CSG Justice Center Convenes Bi-partisan Group Of Leaders To
Discuss Criminal Justice Issues
July 23, 2008
New York - A group of state and local leaders from across the
country―including respected legislators, court and law
enforcement officials, and cabinet secretaries and other
gubernatorial appointees―were brought together this week in
Washington, D.C., by the Council of State Governments Justice
Center. These state and local government officials, who serve on
the center's board of directors, gathered to discuss the latest
thinking on such issues as prisoner reentry, the response to
people with mental illnesses in contact with justice
professionals, state spending on corrections and public safety,
high utilizers of emergency services, and other issues at the
intersection of the criminal justice system and the public
health or other systems.
The board members met with federal officials and foundation
leaders from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Center for
Mental Health Services, the National Institute of Corrections,
the Department of Labor's Center for Faith and Community-Based
Initiatives, and The Pew Charitable Trusts' Public Safety
Performance Project. These sessions focused on the status and
future of important projects being conducted in partnership with
the Justice Center.
“The focus of the center continues to expand. It now includes
exploring issues at the state level that are related to at-risk
youth, victims' rights and services, and other complex matters
that call for sound data and broad consensus on which to base
policies and practices,†said Mesa, Arizona Police Chief George
Gascón. “It was exciting to be part of a discussion that focuses
on how we can make a true impact on communities.â€
The board of directors charted the Justice Center's course for
the coming year. The group examined options for keeping pace
with the demand for technical assistance, including the release
of a number of guides and toolkits for the field that will
support its direct work in the states. The participants also
celebrated such successes from the past year as the passage of
the Second Chance Act on prisoner reentry, in which the
organization played a key-coordinating role.
Chief Gascón added, “I am honored to be part of a bipartisan
group of leaders setting the direction for such groundbreaking
work. The center is involved with some of the toughest criminal
justice policy issues facing states. It is gratifying to see
what a significant impact it has on improving how state
resources can be more effectively and efficiently allocated to
support approaches that make a real difference in people's lives
and in the functioning of our criminal justice system.â€
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national
nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local,
state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It
provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven
strategies --informed by available evidence --to increase public
safety and strengthen communities.