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 we do to make sure that people come back to court.”

Hansen described the locally used pretrial risk-assessment tool (an actuarial instrument that considers objective factors) and said the county funds supervision through JusticePoint. He reported the program’s operational figures: 92 people currently under pretrial supervision, about 45 county-funded electronic-monitoring slots (he said the county has been funded for 45 slots and at one point used nearly all of them), with 27 people using alcohol-monitoring (SCRAM) and 12 on GPS monitoring. Hansen also said pretrial supervision produced an estimated county jail-day savings in 2024 — “a total savings of 42,000 days in jail,” which he discussed in the context of cost avoidance vs. public safety.

Deferred-prosecution and diversion work was detailed by Heather Korth, program supervisor with the deferred-prosecution office. She described two diversion options (pre- and post-charge) and an enhanced deferred-prosecution program of six- to 12-month contracts that, upon successful completion, result in charge dismissal. Korth provided program screening numbers: a quarterly average of 25 people screened in 2022, 78 per quarter in 2023 and 109 per quarter in 2024, and reported that 955 individuals had been screened for programming through Sept. 30 of the reporting year.

Kate Lester, director of Human Services, described behavioral-health information sharing and crisis-response work. Lester outlined two principal interventions: a mental-health flag in law-enforcement records that gives officers a heads-up about an individual’s history, and a client-consented individualized crisis strategy (CSIS) uploaded for responding officers. She said the flag is not intended to stigmatize individuals: “This is not the flag in the Spillman System is not a mechanism to stigmatize anyone.” Lester also described expansion of a co-responder model, pilot-tested with the Janesville Police Department and extended to Beloit and the sheriff’s office.

The board considered a resolution, placed on the agenda, to dissolve the EBDM policy team because the work groups will continue under the permanent Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). Supporters said much of the active work will continue under the CJCC and that the standing council has the same stakeholders in place. Motion to dissolve the EBDM policy team was made by Supervisor Woodman, seconded by Supervisor Wilson; the chair called for the voice vote and the resolution passed.

The presentations included program metrics and operational context; several board members asked for follow-up data such as recidivism figures for diversion participants and the frequency of mental-health-related calls to law enforcement (Spillman entries). County staff said some of those analyses require additional data work and will be pursued.

The board did not reduce or rescind any existing services during the meeting; it formally approved moving oversight of EBDM work to the CJCC.

Key facts and figures from presenters: 92 people under pretrial supervision; 45 funded electronic-monitoring slots (county-funded); 27 SCRAM (alcohol) monitors in use; 12 GPS monitors in use; appearance rates reported near 90%; safety rate reported near 84%; 955 individuals screened for diversion/deferred-prosecution through September of the reporting year; and quarterly screening averages rising from 25 (2022) to 78 (2023) to 109 (2024).