Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a technique focused on meaningful, strategic conversation with someone that reliably facilitates behavior change. During the webinar, you will examine the context of evidence-based practices within which to have these conversations. Learn practical skills to engage in short and effective conversations to initiate, or facilitate, the process of behavior change. These skills are valuable efficacious and are considered an evidence-based practice in criminal justice.

The role of practitioners in the criminal justice system is rapidly changing from enforcer or resource broker to facilitator of behavior change. Cognitive behavioral skill building is an evidence-based practice for changing difficult and entrenched behaviors including antisocial thinking, addiction, and impulsivity. The partnership between treatment providers and criminal justice professionals requires that all professionals understand cognitive behavioral therapy and skill development. During the webinar, you will walk through the steps to develop cognitive behavioral skills in regular and on-going conversations with clients. Additionally, you will learn about the elements of good, evidence-based cognitive behavioral services.

Over 80% of all people under supervision in the criminal justice system have experienced trauma or show symptoms of trauma. Additionally, probation, parole and victim service providers encounter a high percentage of victims that are experiencing trauma. In underserved and Native American communities, it is critically important for criminal justice professionals to have skills to recognize and address historical trauma, generalized trauma, especially when there are limited services. Without being trauma-informed, we miss a vital component of responsivity when attending to client and victim.

Circles of Support and Accountability are a research supported restorative practices designed to hold high-risk offenders accountable and provide support through a group of committed volunteers and professionals. The model is designed to involve community volunteers in the risk management process regarding high risk/needs offenders. The circle is comprised of a person released back to the community (i.e., the “core member”) and between three and five community volunteers.

Courthouses serve as the center of many government, legal, and community activities, but they can also be vulnerable to threats of violence for all who use them. Join us to learn effective strategies and best practices to enhance courthouse security and prevent violence. Gather tools and resources from current security experts for court security planning committees, victim/witness safety considerations, community and media collaboration, and security recommendations. Gain understanding of behaviors associated with mental health disorders and workplace violence and how they impact courthouse safety.

Practice skills to effectively resolve disturbances that may arise in community supervision, during home visits or search and seizure, or in a court setting. Review the Disturbance Resolution model, a framework for determining what level of force is necessary and reasonable in various situations. Explore the legal justification for using force as well as situational desirability, threat assessment opportunities, officer versus subject factors and effective communication techniques.

Explore techniques to recognize drug influence when conducting home visits, search and seizure, or during other interactions with probationers. Develop the critical skills to recognize common paraphernalia and the signs and symptoms of persons under the influence of stimulants, hallucinogens, opiates, marijuana, alcohol, depressants, inhalants, and dissociative anesthetics through hands-on instruction.

Explore the eight principles of effective offender intervention and identify how they impact your department/agency. Develop a departmental vision and mission statement to support evidence-based practices (EBP). Develop goals, objectives, and action steps for organizational change and development of EBP. Establish measures for evaluation of program and individual success.

Explore promising practices in supervising drug/alcohol-involved probationers/parolees in a community-based setting. Examine the importance of utilizing Risk-Need-Responsivity principles, community-based sentencing options, effective case planning and graduated responses to increase public safety and long-term behavior change. Discuss how stakeholders can contribute to improve outcomes for this population.

Discuss the pervasiveness of mental illness in the criminal justice system. Identify basic mental, sociological and educational characteristics of the mentally ill offender population. Explore strategies to address mental health and addiction concerns in crisis and non-crisis situations. Examine the complexity of co-occurring disorders and the interventions that are most effective. Gather tools to implement an action plan that addresses suicidal thoughts or behaviors, self-injury, reaction to trauma, overdose or withdrawal symptoms and others.

Identify the obstacles justice teams have in effectively implementing community corrections programs. Explore and practice problem-solving methods. Develop an action plan to address the identified barriers to program success.

Learn how courthouse personnel can best share information and keep order in the court, whether it is for routine proceedings, messaging during a crisis, or providing the media/community with information during the continuity of operations following an incident. For the agency in charge of the courthouse, developing a strong and effective social media strategy can build trust and cooperation daily, especially during critical incidents. You will examine courtroom safety related to media and screening best practices, and leave with a media plan template to utilize in your agency.

Promote healing, enhance public safety, and reduce recidivism in your role as a tribal community corrections professional. During this training, you will explore strengths-based supervision strategies and case management skills for the following populations on probation: probationers with mental illness, alcohol and substance abuse addiction, and domestic violence offenses. Engage in a variety of activities to enhance your ability to effectively case manage high risk populations. Examine strategies for multi-disciplinary team building to support tribal community corrections.

Learn and practice QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), an evidence-based life-saving technique developed by Paul Quinnett, to utilize with people in crisis.   Examine suicide myths and facts, warning signs, and the impact of historical and intergenerational trauma on suicide in Native American/Alaska Native communities. Examine significant risk factors and learn how to reduce the risk of suicide among probationers by eliminating any one element of the deadly triad - alcohol, firearms and distress.

Build foundational skills through this comprehensive and interactive training academy. Examine traditional, evidence-based, victim-centered and trauma informed approaches to community supervision. Practice techniques in mock interviews, scenarios and team exercises. Explore the benefits of restorative practices and cultural resources.