FY15 Department
Director Work and
Performance Plan
TOM EBERLY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
MECKLENBURG COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – KPI result falls above the range for successful
Successful (S) – KPI result falls within the range for successful
Needs Improvement (NI) – KPI result falls below the range for successful
SECTION 1: DEPARTMENT KEY INTIATIVES
Key Initiative #1 – License Restoration Pilot Program
Description:
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Implement License Restoration Pilot Program
Rationale:
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Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) is the second most frequent basis for incarceration in
Mecklenburg County.
In 2011, DWLR arrests cost taxpayers approximately $4.8 million for housing and adjudication.
In FY12, nearly 15,000 DWLR cases were recorded in Mecklenburg County, approximately 10% of all
District Court case filings.
License revocation is most likely the result of an administrative sanction (e.g., failure to pay child
support) than a driving violation (e.g., driving while impaired).
Restoration of a suspended driver’s license is an expensive and complex process.
A collaborative project with the Public Defender’s Office and the Charlotte School of Law, the project
will receive federal support funds for the first year of operation ($71,400).
Completion Date:
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Pilot program will operate a minimum of one year and will be evaluated for partial FY16 funding by
May, 2015 and full FY17 funding by May, 2016.
Updates/Project Milestones:
1) Receive federal funds for pilot program by October, 2015.
2) Finalize program requirements with the Public Defender’s Office and Charlotte School of Law by
November, 2015.
3) Begin accepting program participants by November, 2015.
4) Evaluate first-year outcome of pilot program through UNCC by February, 2016. (Note: Cost of
evaluation paid for by the Arnold Foundation).
Outcome/Measures: (Note: Baseline to be established; outcomes/measures below are estimated.)
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80% of participants will be license eligible within 120 days of being accepted into program.
70% of participants will obtain a valid driver’s license within 180 days of being accepted into program.
80% of participants will not be rearrested for DWLR one year after successfully completing program.
Performance Rating:
[add rating here]
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Key Initiative #2 – Reentry for Moderate/High Risk Offenders
Description:
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Expand reentry services for moderate/high risk offenders in Mecklenburg County
Rationale:
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Mecklenburg County receives the second largest number of prison releases in the State (approximately
1,500 annually) and nearly half are medium to high risk for re-offense.
Forty percent of offenders released from NC prisons return to prison within three years for a new
crime.
An estimated 60% of state offenders released to Mecklenburg County in FY11 were in need of
substance abuse treatment; more than two-thirds of whom received no services while incarcerated.
Prison releases are heavily concentrated in certain neighborhoods in Mecklenburg County. Nearly 70%
of state releases are confined to eight contiguous zip codes in Mecklenburg County.
Comprehensive programming tailored to the specific needs of offenders decreases the likelihood of
continued criminal behavior.
A state grant, with a County match, funds two reentry services case managers in CJS, plus a continuing
education program at CPCC is funded by the Vera Foundation. Federal support funds will allow for
the hiring of an additional reentry services case manager in FY15.
Completion Date:
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Program will operate during FY15 and monitored for sustainability funding by May, 2015.
Updates/Project Milestones:
1) Add a federal grant funded case manager position (1 FTE) to CJS’s reentry program, called Asset
(Achieving Stability and Success by Empowering Transition), by November, 2014.
2) Increase program daily capacity to 120 individuals by March, 2015.
3) Continue planning discussions with NC Department of Public Safety and Sheriff’s Office to create
prisoner reentry program at the WRRC facility; formalize plan by February, 2015.
4) Conduct annual job fair for persons with a criminal record in September, 2015.
5) Coordinate ten Reentry Partners of Mecklenburg (the local reentry council) meetings during FY15.
Outcome/Measures: (Note: Baseline to be established; outcomes/measures below are estimated.)
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60% of those identified in prison in-reach report for services following release from incarceration.
80% of participants achieve lower risk/needs score upon completing program
60% of participants remain in community (i.e., do no return to prison) twelve months after completing
program
75% of participants entering workforce remain employed at least six months.
Performance Rating:
[add rating here]
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Key Initiative #3 – Pretrial Services
Description:
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Enhance Operations of Pretrial Services
Rationale:
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Pretrial Services provides valuable information to the courts for determining conditions of release for
accused individuals and supervises defendants awaiting trial.
Mecklenburg County is one of four pilot sites in the nation selected by the Arnold Foundation to
implement their new objective risk assessment tool.
Risk-based decision making in bail decision heightens public safety compared to charge-based decision
making and ensures system resources (e.g., jail) are used wisely.
Properly identifying risk level helps ensure that high-risk individuals are detained pending trial and that
low-risk individuals are not unnecessarily detained. Risk for moderate individuals can be mitigated
with interventions and services.
Introducing objective risk based decision making will improve the initial processing of felony cases in
Mecklenburg County.
Completion Date:
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Risk assessments will occur during FY and process/policy changes will be completed by February,
2015. Data collection for evaluation of risk assessment tool with the Arnold Foundation will also occur
throughout the FY.
Updates/Project Milestones:
1) Establish Performance Standards for Risk Analysts and Case Managers by January 1, 2015
2) Establish process of reviewing felony cases at First Appearance hearing using risk by February, 2015.
3) Create Memorandum of Understanding between Mecklenburg County and 26th Judicial District on
program services by March, 2015.
4) Revise Pretrial Services Eligibility Policy with BOCC and County Manager by March, 2015.
5) Validate risk assessment tool with Arnold Foundation by August, 30 2015.
6) Improve Employee Climate Survey (ECS) results within Program.
Outcome/Measures: (Note: Baseline to be established; outcomes/measures below are estimated.)
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90% of eligible defendants will have a risk assessment completed for the bail review hearing.
90% of eligible defendants will have criminal history report completed for the bail review hearing.
50% of defendants charged with a felony will have their bail reviewed at First Appearance hearing.
65% of Pretrial Services supervision clients are moderate risk level.
ECS for program yields 30% higher results, overall, than previous FY.
Performance Rating:
[add rating here]
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Key Initiative #4 – Juvenile Justice
Description:
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Implement research-driven strategies in juvenile justice
Rationale:
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In FY14, CJS engaged the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) to facilitate a review of the
juvenile court process and the utilization of Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) funds. The
analysis revealed that youths are not properly assessed at early stages of court involvement and,
subsequently, JCPC funded programs are underutilized. In addition, current JCPC funded programs are
not targeting moderate risk youths and low risk youths are not diverted from system. The study yielded
15 recommendations for improvement.
Mecklenburg County has been designated as a Reclaiming Futures site by the state of North Carolina.
Reclaiming Futures is a model for improving juvenile justice through community integration and its
implementation was supported by the UNCC study as best practice.
JCPC members received the UNCC study and agreed to adopt the recommendations as part of their
funding strategy in FY16.
It is unclear whether current service providers are meeting the needs of the youths involved in the
juvenile court system. Assessment of service quality does not exist.
Completion Date:
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Implementation of the recommendations strategies requires involvement of the 26th Judicial District,
the NC Department of Public Safety, and the JCPC. As a result, progress on the initiative will require
most of FY15 and will likely stretch into the following year.
Updates/Project Milestones:
1) Implement screening and assessment process for court involved youths by February, 2015.
2) Identify service strategy for diverting low risk youths from juvenile court system by June 30th, 2015.
3) Adopt the Reclaiming Futures model, in collaboration with the 26th Judicial District and the NC
Department of Public Safety, by April 30, 2015.
4) Conduct two Correctional Program Checklist (CPC) Assessments on juvenile court service providers to
evaluate service quality by June 30, 2015.
Outcome/Measures: (Note: Baseline to be established; outcomes/measures below are estimated.)
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40% of recommendations from UNCC study are implemented by end of FY15.
50% of JCPC funding for FY16 is directed toward services for moderate risk youths.
100% of target CPC Assessments are completed.
Performance Rating:
[add rating here]
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Key Initiative #5 – Citizen Warrant Court
Description:
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Review the citizen warrant process and evaluate the Citizen’s Warrant Court
Rationale:
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Approximately 5,000 arrests based on a citizen-initiated warrant occur annually.
Ninety percent of citizen initiated complaints were dismissed in FY12.
Half of all dismissals occur when the prosecuting witness did not appear in court.
In 2013, the 26th Judicial District established the Citizen’s Warrant Court in response to the County’s
involvement in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. The specialty court seeks to resolve citizen warrant
cases through mediation.
A review of the Citizen’s Warrant Court by CJS in 2013 revealed mixed outcomes despite favorable
feedback from judges and participants.
Citizen warrant cases continue to be an issue for the criminal justice system as these low level cases
consume significant resources (e.g., law enforcement time, jail beds, and court dockets) and delay the
processing of more serious criminal cases.
Through Justice Reinvestment funds from the Federal government, Mecklenburg County will receive
funds to formally evaluate the citizen warrant process and the Citizen’s Warrant Court.
Completion Date:
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The Center for Court Innovation will be teamed with the UNCC to conduct a comprehensive review of
citizen warrant process and the Citizen’s Warrant Court by May, 2015.
Updates/Project Milestones:
1) Engage the Center for Court Innovation to complete an assessment of the citizen warrant process by
June, 2015.
2) Contract with the UNCC to conduct a program evaluation of the Citizen’s Warrant Court by June,
2015.
3) Establish committee to implement recommendations from the Center for Court Innovations and UNCC
by July, 2015.
Outcome/Measures:
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Qualitative review of citizen warrant process completed and presented to stakeholders by deadline.
Quantitative review of Citizen’s Warrant Court completed and presented to stakeholders by deadline.
Implementation Committee meeting held before June 30, 2015.
Performance Rating:
[add rating here]
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
Overall Section 1:
Key Initiatives Rating
[add rating here]
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee contributes beyond expectations for departmental key initiatives
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for departmental key initiatives
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee does not meet expectations for the departmental key initiatives
SECTION 2: KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Indicators
Target
Overall Section 2:
Key Performance Indicators Rating
FY15
Result
Rating
(E, S, NI)
Director Comments
(Optional)
[add rating here]
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – KPI result falls above the range for successful
Successful (S) – KPI result falls within the range for successful
Needs Improvement (NI) – KPI result falls below the range for successful
SECTION 3: LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
Competencies
Rating
(E, S, NI)
Director Comments
Strategic Thinking
Formulating vision into actions
Executive Excellence
Optimizing talent management and
financial health
Change & Innovation
Innovating through change and creativity
Collaborative Relationships
Collaborating through alliances and
relationships
Values & Integrity
Serving with integrity and respect
Overall Section 3:
Leadership Competencies Rating
[add rating here]
Executive Team Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E): Almost always demonstrates these behaviors
Successful (S): Frequently demonstrates these behaviors
Needs Improvement (NI): Infrequently demonstrates these behaviors
Rating
(Exemplary, Successful, Needs Improvement)
Section 1: Key Initiatives
Section 2: Key Performance Indicators
Section 3: Leadership Competencies
Overall Performance Rating:
Performance Increase
Current Salary
$
% Increase: % of market rate of $ applied
to current salary
New Salary
Cash Merit (if applicable)
$
N/A
Supervisor Comments:
Rating Criteria:
Exemplary (E) – Employee consistently contributes beyond job expectations and in accomplishing extraordinary results for the
department
Successful (S) – Employee meets the expectations for and contributes to the achievement of the results for the department
Needs Improvement (NI) – Employee performance does not fully meet established requirements for the department