CSGJC to continue to build Justice Counts infrastructure and momentum and to support implementation for grantee states

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center requests $4,000,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to expand Justice Counts and support implementation for a cohort of up to 15 new grantee states. Using lessons learned from the initial phases of Justice Counts, we will refine the original metrics and infrastructure to respond to the needs of the original cohort of states and the new grantee states. Over three years, we will use the hub and spoke model to engage subject matter expertise to support Justice Counts’ design and implementation; review metrics, technology solutions, and related resources and make updates as needed; promote the initiative to increase participation in other states; and provide ongoing support to grantee states.

To accomplish this, we will establish a national coalition that will include existing  and new partners who will advise on activities and support data metrics automation. We will also institute a continuous review process and evolve the digital infrastructure as needed. We will regularly attend events to lift up successes, challenges, and trends, and by coordinating with other initiatives to further the reach of the Justice Counts metrics and infrastructure.

In year one, we will plan and coordinate, connect each grantee to a training and technical assistance (TTA) coach, develop planning and implementation guides to increase the knowledge base of policymakers and agency leaders, including increasing racial equity in underserved communities (in line with OJP priorities), and promoting peer-to-peer learning opportunities. In year two, participating agencies will receive assistance in collecting and submitting data using the digital infrastructure. We will also ensure buy-in from at least 60% of each state’s criminal justice agencies to adopt these metrics. We will develop data literacy training strategies to ensure policymakers understand the metrics and employ them in decision-making, including to identify and address racially disparate outcomes. Our staff will broker interagency relationships that will result in the expansion of Justice Counts metrics adoption. Lastly, we will make publicly available the tools and resources developed and lessons learned via a final report to encourage additional state buy-in.

The CSG Justice Center leads the current Justice Counts initiative where we worked with partners to establish national criminal justice data standards that now enjoy widespread support. This work provided us with invaluable information about gaps in data collection and opportunities to resolve issues. We will leverage this experience to support a new cohort of states.