CJAG Meeting
October 14, 2015
MINUTES
HANDOUTS
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Meeting Agenda
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 8:30AM
MEMBERS PRESENT
Melissa Bozardt, Fonda Clifton, David A. Dufresne, Erika Emerson, Jeff Estes, Katy Fitzgerald, David Gottlieb, Garry
Graham, Sarah Greene, Reginald Grier, Michael Griswold, Charlena Harvell, Carol Hickey, Fallon Hopkins, Rob
Hunter, Jessica Ireland, Kevin Johnson, Hope Marshall, Felicia McAdoo, Rob Merchant, Jeanne A. Miller, Rickye
McKoy-Mitchell, Andrew Murray, Melissa Neal, Todd Nuccio, Sarah O’Brien, Chris Peek, Hans Pierre, Russell Price,
Pam Rikard, Willa Smith, Matt Trenery, Kevin Tully, Rhonda Walton, Katrina Watson, Robyn Withrow, Marie White
Welcome
Chris Peek opened the meeting with a welcome to CJAG members.
Progress Updates from the Home, Street, Neighborhood and Community Campaigns
Home Campaign
CMPD and Huntersville currently use the lethality assessment, but we are working to schedule a regional training on
the lethality assessment. The training will include all of the Mecklenburg County police departments, as well as
Mooresville and Statesville. The DOJ has reported that they will begin the process of putting the OFDVI grant
together now that the Federal budget has been passed. The grant application has not yet been published, but those
involved locally with the Home Campaign will likely seek support and approval from necessary boards (towns, cities,
and County) to apply for the grant to implement the High Point OFDVI model. We do not yet know how the DOJ
grant funds will be used or what the grant application will include.
Street Campaign
The Street Campaign focuses on eliminating the cycling of frequent front-end users in the criminal justice system,
developing alternative responses, frequency of arrests, and lengths of incarceration for individuals with mental
health and/or homelessness issues. The Street Campaign is exploring ways to address frequent use of the justice
system through various initiatives, proposals for which will be completed by December 2015.
Neighborhood Campaign
The Center for Court Innovation (CCI) and UNC Charlotte (UNCC) collaborated to produce an evaluation of the
citizen-initiated complaint process and court. The final version of this report is expected soon and, once received,
will be made available to CJAG. Additionally, the Neighborhood Campaign will review this report to: 1) review the
recommendations; 2) determine which recommendations should be adopted; and 3) determine the steps necessary
to implement those recommendations.
Community Campaign
The Community Campaign has teamed with Re-Entry Partners of Mecklenburg to focus on three strategies. First,
the campaign will host a Career Expo which will target persons with criminal records. One such expo has taken place
with the participation of 22 different employers that have committed to hiring persons with criminal records, as well
as 17 different agencies representing educational, vocational and service programs. Next, the campaign will engage
the local community in a community event during which information would be made available regarding educational
and vocational opportunities for persons with criminal records; available services and assistance organizations; and
a family event. Finally, the campaign will investigate the development of an immediate response team to be
available to provide assistance to individuals arriving to the community without housing, clothing, meals, etc.
Update on MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge
Dr. Melissa Neal shared that the MacArthur Foundation has challenged Mecklenburg County to develop strategies
that would reduce the county jail population by 15-19% by the end of 2019. The Safety and Justice Planning Team is
currently finalizing these strategies and hopes to present them to CJAG in the coming weeks.
Next CJAG Meeting
December 9, 2015 @ 8:30am
Government Center
2nd Floor/ Room 267