In 2021, the National Center for State 

Courts, in partnership with Rulo 

Strategies, launched the Rural Justice 

Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the 

strengths of rural communities and 

highlight the crosssector collaboration 

that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. 

The RJC is soliciting nominations for 

rural justice programs or initiatives that 

were developed in rural communities or 

adapted for rural communities that fall 

into the RJC’s seven areas of focus. 

To be considered, a program or initiative 

must:

• Primarily serve justice-involved 

individuals or families engaged in 

the court system or be designed 

to increase access to legal 

representation.

• Reflect innovation that is specific to a 

rural community.

• Have been operational for a least one 

year.

• Have a written description of the 

initiative, practice, or program.

• Have interest in serving as a mentor 

for other rural communities.

Priority consideration will be given to 

initiatives that are multi-disciplinary 

in nature (at least two agencies 

representing two different disciplines 

must be involved).

RULO STRATEGIES LLC

NOMINATIONS

Nominations are accepted on a rolling 

basis. To be considered for the next 

2023 cohort, applications are due 

Monday, July 31, 2023 at 5pm EST. 

Nominations must be submitted 

electronically. The nomination form 

can be found here.

SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR

INNOVATION SITES

SEE A LIST OF EXISTING 

INNOVATION SITES

NOMINATE A SITE

INNOVATION SITES 

Innovation sites will be recognized for 

their work in rural communities and 

provided opportunities to share their 

successes in a variety of ways. 

Innovation sites will:

• Be asked to host other rural 

communities for both in-person 

and web-based visits (up to 6 per 

year).

• Will be featured on the RJC Online 

Resource Center and in a webinar 

and podcast.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

For questions or additional information, 

please contact Michelle “Shelly” Cern at 

mcern@ncsc.org.

The Rural Justice Collaborative was developed under grant number SJI-23-P-026 from the State Justice Institute. The points of view 

expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the State Justice Institute. 

THE RURAL JUSTICE 

COLLABORATIVE

Rural communities face unique 

challenges that impact their ability 

to deliver fair and equitable justice. 

Despite these challenges, rural 

communities rely on their many 

strengths to address the needs of 

their residents. The RJC is designed 

to highlight the success found in rural 

justice systems. More information 

about the RJC can be found at www.

ruraljusticecollaborative.org.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

The work under the RJC is supported 

by an advisory council composed of 

rural judges along with additional 

stakeholders in the justice, child welfare, 

and behavioral health systems. The 

advisory council will guide the initiative 

and identify innovative programs and 

practices.

THE RJC’S SEVEN AREAS OF 

FOCUS

• Increasing access to behavioral 

health treatment

• Reducing victimization

• Facilitating employment and 

educational opportunities for 

justice-involved individuals

• Eliminating barriers of access to 

justice

• Reducing incarceration and 

recidivism

• Facilitating reentry

• Reducing the number of children in 

foster care due to familial substance 

use

DEFINING “RURAL”

The RJC has adopted an inclusive 

approach that embraces the 

geographic, economic, social, 

and demographic diversity 

of rural communities. The 

Rural Health Information 

Hub, supported by the Health 

Resources and Services 

Administration (HRSA) of the 

U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS), created 

a tool to determine whether a 

specific location is considered 

rural based on various 

definitions. 

We encourage you to verify if 

your community is defined as 

rural using this tool before you 

apply. If the tool does not define 

your community as rural, please 

explain why you consider your 

service area to be rural.