Strategic Guidance to Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils: Coconino County

Collaboration around criminal justice system issues can produce a multitude of benefits to justice stakeholders and communities. Although collaboration can take place in many forums, formal collaborative structures create consistency, equitable decision making, longevity, and tangible outcomes for communities. Coconino County, Arizona, engaged JMI to help bolster their collaborative efforts through strategic planning for their criminal justice coordinating council (CJCC).

In partnership with the stakeholders, JMI helped define a strategic plan to guide the CJCC and provided technical assistance to bolster the CJCC’s governance and operations, which included revising the CJCC’s bylaws, developing job descriptions, assisting with the hiring of a new director, and serving as the interim director during the hiring process.  Some of the positive outcomes included:

• Outreach and connection to Indigenous populations
• Instituted better processes including data reporting and exposed team to best practices around data analysis and interpretation.
• Designed and implemented new committee structure.
• Hired new director, co-designed 90-day onboarding process, and provided a “soft” handover with JMI team member in place to support director.
• New energy in CJCC meetings – regularity, engagement, interest increased across the board.

For more information about CJCCs or system coordination in your jurisdiction, contact aimeew@jmijustice.org.