August 2016 CJAB Meeting Summary

The August meeting of the Franklin County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) was called to order by Chair and President Judge, Carol Van Horn. Judge Van Horn welcomed the group and introduced Ezra Thrush, the new Coordinator for the Franklin County Reentry Coalition.

Christy Unger of Healthy Communities Partnership presented on Operation Save a Life, a Franklin/Fulton County Opioid Overdose Response Program which includes naloxone administration training. To date, there have been 21 reversals in Franklin County using LE Naloxone according to District Attorney Fogal.

The Grants Department reported that grant funding has been awarded for the following programs/items: Intermediate Punishment (IP) program, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) equipment, and Treatment Court planning. The Grants Department is currently working on grant applications for DOC funding and Mental Health & Criminal Justice Pre-trial Diversion as well as collaborating with Over the Rainbow Children’s Advocacy Center on two grant applications.

Meeting logistic responsibilities for the Franklin County Reentry Coalition are being transferred to Ezra Thrush who was hired by SCCAP to fill the role of Reentry Coordinator. The Reentry Coalition Advisory Board will be making recommendations to the Coalition regarding structure and bylaws. Five Coalition members will be attending a PCCD Reentry Workshop on September 27. The next Franklin County Reentry Coalition meeting will be held on November 3^rd at 1pm in the Jury Assembly Room at the Courthouse.

Karri Hull, CJAB liaison for PCCD, reported that mini-grants are still available for $1500 each for strategic plannings or trainings. Upcoming PCCD workshops include topics on Reentry, Human Trafficking and Law Enforcement Technology.

CJAB subcommittee chairs highlighted some of the committee work being done. The Behavioral Health committee is pursuing a Mental Health Pre-trial Justice Initiative Grant in conjunction with the District Attorney’s office. This committee also reported that a Veterans Affairs endowment grant proposal was approved to help fund veterans programs. The First Contact committee relayed PCCD’s report that fingerprint compliance for Franklin County local agency is 93.2%, which is higher than the overall state average of 87.9%. The Juvenile Justice committee announced that Greencastle and Waynesboro school districts are pursuing the Youth Court program. This committee will also be hosting an ASERT training on autism. The Forensic Initiatives committee is discussing guidelines for recovery houses as well as a parenting initiative for inmates that have or will have custody of their children.

Find the August 2016 meeting minutes here.

The next meeting of the Franklin County Criminal Justice Advisory Board will be held on October 27, 2016 at 12 PM in the 3rd Floor Jury Assembly Room at the Franklin County Courthouse and is open to the public.

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