October 2018
Veterans Treatment Court Enhancement Initiative
The National Institute of Corrections and the Bureau of Justice Assistance have partnered with the Justice Programs Office (JPO) to develop and administer training and technical assistance for specialized screening, assessment, and case planning tools for veterans treatment courts (VTCs). The first phase of the VTC Enhancement Initiative produced three new VTC-specific tools (a short screener, a comprehensive risk-need assessment, and a case planning protocol) to meet the special needs of veterans in contact with the criminal justice system by incorporating the latest research on trauma, substance-use disorders, and other issues affecting veterans.

In addition to developing a training and technical assistance program for the new VTC-specific tools, JPO staff will be overseeing a solicitation process to select up to four VTCs interested in receiving on-site and remote training and technical assistance to learn how to implement the tools with fidelity. JPO staff will work with each pilot court to integrate the tools into existing court procedures and practices and provide ongoing technical assistance to address any implementation issues that arise.

For further information, please contact JPO’s Associate Director for Research, Dr. Julie Marie Baldwin ( [email protected] ). 

Fueled by Purpose
To kick off the new school year, JPO welcomed a guest post by Dean Vicky Wilkins on JPO's blog . Vicky Wilkins is the dean of the School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University , which houses JPO, and she has been a wonderful partner to and administrator for this center. She writes about what drives SPA students and how JPO provides them with opportunities for engagement and research beyond the classroom. 

"I am proud of all that JPO does to help SPA achieve our purpose of addressing the most challenging policy questions through innovation, high-impact research, partnerships, student engagement, and inclusion. I am grateful to have research centers, such as JPO, to assist us in providing our purpose-driven students with the opportunities to connect their passion and learning," writes Dean Wilkins.
First Episode in a Three-Part Series on the Opioid Crisis
Is Now Available
The opioid epidemic has plunged towns, cities, and entire regions into crisis. The National Drug Court Resource Center's (NDCRC) podcast, On the Docket with NDCRC , will examine this issue in a three-part series through the lens of one Montana town. Join our host, Anna Koozmin , as she speaks with a drug treatment court team in Great Falls, Montana, battling a flood of opioids in their community.
New Season of Serial Podcast Calls on the Expertise of the
Justice Programs Office
Are you a fan of the podcast Serial ? When its host Sarah Koenig needed to consult an expert on criminal justice issues, she turned to JPO . This season, Serial is taking a look at our criminal justice system and sharing stories from a year spent following cases at the Justice Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Our own senior policy counsel, Zoë Root , reviewed a case featured in the second episode. 
A Discussion on Criminal Justice Reform
Last week, Senior Associate Director Preeti Menon , Associate Director for Communications Elizabeth Krempley, Director Kim Ball , and Senior Policy Advisor Genevieve Citrin Ray   attended the Smart on Crime summit in New York City hosted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice , The Center for American Progress , and Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation . 
While there Preeti connected with Mark Holden , the senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Koch Industries, Inc. , who was spoke at the summit during the session titled, “A Conversation on State Progress." P reeti spoke with Mark after the summit to learn more about Mark's thoughts on our justice system and Koch's various reform efforts.

"I can’t stress enough the importance of working through the entire justice system, from the front end to the back end of the system, to increase public safety, provide equal rights, and give the formerly incarcerated a real second chance in life after paying their debt to society," Mark told her. Preeti shares this and more of their conversation in a new post on the JPO blog.
Training with the Rebound Program in Dekalb, Georgia
Our Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts Training and Technical Assistance (JDTC TTA) team helps the best courts in the country become even better! The team has been asked by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to help train courts selected to participate in a long-term research project on the efficacy of OJJDP’s Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines , a compilation of recommended practices for the field. JDTC TTA team members Project Director Zoë Root and Program Associate Megan Ward visited one of those courts called the Rebound Program in Dekalb County, Georgia, last month. Along with JDTC TTA partners, they delivered tailored technical assistance to the court and focused on integrated case planning. This is an approach to case planning in which probation officers create goals and progress activities with the participants of the program based on needs identified in assessments of the participants.

Stay tuned for a blog post later this month from Megan about the details of integrated case planning on JPO’s blog . 
#JusticeAcrossAmerica

Thank you to everyone who participated in the #JusticeAcrossAmerica campaign! Maryland and Washington, DC, were tied for the most posts, with Utah, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York in the mix as well.

We hope you enjoyed the campaign and will continue to share justice facts about your state using #JusticeAcrossAmerica!
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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.