Board hears evidence-based justice report; dissolves EBDM policy team, moves work under CJCC

Rock County officials told the Board of Supervisors March 13 that a multi-year Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) initiative has produced operational changes in pretrial supervision, diversion and behavioral-health information sharing — and the board voted to dissolve the formal EBDM policy team and shift oversight to the county’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Elizabeth Pullman McQuillan, the county’s justice-system strategist, summarized the initiative’s origin with the National Institute of Corrections, the identification of six change targets and a move from planning to implementation under phase 6 of the project.

“The underlying fundamental vision … was that we wanted a fair justice system, a fair justice system reducing harm to all for a safer Rock County,” Pullman McQuillan said.

The board heard several presenters describe how the county’s pretrial program and related services operate. Judge Carl Hansen said the pretrial work focuses on short-term risk and assuring return to court: “The two things that we look at within the pretrial services program are what can we do to reduce short term risk, and what can…