SJI Newsletter

February 2019 | Volume 29, No. 5

RFK National Resource Center

Releases Probation System Review Guidebook

The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice (RFK National Resource 

Center), recently announced the release of the Probation System Review Guidebook, 3rd Edition, in 

support of states and jurisdictions embracing the transformation of probation and juvenile justice 

policy and practice across the United States.

The new release features the framework that the RFK National Resource Center has used to achieve 

substantial improvements in youth outcomes and system performance, in partnership with twenty-five 

jurisdictions across nearly one-third of the states and territories. The latest edition includes:

An increased focus on the translation of adolescent development into practice;

Renewed emphasis on resiliency and positive youth development;

Improved and updated tools and guidance related to risk-needs-responsivity instruments

that support data driven and informed practice;

Addition of a probation orders analysis and court observation methodologies;

Specific benefits to undertaking a system review;

New information about the RFK National Resource Center's Training Institute;

Updated jurisdictional examples and lessons learned;

Testimonials by probation and juvenile justice leaders who have undertaken the review, and

achieved more positive outcomes for the youth they serve.
NCSC Assists Judges in Convening Teams

to Address Mentally Ill Individuals

Delivering justice to individuals who struggle with mental health or behavioral issues can be 

extraordinarily difficult. As leaders of their courts and communities, presiding judges are well 

positioned to convene and engage others to solve complicated problems. With that in mind, the 

National Center for State Courts (NCSC) recently published a practical guide to equip presiding 

judges in Arizona with the information they need to convene teams of court and community leaders 

who can systematically address individuals with mental illness.

The guide was funded by a grant from SJI to the Arizona Supreme Court. A new grant from SJI to 

the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), and 

the NCSC will adapt the Arizona guide for use in other states, among other national activities. This 

will address a recent resolution from CCJ/COSCA that urges court leaders to examine communitywide strategies to help those with mental illness.

"Knowing that the guide will be adapted for broader use is very exciting," said Patti Tobias, NCSC 

principal court management consultant and one of the guide's authors.

The Arizona guide highlights the roles that probation officers, mental health workers, police officers, 

public defenders and others can take to help reduce the number of people with mental illness and 

behavioral health issues who find themselves in the justice system. Ms. Tobias said the NCSC team 

used and expanded upon the long-established Sequential Intercept Model (SIM), a framework that

aims to keep individuals from continuing to penetrate the justice system. "Arizona court leaders 

thought it was necessary to go beyond SIM," she said, "because the challenges are so complex."

Ms. Tobias and NCSC Research Director Nicole Waters interviewed 49 state and local stakeholders 

from across Arizona, but mostly focused on Yavapai, Pima, and Coconino counties, as requested by 

court leaders in the state. Ms. Waters served as project director, assisted by Tobias and court 

research associate Shelley Spacek.
 

Webinars Address Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

The Civil Justice Initiative, a massive effort to help reform the civil justice system so that it works 

better for everyone, involves work at many different levels and in many different areas. Supported by 

SJI since 2017, this initiative addresses multi-partner strategies to align and maximize resources.
One area with great potential is online dispute resolution (ODR), which allows people to use their 

smart phones or computers to file small claims cases and communicate with other parties without 

having to appear in court. Done the right way, it can revolutionize how people use the courts to settle 

disputes.

Webinars sponsored by the Self-Represented Litigation Network, are scheduled for:

 

Culture Matters: Connecticut Judicial Branch

Addresses Cultural Competency

The Connecticut Judicial Branch defines cultural competency as the ability of the Branch and its 

employees to communicate, cooperate, and serve people from all cultural identities with respect, 

professionalism, integrity, and fairness in a manner that recognizes the individual dignity of each 

person.

With SJI support, the Judicial Branch developed a video as part of a larger product that is being used 

to train judges and court staff on becoming more culturally competent and responsive to the public.
SJI Board of Directors

Chair

John D. Minton, Jr.

Chief Justice

Supreme Court of Kentucky 

Frankfort, KY

Vice Chair

Daniel J. Becker

State Court Administrator (ret.) 

Utah AOC

Salt Lake City, UT

Secretary

Gayle A. Nachtigal

Senior Circuit Court Judge

Washington County Circuit Court 

Hillsboro, OR

Treasurer

David V. Brewer

Justice

Oregon Supreme Court

Salem, OR

Jonathan Lippman

Chief Judge of New York (ret.)

of Counsel

Latham & Watkins, LLP

New York, NY

Chase T. Rogers

Chief Justice (ret.)

Supreme Court of Connecticut

Partner

Pitney Day, LLP

Hartford, CT

Wilfredo Martinez

County Judge

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Orlando, FL

Marsha J. Rabiteau

Executive Director

Center for Human Trafficking

Court Solutions

Bloomfield, CT

Hernan D. Vera

Principal

Bird Marella P.C.

Los Angeles, CA

Isabel Framer

President

Language Access Consultants, LLC 

Copley, OH

Jonathan D. Mattiello

Executive Director

The State Justice Institute is a federally-funded, non-profit corporation established by

federal law in 1984 to improve the quality of justice in the state courts.

Products and Resources

Since 2011, SJI has designated the library at the National Center for State Courts as the

official repository of published work related to SJI-supported grant projects. You can

search the ecollection online by using the term, State Justice Institute.

Share the News

SJI uses Facebook and Twitter to promote the work of its grantees and also shares 

information of interest to the entire state court community. If your organization's work 

complements ours, let us know and we will share.