| Data-Driven Tool Gives Harris County Judges New Way to Assess Defendants’ Pretrial Risk Level | 6/6/2016 2:38 PM | HOUSTON, May 24, 2016 - Today, Harris County Courts announced that it will implement the Public Safety Assessment (PSA), a data-driven risk assessment tool that provides objective information that judges can use when deciding whether to release or detain a defendant prior to trial. Developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF), which is based in Houston, the PSA uses nine factors to produce two risk scores: one predicting the likelihood that an individual will commit a new crime if released pending trial, and another predicting the likelihood that he will fail to return for a future court hearing. |
| Harris County Receives $2M MacArthur Foundation Grant | 6/6/2016 1:41 PM | HOUSTON, April 13, 2016 – The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced a $2 million grant to the Harris County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to implement reforms to safely reduce Harris County’s jail population and address racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system. Harris County, Texas is one of 11 jurisdictions in the country chosen to receive significant funding and access to expert technical assistance to implement a plan for reform over the next two years. In total, nearly $25 million was awarded in support of ambitious plans to create fairer, more effective local justice systems across the country. |
| Harris County CJCC Applies for Second Round of Safety & Justice Challenge Grant | 2/9/2016 11:54 AM | In May, the MacArthur Foundation awarded the CJCC $150,000 to study
and develop a plan to improve Harris County’s Criminal Justice System. The
CJCC’s project is now complete and its comprehensive plan has been sent to the
MacArthur Foundation. In March, as many as 10 jurisdictions from around the
country will be awarded a second round of funding from the Foundation ($500,000
to $2 million annually) to implement their plans over two years. |
| Director of OCJC Attends White House Workshop | 2/9/2016 11:11 AM | Caprice Cosper, Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Coordination (OCJC), recently attended a Data Driven Justice workshop at the White House. The workshop, co-hosted by the Justice Management Institute, brought together leaders from around the country to focus on accelerating justice system data sharing. more>> |
| Harris County CJCC Admitted to National Network of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils | 2/9/2016 11:11 AM | The Justice Management Institute recently added Harris County CJCC to the membership of the National Network of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils (NNCJCC). The purpose of the NNCJCC is to provide a forum for local criminal justice coordinating councils to learn from each other and to build local capacity for system improvement. There are now 21 members from around the country. more>> |
| Harris County CJCC Wins MacArthur Foundation Support | 12/18/2015 7:57 AM | The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that the Harris County CJCC is one of 20 jurisdictions selected to receive a $150,000 grant to create a fairer, more effective local justice system. more>> |
