E-SJI News

SJI received a total of $506,865 in Project, Technical Assistance, and Curriculum Adaptation & Training grant 

applications for the 4th quarter of FY 2010. For FY 2010, SJI received $4,540,281 in grant applications; an 

increase of 78 percent above the $2,545,184 received in FY 2009.

The demand for SJI grants has increased dramatically as the state courts continue to seek assistance to deal with 

the ongoing budget crisis. SJI has responded by maximizing its limited grant funding to support critical 

technical assistance projects, focusing on how to deal with the budget cuts, and by supporting state court reengineering at a national impact level through its Strategic Initiatives Grants program. In addition, SJI 

continues to focus on other key areas such as immigration issues in the state courts and court security. 

PRESIDENT NOMINATES TWO TO SERVE ON SJI BOARD

On August 5, 2010, the President nominated Chief Justice Chase Rogers and Judge Wilfredo Martinez to serve 

on the SJI Board. Both are currently pending consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee and full Senate 

confirmation. (continued on page 2) 

4th QUARTER GRANT APPLICATIONS

Inside

President Nominates Two to Serve on 

SJI Board 1, 2

August 2010 Vol. 20, No. 11

NIC and SJI Continue to Support 

Risk Assessments in Sentencing 2, 3

Changes to the SJI Special Announcement 3

Libraries 3
Chase Rogers has been the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court since 2007. Prior to that, she served 

as a judge in the Connecticut Appellate Court from 2006 to 2007, and as a judge in the Connecticut Superior 

Court from 1998 to 2006. Prior to becoming a judge, she was a partner at Cummings & Lockwood in Stamford, 

Connecticut, where she focused on employment law and commercial litigation. Chief Justice Rogers is a 

member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and of the Connecticut Bar 

Foundation Nominating Committee. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and received 

her B.A. from Stanford University.

Wilfredo Martinez is currently a County Court Judge in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. He was 

initially appointed to the Court in 1998. Previously, Judge Martinez was a sole practitioner in Orlando, 

focusing on real estate and business law. Prior to that, he was in-house counsel for a manufacturer, distributor 

and retailer; worked for an insurance defense firm; and served as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the 

Orange County Bar Association of Florida. Judge Martinez is the former president of the National Conference 

of Metropolitan Courts and a member of the Florida Conference of County Court Judges. He received his J.D. 

from the New York University School of Law and his B.A. from Yale University.

The Senate previously confirmed 6 new Board members on June 22, 2010. By law, SJI is supervised by a 

Board of Directors consisting of 11 members appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the 

Senate. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 10703, the President appoints 6 judges and 1 state court administrator from a list 

of candidates submitted to the President by CCJ. In addition, the President also appoints 4 public member 

positions, no more than 2 of whom can be from the same political party.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CORRECTIONS AND SJI

CONTINUE TO SUPPORT RISK ASSESSMENTS IN SENTENCING

 

SJI and the Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Prisons/National Institute of Corrections (NIC) recently 

finalized a Partner Grant to support Phase II of the California Risk Assessment Pilot Project (CalRAPP). The 

purpose of the project is to explore ways in which criminal offender risk assessment information can be 

successfully used in adult sentencing and violation of probation proceedings to reduce offender recidivism and 

improve accountability. The Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) will 

work jointly with the Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) to coordinate the operation and evaluation 

of pilot locations in several counties.

This project builds on recent and on-going national and state sentencing reform activities to demonstrate one of 

the most promising developments in state sentencing and corrections reform – the use of actuarial risk/needs 

assessment information. A variety of proprietary and non-proprietary risk/needs assessment tools are now 

increasingly in use by juvenile and adult probation and parole agencies. (continued on page 3) 

Page 2 E-SJI News – Vol. 20, No. 11
Unfortunately, while there are over 15,000 state courts in the U.S., only a 

handful of state judges and courts have significant experience in using 

risk/needs assessment information in sentencing offenders or responding to 

violations of probation. However, the use of accurate risk and needs 

assessment information is critical in making evidence-based judicial 

determinations of many recurring sentencing issues.

The California AOC has, and will continue to select sites based on obtaining 

optimal diversity in location, size, region, availability of resources, and 

urban/rural settings. The project targets male and female offenders between 

the ages of 18 and 25 who are residents of the selected pilot counties, 

convicted of a felony offense, and placed on formal probation. Members of 

the target population remain members of the project until they are discharged 

from probation, establish a residence outside the pilot county, or until the 

conclusion of the project; whichever occurs first. The project will facilitate 

case planning, reduce recidivism, and improve offender accountability. 

CHANGES TO THE SJI LIBRARIES

SJI requires that all Project Grant reports (and other materials) be distributed 

to the state law libraries. The idea is that these products will be readily 

available in each state should a court want to review (or even replicate them). 

However, SJI has learned that this approach, while logical on its face, is not 

working as intended. We have discovered that many of the law libraries do 

not know what to do with these products when they receive them. In addition, 

the law librarian contacts change so often, that it is extremely difficult to keep 

the list of contacts up-to-date. 

Beginning in FY 2011, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) will 

become the new central repository for all SJI Project Grant products and 

reports. This change will be formally announced in the FY 2011 Grant 

Guideline, which will be published in the Federal Register. NCSC often fields 

requests from the state courts for SJI grant products, given that they are 

already the repository for a vast amount of documents for the state courts. In 

fact, NCSC currently maintains all SJI grant products they worked on in an for 

future consumption by the state courts; and is eager to partner with SJI on this 

new process that will enable SJI to make its grant products more widely 

available to the state courts, and free up the burden on the state law libraries in 

cataloging and maintaining these documents. In addition, it will reduce the 

burden on grantees in terms of reproduction and mailing costs. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

 Grant and scholarship application deadline for the 1st quarter of 

FY 2011: November 1, 2010.

Board of Directors

Chairman

Robert A. Miller

Chief Justice (Ret.)

Supreme Court of South Dakota

Pierre, SD

Vice Chairman

Joseph F. Baca

Chief Justice (Ret.)

New Mexico Supreme Court

Santa Fe, NM

Secretary

Sandra A. O’Connor

States Attorney of Baltimore 

County (Ret.)

Towson, MD

Executive Committee Member

Keith McNamara, Esq.

McNamara & McNamara

Columbus, OH

Terrence B. Adamson, Esq.

Executive Vice-President

The National Geographic Society

Robert N. Baldwin

Executive Vice President and

General Counsel

National Center for State Courts

Sophia H. Hall

Administrative Presiding Judge

Circuit Court of Cook County

Chicago, IL

Tommy Jewell

Presiding Children’s Court Judge 

(Ret.)

Second Judicial District Court

Albuquerque, NM

Arthur A. McGiverin

Chief Justice (Ret.)

Supreme Court of Iowa

Des Moines, IA

Jonathan D. Mattiello

Executive Director

The State Justice Institute is a 

private, non-profit corporation 

established by Federal law in 1984 

to improve the quality of justice in 

state courts, and foster innovative, 

efficient solutions to common 

issues faced by all courts. SJI is 

governed by a Board of Directors 

appointed by the President and 

confirmed by the Senate.

Page 3 E-SJI News – Vol. 20, No. 11