August 2018
August may already be upon us, but there are still a few weeks left of summer to catch up on summer reading. In her latest blog post , JPO Director Kim Ball shares some of her favorite books and writes about the importance of taking time away from work for reflection.
 
"So, with the dog days of summer upon us, if you aren’t already planning to, think about taking a few days off if you can. Whether you’re traveling for vacation or sticking close to home, be sure to take a book with you, too."
Join #JusticeAcrossAmerica on Social Media
If you haven't already, join JPO this summer as we explore criminal justice efforts throughout the United States! Follow the hashtag #JusticeAcrossAmerica on Twitter and Facebook to discover interesting criminal justice facts from each state.
 
Add to the conversation by tweeting facts from your state! The state with the most facts will receive a special shout-out from us at the end of the campaign. Be sure to connect with @AU_JPO on both Twitter and Facebook to follow along! 
R2C Project Director Wraps Up Busy July
This past July, JPO Senior Policy Advisor and R2C Project Director Genevieve Citrin Ray hit the road and traveled to Nashville and Atlanta to speak about the right to counsel and the roles we all play in ensuring the Sixth Amendment is meaningfully implemented. She spoke to crowded audiences of county executives and court managers about multi-disciplinary collaboration. Genevieve also emphasized the power of the individual as well as the collective to effect positive change in our policies, the culture surrounding public defense, the right to counsel, and what impact this would have on the overall justice system. Stay tuned to see what happens next!
NDCRC Travels to Atlanta for Annual National Association for Court Management Conference

National Drug Court Resource Center Project Director Preeti Menon and staff members Steve Collins and Zephi Francis attended the 2018 Annual National Association for Court Management conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the course of the five-day conference, they participated in several excellent sessions related to problem-solving courts, while also informing session participants of all the resources available at www.NDCRC.org . Some of the many pertinent sessions covered the decriminalization of mental illness, bringing racial justice to the court system, court responses to the opioid crisis, and working with universities to inform and improve access to justice.
 
One session – Veterans Treatment Courts: A Collaboration of Local, State, and Federal Partners – was particularly engaging. In it Judge Halee Weinstein, Hugh McClean, and Jamie Meyers of the Baltimore City Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) and Gray Barton of the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts discussed the many partnerships required to operate a successful VTC program. Remarkably, one of Baltimore City VTC’s partners, the Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law, provides law school students with the opportunity to work with VTC participants to upgrade their discharge status, work on their eligibility to qualify for VA benefits, and even represent veterans in criminal cases under the supervision of the Office of the Public Defender.  

For more information about the National Association for Court Management and to keep an eye out for next year’s conference, please visit their website at https://nacmnet.org/ .  
Heard but Rarely Seen
Student Associate Ben Marchman looks back at his time at JPO and what it is like to be behind the scenes promoting JPO's mission and the people that make it happen. Visit the JPO blog to read more about his experiences at JPO and why he believes the future of criminal justice reform is filled with promise.
 
"My role at the Justice Programs Office (JPO) is to be heard but rarely seen. I am not asked to go to conferences and present on the constitutional right to counsel. I am certainly not going out into the field to provide training and technical assistance to  adult  and  juvenile treatment courts. But you have probably seen my  Friday News Roundup  or read my social media posts. I liken my role at JPO to a spotlight. I use my writing abilities and communications knowledge to shine a light on the fantastic work that JPO does and on the talented people that work here." 
Call for Papers Extended!
The  Drug Court Review  is now accepting articles for an upcoming issue focusing on innovative treatments and approaches employed by specialized court programs to address the underlying issues of criminal justice involvement.

Changes in the fields of criminal justice, mental and behavioral health, medicine, and technology, as well as shifting trends in social problems highlight the need for treatment court programs to also evolve in their responses. As such, topics of particular interest to this issue of  Drug Court Review  include, but are not limited to:

  • Family-centered approaches
  • Evidence-based treatment
  • Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
  • Inter-tribal and/or multi-jurisdictional transfers
  • Rapid responses or immediate linkages to treatment
  • New/promising treatment modalities or program structures

Submissions are due  August 31, 2018 , and publication is expected in December 2018.
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Visit the JPO blog to read weekly posts from our staff on issues ranging from right to counsel and juvenile justice to treatment courts.