THIS YEAR'S HONOREES FOR ITS MOST ADMIRED CEO AWARDS
By: Office of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
These 50 CEOs were chosen by HBJ for their career achievements and leadership skills. The honorees represent a range of industries and nonprofits, including law offices, an amusement park, fine arts, education and health care. The CEOs are pillars of the Houston business community and demonstrate a dedication not only to their field but also to the community through serving on various nonprofit boards and volunteering.
As the CEO of one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the nation, Wayne Young is passionate about the planning and delivery of large-scale behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who rely upon safety net systems of care.
Under Wayne's leadership, The Harris Center has thrived, achieving remarkable milestones and continuously growing into areas of need, geographically and programmatically.
Wayne previously served as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and was recently appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. Wayne was honored to have received the Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas in 2019, as well as to have been named by Modern Healthcare as one of the “Top 25 Innovators” in 2019 and 2021 for his work providing a healthcare-centered approach to law enforcement calls associated with mental health concerns.
Wayne will be honored at the Houston Business Journal Luncheon on August 24th.
To learn more about the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD click here.
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HARRIS COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE USES INTERACTIVE BUDGET SIMULATOR TO BOOST COUNTY RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT FOR NEW FISCAL YEAR BUDGET
By: Office of Management and Budget
If you had $2.2 billion in County revenue, but this funding is still insufficient to accommodate all requests, how would you balance the budget?
The Office of Management and Budget has launched a new tool called Balancing Act to help break down the County’s $2.2B budget and simulate the decision points in developing a balanced budget that the Commissioners Court will vote on later this year.
Each year, the County develops its more than $2 billion general fund budget to fund county programs and services. Balancing Act provides the public with the power to simulate those funding decisions. The interactive tool allows users to increase or decrease revenues, adjust expenditures, comment on department resources, and generally provide feedback on Harris County funding priorities. The results will be sent to Commissioner’s Court offices to be considered along with other public comments.
Residents can use this tool to provide feedback through August on their Harris County budget priorities. To experiment and explore their own budget solutions, residents can attend one of the several meetings hosted by Commissioners throughout the County:
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Need more guidance to use the Balancing Act tool? Viewers can also watch a “how to” video on the website to help walk users through the tool.
About the Office of Management and Budget: The Office of Management and Budget serves the Commissioners Court in carrying out its vision for Harris County government. Our mission is to assist the Court in safeguarding the County’s fiscal health, achieving strategic objectives, promoting transparent, accountable government, and serving the residents of Harris County.
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Houston Public Media: Michael Eric Dyson on seeking fairness in the Harris County criminal justice system
Houston Public Media: Author and professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson discusses ways to address racial and ethnic disparities in Harris County’s criminal justice system.
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ARPA PMO Health Manager
ARPA PMO Housing Manager
ARPA PMO Justice & Safety Manager
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You can view all our videos on our channel
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The blog is up and running
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