Washington County CJCC launches strategic-planning process with JMI; work groups set for February

The Washington County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on Wednesday opened a strategic-planning effort with the Justice Management Institute, which will help the council develop a three-priority plan with work groups, a January survey and a goal of presenting a final plan for adoption in June.

JMI consultant Amy Wickman told the council she would perform a mini-assessment and use results to guide the CJCC's next steps, including a survey to be sent in January, a facilitated strategic-planning session at the council's Feb. 10 meeting and two small work groups to draft action plans for the other priorities. "We aligned the timeline with your current CJCC meeting schedule," Wickman said. She asked members to recommend participants for two work groups focused on behavioral health and pretrial compliance and said each group should include at least one council member and subject-matter experts.

Wickman summarized a compact assessment using national CJCC standards across 10 essential elements and identified several areas "not yet present" for a 1-year-old council, including data and strategic-planning elements, community engagement, a vision statement, clearer bylaws for leadership terms/selection, and the absence of a steering or executive committee. She recommended a short list of achievable next steps, including creating and adopting a strategic plan, revisiting bylaws, establishing a steering committee, instituting an onboarding process, posting membership information publicly and exploring a dedicated staff or director position for the CJCC.

Members asked for prioritization of the assessment's recommended actions. Wickman said she would highlight the most achievable items for a council this young and include them in the January survey to focus the Feb. 10 discussion. The council's chair noted that Priority 1 (strengthening the CJCC) will be addressed by the full council at the Feb. 10 meeting, while the two work groups will develop action plans for behavioral health and pretrial compliance and report back later.

Wickman said she will distribute the presentation, send the January survey, request names and contact information for work-group participants and facilitate the February planning session. The CJCC agreed to add time on the Feb. 10 agenda for follow-up questions and further discussion.

The project will proceed with the council's input on membership and priorities; JMI will draft action plans and return to the council with recommendations later in the spring.