Washington County CJCC adopts priorities, accepts JMI technical-assistance grant and sets bimonthly meetings

The Washington County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council voted Thursday to adopt a set of strategic priorities developed by the Justice Management Institute (JMI), accept a technical-assistance grant from JMI with a county match, and begin work on data sharing and alternative-program oversight.

Council members agreed the priorities — strengthening CJCC governance, behavioral health, and pretrial components, with data integration and alternative programs as crosscutting considerations — will guide subcommittee work. The group also approved using a JMI technical-assistance award (up to $10,000 from JMI and a $10,000 county match) to help craft a strategic plan and build subcommittee structure.

The priorities came from a multi-page JMI report and a one‑page executive summary provided to the council. The chair told members the report is a tool to guide the CJCC’s next steps and said adopting the priorities does not constitute automatic endorsement of every specific action recommended in the document. "We do not have to take any action that adopts this report or formalizes it in any way," the chair said during the discussion.

The council amended the motion to treat the appendix C items as considerations for planning rather than mandatory solutions and approved…