CONGRATS WISCONSIN: Three States Join the Efforts of the National Institute of Corrections to Improve Public Safety Outcomes

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The states of Indiana, Virginia, and Wisconsin have been selected by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to proceed with Phase V of Evidence Based Decision Making (EBDM) in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems.

In partnership with the Center for Effective Public Policy, NIC has developed training and technical assistance plans to provide focused support and the assistance needed to complete the activities of EBDM Phase V, the in-depth analysis and planning necessary for improved public safety outcomes. State teams composed of one state policy team and one criminal justice team from each of seven jurisdictions will be assigned a technical assistance (TA) provider who will be onsite at least once per month through March 2016. The TA provider—a content expert and coach—will facilitate stakeholders through the “EBDM Roadmap,” a step-by-step process for applying the EBDM framework across each state and the selected local jurisdictions.

The State of Indiana team is sponsored by the Indiana Judicial Center and chaired by Chief Justice Stephen H. David. The Indiana State policy team will work the criminal justice policy teams from:

  • Bartholomew County
  • Hamilton County
  • Hendricks County
  • Jefferson County
  • Porter County
  • Tipton County
  • Grant County (a current EBDM site)

The State of Virginia team is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is co-chaired by Tonya Vincent, Deputy Secretary, and Victoria Cochran, Deputy Secretary. The Virginia State policy team will work with the criminal justice policy teams from:

  • Chesterfield County
  • City of Norfolk
  • City of Petersburg
  • Prince William County
  • City of Richmond
  • City of Staunton
  • Charlottesville/Albemarle County (a current EBDM site)

The State of Wisconsin team is sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and co-chaired by Attorney General Brad D. Schimel and Department of Corrections Secretary Edward F. Wall. The Wisconsin State policy team will work with the criminal justice policy teams from:

  • Chippewa County
  • La Crosse County
  • Marathon County
  • Outagamie County
  • Rock County
  • Waukesha County
  • Milwaukee County (a current EBDM site)
  • Eau Claire County (a current EBDM site)

“At NIC, we believe that risk and harm reduction are fundamental goals of the justice system,” said NIC Director Jim Cosby, “and we are pleased to partner with state and local officials to make EBDM a statewide reality. Criminal justice agency leaders in Indiana, Virginia, and Wisconsin are demonstrating that local collaboration and the implementation of evidence-based practice can result in improved community and system outcomes, without sacrificing offender accountability. NIC fully supports the expansion of EBDM as we move to Phase V. “

Since EBDM began in 2007, NIC has been providing TA and equipping criminal justice decisionmakers and practitioners with the information, processes, and tools necessary to help states achieve measurable reductions in defendant failures to appear, defendant pretrial misconduct, and offender post-conviction reoffending while on community supervision. The seven local jurisdictions that participated in EBDM Phases II to III—planning and implementation—include:

  • Charlottesville/Albemarle County, VA
  • Eau Claire County, WI
  • Grant County, IN
  • Mesa County, CO
  • Milwaukee County, WI
  • Ramsey County, MN
  • Yamhill County, OR

The local jurisdictions participating in Phases II to III achieved increased efficiency, decreased costs, and improved public safety. Following a review of these results, representatives from key state agencies, law enforcement, public defense, prosecution, the judiciary, probation and parole, and others from the states participated in Phase IV. The goal of Phase IV was to build capacity within each of the states by expanding the scope of EBDM to include additional local jurisdictions and state-level policy teams. Four states participated in the activities of Phase IV and submitted applications to participate in Phase V of the EBDM Initiative.

Additional information about the progress of Evidence Based Decision Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems can be found at www.nicic.gov/go/ebdm1 and www.ebdmoneless.org.