[Durham INC] Vice Chair Jacobs to Participate in NACo Webinar on Justice Peer Learning Network

[Jones, Henry R.]

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                           Date: 04/03/23
Contact: Public Information Office                      Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020
E-mail: publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov<mailto:publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov>

Vice Chair Jacobs to Participate in NACo Webinar on Justice Peer Learning Network

Free session to be held virtually on April 5 at 2 p.m.

Durham, N.C. - Durham Board of County Commissioners Vice Chair Wendy Jacobs will be a participant in the National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar "County Leaders Championing Justice Efforts in Local Communities" on Wednesday, April 5 from 2 to 3 p.m.

This free webinar<https://www.naco.org/events/county-leaders-championing-justice-efforts-local-communities> will feature three county leaders - Jacobs; Commissioner Alana Sanders of Newton County, Georgia; and Commissioner Shannon Reid of Douglas County, Kansas; who were among 13 selected nationwide to participate in NACo's County Justice Peer Learning Network (PLN) to discuss local efforts and impacts achieved, as well as lessons learned throughout.

Counties nationally are directing resources to programs, practices and policies to reduce the overuse and misuse of the criminal legal system, improve public safety, better serve residents with behavioral health conditions and improve community stability and health. County elected officials are championing these efforts to improve community members' access to justice and behavioral health services.

"One of my key priorities as a County Commissioner is addressing the mental health needs of people in our community, keeping people with mental health conditions out of our criminal justice system and addressing the racial disparities we see in access to care and our jail population," Vice Chair Jacobs said. "Visiting Pima County (Tuscon) County, Arizona and Lucas (Toledo) County, Ohio, as part of the NACo Justice Peer Learning Network was an incredible opportunity to see in person best practices happening across our country and bring them back home to Durham County."

Learn more about this NACo event here<https://www.naco.org/events/county-leaders-championing-justice-efforts-local-communities>. Register for free here<https://member.naco.org/web-registration/?id=5cc24220-f7b1-ed11-83fd-6045bd029ba1>.

The webinar is part of a series of webinars focused on the PLN. The others are:


  *   April 6, 2 p.m. - Reducing Jail Populations: Lowering Recidivism Through Jail- and Community-Based Treatment and Services. Register here<https://www.naco.org/events/reducing-jail-populations-lowering-recidivism-through-jail-and-community-based-treatment-and>.
  *   April 19, 2 p.m. - Strategies for Leveraging County Health Rankings Data to Improve Community Health. Register here<https://www.naco.org/events/strategies-leveraging-county-health-rankings-data-improve-community-health>.



As part of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge<https://safetyandjusticechallenge.org/>, NACo created a County Justice Peer Learning Network<https://www.naco.org/blog/naco-launches-new-county-justice-peer-learning-network-13-counties> (PLN) to support county leaders - as a key constituency for justice reform - from January 2020 to October 2022. Counties participating in the PLN developed and implemented action plans to reduce the number of community members with behavioral health conditions involved in the legal system and identify and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities.


Between January 2020 and October 2022, of the 12 Peer Learning Network sites developing policies, practices and programs to better serve community members with behavioral health conditions, enhance public safety and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system:

  *   10 opened, approved or explored developing a crisis triage center
  *   10 deployed, piloted or discussed implementing mobile crisis teams
  *   8 launched behavioral health programs to assist people in jail
  *   6 partnered with local universities to support research activities and data-driven decision making
  *   9 dedicated a combined $38.3 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Recovery Funds towards public safety and behavioral health programs and improvements
  *   7 established data dashboards, and
  *   6 launched or enhanced initiatives focused on racial equity.


"It is always a most valuable experience to participate in NACo's learning events, whether it is a webinar or a site visit to a peer mentor site," said Criminal Justice Resource Center Director Gudrun Parmer, who attended some of the PLN events with Jacobs. "We can learn so much from each other and bring best practices and valuable lessons learned to our Durham County community as we continue to strive and improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens."

Each of the 13 members of the PLN gave an impact story on the impact of their participation in the Network. Watch all of the videos, including one from Vice Chair Jacobs, here<https://www.naco.org/resources/counties-building-safe-and-healthy-communities-12-impact-stories>.


The report outlines the accomplishments of the PLN members in supporting vulnerable residents, reducing the local jail population and addressing racial and ethnic disparities. To learn more about the impact of the PLN, visit here<https://www.naco.org/resources/counties-building-safe-and-healthy-communities-12-impact-stories>.

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