Inaugural Conference
Goal
A criminal justice coordinating council (CJCC) describes a body of criminal justice leadership who meet regularly to address systemic challenges and to coordinate system-wide responses. CJCC’s vary by location in their structure and membership.
Host
The conference was hosted by the Charleston CJCC and Charleston Forum with the support of a diverse steering committee of leaders from across South Carolina. Conference co-chairs included CJCC Director, Ellen Steinberg and Charleston Forum Criminal Justice Chair, Kristy Danford (former CJCC director).
Steering Committee MembersWho Attended
Leaders representing various sectors of the criminal justice system from across the state, including the courts, prosecution, defense, law enforcement, corrections, city, county and state leaders, medical/behavioral healthcare and community-based providers, individuals with lived experience, the advocacy community, and subject matter experts were encouraged to attend.
When, Where, and Cost
The free conference was held on October 20, 2023, from 8:30AM to 3:00PM at Trident Technical College in North Charleston.
Expectation
Participants reviewed and discussed system trends and evidence-based opportunities for advancing public safety, justice, and fairness in the Palmetto state. Participants shared progress and challenges, networked with one another, and learned from experts in the field. Participants are also helping to shape growing data-guided collaborative dedicated to improving public safety, justice, and fairness in South Carolina.
The inaugural conference was:- For diverse stakeholders and perspectives... Not a single stakeholder.
- Grounded in research and data... Not about anecdotes and politics.
- Encouraged meaningful dialogue... Not a dog and pony show.
- Acknowledged key problems and explored innovative and scalable solutions... Not about business as usual.
Presentations were selected from an open call for proposals and selected based upon a combination of factors such as the degree to which it is research-informed and data-based, reflective of system issues, representative of diverse perspectives and lived experiences, and alignment with the goal of the conference.
Conference Overview Conference SummaryAgenda and Materials
- Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Ellen S. Steinberg, Director, Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Conference Co-Chair
- Kristy Danford, Charleston Forum Board of Directors, Conference Co-Chair
- Utilizing SC's Crisis Care Continuum to Deflect from the Criminal Justice System, Stacee Rowell, LISW-CP/S, Mobile Crisis Program Manager, South Carolina Department of Mental Health
- Transforming the Police Through Data-Driven Approaches: The Carolina Cohorts Project, Elise Kratzer, Policing Research Analyst, RTI International
- Moderated discussion about deflection and diversion in South Carolina, moderated by Jim Lake, 9-1-1 Coordinator & Director, Charleston County Consolidated Emergency Communications Center
- Keith Smalls, Founder and Executive Director, My Community's Mentor Group, and CJCC Co-Vice Chair
- Focus, Balanced, Data Driven...and Easy? How to help narrow the focus on enforcement action and community intervention targeting violence reduction, Cannon Fulmer, Crime Analyst, City of Columbia Police Department; Trevon Fordham, MSCJ, M.Ed., Director, Office of Violent Crime Prevention, City of Columbia; Kassy Alia Ray, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, Serve and Connect
- Ellen S. Steinberg, Director, Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Conference Co-Chair
- Leann Adkins, Legal Coordinator, One80 Place and CJCC Co-Vice Chair
- The Detention-to-Death Pipeline: An Empirical Analysis of Preventable Deaths in South Carolina's Correctional Facilities, Christina Plakas, Doctoral Student, University of South Carolina, Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice
- Deaths in Custody in South Carolina: Data, Unknowns, and Opportunities, Madalyn Wasilczuk, J.D., Assistant Professor of Law, University of South Carolina School of Law, Director, Youth Defender Clinic
- Ashley Pennington, Special Council, Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, Charleston Forum, CJCC Community Representative
- Racial Trauma and Disparities in the Criminal Justice System, Tandi Fortier, PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Department of Veteran Affairs
- Statewide Trends from the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, Dr. Delores Dacosta, Executive Director, South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs.
- Jason Bruder, Captain, Charleston Police Department, CJCC Chairman
- Dr. Nancy La Vigne, Director, National Institute of Justice
- Participants meet, mingle, and share information with one another in designated areas over lunch. Breakout areas are designated by topics of mutual interest, including diversion and deflection, disparities, reducing violence, pretrial justice, criminal justice coordinating councils, and research and data.
- Ellen S. Steinberg, Director, Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Conference Co-Chair
- Moderated discussion about how the system impacts crime survivors and those that go through it, Jerry Blassingame, Executive Director, Soteria Community Development Corporation; Ramona Stillwagon, Founder/CEO, Unchained Reentry, LLC; Rev. David Truluck, Executive Director, SHIELD Ministries; moderated by Pastor James Murray, Field Director, Prison Fellowships (retired)
- Kristy Danford, Charleston Forum Board of Directors, Conference Co-Chair
- Pretrial Assessments: How Data and Science Can Help Inform the Front End of the System, Kevin Kuehmeier, Senior Associate, Justice System Partners
- The Impact of the New Public Defender Workload Standard, James Austin, Founder, The JFA Institute
- Moderated discussion about coming into alignment with best practices
- Kristy Danford, Charleston Forum Board of Directors, Conference Co-Chair
- Next steps and closing remarks
- Kristy Danford, Charleston Forum Board of Directors, Conference Co-Chair
- Ellen S. Steinberg, Director, Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Conference Co-Chair