The NCJA Podcast

In this companion episode to our previous podcast on the assessment center model, we highlight the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) in Colorado. Hear from Executive Director Sarah Troy, board member and former JAC client Kaelie McNeilley and NCJA Program Manager Anica Stieve about how youth are referred and comprehensively assessed through this supportive hub to prevent involvement with juvenile j...

Are you searching for ways to expand your capacity for data access or analysis? Do you need help telling the story of your criminal justice data? Tune into this episode of The NCJA Podcast and join NCJA Research Analyst Alexis Cooney as she speaks with Laramie Riggs and Esteem Brumfield from the Center for State Governments (CSG) Justice Center about Justice Counts , a national initiative providin...

In this episode of The NCJA Podcast, Program Manager Anica Stieve dives into the juvenile justice world to explore the assessment center model, a supportive hub for youth and families that provides support and diverts youth from juvenile justice and child welfare system involvement. In this conversation, Molli Barker Cook, executive director of the National Assessment Center Association, guides li...

Part one of a future two-part podcast series discusses how to build meaningful relationships with tribes, community stakeholders and law enforcement, and how to leverage those connections to influence change in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) space. Listen as NCJA Program Manager Amanda Blasko speaks with Matt Lunn, Director of the Colorado  Division of Criminal Justice , and...

In this episode, join Dr. Abigail Tucker as she discusses the creation of Heroes , an active bystander training program, with Simone Greene, deputy director of the NCJA Center for Justice Planning. Adapted from Georgetown Law’s Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) project and tailored for corrections, healthcare, and fire and rescue, Dr. Tucker, one of three co-founders, explains how He...

Alaska's Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program is an innovative and long-standing initiative providing essential public safety services in rural communities. Overseen by the Department of Public Safety but run locally through grants awarded to regional organizations, VPSOs are first responders in rural Alaska, trained in law enforcement, search and rescue, fire safety and emergency response...

In this episode, join NCJA Program Coordinator Iyana Crawford for a conversation with Andre Peart, CEO and Founder of Untapped Solutions, an innovative application being used in the reentry space. Untapped Solutions is a reentry platform that connects nonprofits, employers and job seekers to build stronger communities through technology and opportunity.  Founded by formerly incarcerated, recently...

 Learn about the powerhouse approach of trust-based relational intervention (TBRI) as NCJA Program Manager Demaxia Wray speaks with two Texas-based practitioners—Darius Payne and Troy McPeak—about implementing the model in the juvenile justice space. In this lively discussion, discover how the model helps empower vulnerable youth through connection, how it can be used to combat generational trauma...

In this episode, learn from a true trailblazer in the field of language access as Dr. Omara Rivera-Vázquez shares impactful insights with NCJA Program Manager Demaxia Wray about the importance and power of language access and the creation of language access plans, the necessity of centering fairness in this work, and the power of reframing language and language accessibility using the framework of...

In episode 34, Program Manager Amanda Blasko speaks with Dr. Kim Gorgens from the University of Denver about the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in criminal justice, how having a TBI affects an individual’s success in the system and beyond, and how the Colorado Brain Injury Model, which has been adapted by other states, came to fruition.   Helpful Links:  Watch Dr. Gorgens’ TED talk...

In this episode, learn about the pressing public safety priorities and criminal justice trends highlighted by governors in their annual state of the state speeches. Join National Governors’ Association (NGA) Program Director Ken Hardy and NCJA Program Manager Amanda Blasko as they chart the importance of the state of the state speeches, especially for the public safety community, and discuss how t...

Are you interested in knowing what participating in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) work is really like? Tune in to episode 32 of The NCJA Podcast and hear from NCJA Program Managers Demaxia Wray and Anica Stieve as they describe their unique expertise from the field and discuss the role of collaboration, the meaning of success in this work, the significance of shared language, and the impor...

Interested in learning more about evaluating one of your funded programs? NCJA Center for Justice Planning Director Allison Badger and Program Manager Elisa Nicoletti discuss the basics of program evaluation, including how to balance concerns of fairness, common misconceptions about evaluation, how to support evaluation from a State Administering Agency (SAA) perspective and what to expect when un...

In this episode, Dr. Thaddeus Johnson and Dr. Natasha Johnson, professors at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, speak with NCJA Program Manager Amanda Blasko about law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology, or FRT. This engaging discussion begins with an overview of the use of FRT by law enforcement across the country, then delves into specific findings...

In this episode of the NCJA Podcast, we discuss the importance of involving faith-based leaders in gun violence prevention efforts. Join Program Manager Demaxia Wray as she speaks with Pastor Gilford T. Monrose, who, among other accomplishments, founded NYC-based gun violence prevention program the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, or “the GodSquad,” and organized Clergy for Safe Cities , a national c...

In episode 28 of the NCJA Podcast, learn about the creation of Safe Night . Safe Night works with police departments, local and state enforcement agencies, economic development partners, business improvement districts, private businesses, and community groups and leverages public/private partnerships to improve the safety and vibrancy of communities. Listen as Program Manager Jessica Grisler speak...

In this episode, join NCJA Executive Director Chris Asplen as he talks with longtime friend and criminal justice leader Jane Wiseman about leadership in the criminal justice space through the lens of the NCJA Leadership Academy , a multi-month program for senior criminal justice leaders and State Administering Agencies (SAAs). Jane Wiseman is an Innovations in Government Fellow at the Harvard Kenn...

In episode 26 of the NCJA Podcast, listeners will learn about what capacity building really means and its crucial importance in larger discussions of access and fairness within the criminal justice system. Join Program Manager Amanda Blasko as she talks with Delrice Adams, the executive director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), about the Institute 2 Innovate , ICJIA’...

In this episode, Colorado Municipal Court Judge Brian Bowen joins Allison Badger, director of the NCJA Center for Justice Planning to discuss the creation of the Adams County Court for Veterans. Judge Bowen, who presided over the court for eight years, shares best practice models and resources, how to obtain necessary buy-in from various stakeholders and criminal justice system partners, and highl...

This episode of the NCJA Podcast examines the ways in which restorative justice practices and models represent a paradigm shift in justice making. Listen as NCJA Program Manager Amanda Blasko speaks with Dr. Lindsey Pointer, an assistant professor at the Vermont Law and Graduate School and the principal investigator of the National Center on Restorative Justice. They discuss the benefits and impor...

This episode of The NCJA Podcast focuses on how to meaningfully engage with tribes, how to build trust, and other important components for consideration in working with tribal nations. As tribes are all diverse, and not monoliths, the main intention of the episode is not to generalize too broadly but rather to serve as a starting point for individuals who want to intentionally engage with tribes....

In Episode 22 of The NCJA Podcast, NCJA Senior Program Manager Simone Greene speaks with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services' Senior Program Manager Terrence Spain and Kelly Perry, Senior Manager of Child and Adolescent Crisis Services. Learn about Oklahoma’s youth mobile crisis response system: how it started, how it functions, and how the state responds, eve...

In this episode of the NCJA podcast, Program Manager Amanda Blasko discusses priority setting with Allison Badger, program director for the Center for Justice Planning. This conversation highlights the importance of setting priorities within the strategic planning process, pinpoints the integral components of stakeholder engagement and data, and provides advice on navigating board and stakeholder...

NCJA Program Managers Amanda Blasko and Amir Chapel discuss community engagement: what this phrase really means, and how to engage individuals and organizations meaningfully. Topics covered in this episode include challenges and barriers to engaging the community in terms of process and thinking outside the standard box of practices, how to engage individuals and/or organizations from marginalized...

In this episode, Joseph Popcun, Executive Deputy Commissioner at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services discusses the state of New York’s new violence reduction initiative Project Rise: Respond, Invest, Sustain and Empower. Project Rise is a $28 million statewide community violence prevention and community empowerment program to reach the people and places most impacted by the in...