Editor's Note
Although we face multiple national crises with the COVID-19 pandemic, 40-plus million unemployed, and national protests for justice, we continue to do the work to bring you information, resources, and news that will help you face your challenges, whether you are trying to figure out how to safely reopen your treatment court or working to ensure your client has the right to counsel or access to civil legal aid. This month, sign up for our webinar on drugs and human trafficking and check out our resources section for civil legal aid, veterans, reentry, and other resources. Stay safe and have a great June.
Leola Abraham, Associate Director of Communications, JPO
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Drugs and Human Trafficking Webinar in June
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Substance use disorders can be one of the biggest challenges in human trafficking survivors’ recovery. Join the Maximizing OVC’s Survivor Assistance in Court Settings (MOSAICS) June webinar to learn more about how drugs are interconnected with human trafficking and how court programs and service providers can respond to the unique needs of survivors with substance disorders. The webinar will take place on
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
from 2:00pm to 3:30pm EDT.
Register Now
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National Institute of Corrections Releases Report on Veterans in Prison
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The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) released
Barracks Behind Bars II: In Veteran-Specific Housing Units, Veterans Help Veterans Help Themselves
(Prisons Version). The report highlights programs in United States prisons that work to improve outcomes for justice-involved veterans, and — in doing so — increase safety for law enforcement officers, correctional officers, the incarcerated, and the public. The report showcases several facilities and corrections officials whose vision and initiatives led to reduced behavioral problems and incidents of violence by incarcerated veterans according to facility reports.
Barracks Behind Bars II
illustrates the design and development, implementation, and sustainment of the initiatives, including specialized housing and programming for military veterans. The 72-page report is the fourth in the NIC justice-involved veteran compendium project. Please
click here to view and download the PDF
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Can Treatment Courts Serve Those Convicted of Crimes Of Violence?
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The violent / non-violent dichotomy has become a matter of life or death during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data suggests that treatment courts can effectively serve both non-violent and violent offenders. Read our monthly blog where Senior Program Associate Matt Collinson encourages treatment courts to accept violent offenders into their programs.
Read More
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Veterans Event
The
Moral Wounds of War and PTSD: A Live Panel Discussion
event
will take place on
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST at American University’s Washington College of Law. Hear from
experts examining PTSD, the moral wounds of war, and efforts to address these issues. Visit
JPO’s website
or
follow us on Twitter
for more updates.
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COVID-19 is Creating an Access to Justice Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating an “access to justice crisis” that threatens a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights to counsel and to a speedy trial. Learn more about the access to justice crisis #COVID19 poses in U.S. courts, jails, and prisons; find relevant resources for defenders and advocates; catch up on legislative efforts to ensure the right to counsel and strengthen public defense: check it all out in our R2C Summer Newsletter.
Read More.
And join our
Trivia Tuesday on Twitter
where we challenge your public defense knowledge!
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Just Research Civil Legal Aid, Veterans, ReEntry, and Other Resources
In May,
The Justice in Government Project
and
NLADA
released the seventh
issue
of their co-authored newsletter,
Just Research.
The special issue highlighted co-created civil legal resources that are continually updated, as well as new research related to veterans, reentry, and human trafficking that demonstrate how civil legal aid improves lives and makes governments more fair and effective. It also highlighted
NLADA’s master list
of COVID-19 updates and resources, the JGP/NLADA non-LSC
Funding Chart
that is updated with COVID-19 related appropriations, law, and agency guidance as it becomes available, and NLADA’s restructured
Legal Aid Research database
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News, Legislation, Policy
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COVID-19 is Disrupting Treatment Courts
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed routines in treatment courts in a number of ways from limiting participation and halting celebrations when a participant graduates from a program. In Mansfield, Ohio, members of one drug court have not been able to meet in groups with their respective judges in recent months and those completing drug court were not able to take part in a graduation ceremony.
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County Weighs Whether to Put CARES Act Funding to Expand Jails
Spokane County, which received about $90 million through Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, is weighing whether to spend the money to expand jail capacity to avoid returning to overcrowding or on alternatives to jail such as pretrial supervision and other items from rental assistance to testing and other medical supplies.
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Coronavirus Crisis Poses Obstacles for Massachusetts Public Defenders
Public defenders working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic face a job that has changed dramatically. They have trouble contacting clients in jail, ensuring that cases move along as quickly as possible, and contacting family members and witnesses to build a complete case. With so much system-wide uncertainty, defenders are often unable to give clients answers to the most basic questions: when can I get out of jail? When is my next hearing? What happens next?
Read More
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