September 10, 2020

The CSAC Support Hub for Criminal Justice Programming announces two free seminar series for counties. The two-seminar series will focus on (1) Programming and (2) Data and Evaluation, each with five separate sessions. These important virtual seminars will create a forum for partner counties to learn and engage in the development and application of the Support Hub’s Strategic Framework. 

These series are ideal for counties looking for guidance on making critical budget decisions, program development and oversight, data strategies, and evaluation. Importantly, the planning and implementation of this work becomes even more critical in future realignment growth allocations. Each series will be tailored for partner counties and agencies at all levels of engagement, including those looking to develop, refresh, increase, solidify, or share evidence-based and data-driven practices in their operations.    

 Each series will be held every other month, allowing a once-monthly timeslot to participate in both sessions. Depending upon the bi-monthly series, the seminars are set for the first Wednesday of each month. You can register for either (or both) series below. Please feel free to share this information with staff in your county or agency who would benefit from this collaborative work with the CSAC Support Hub. 

Series 1 – Programming   

Beginning October 2020 and held every other month, this series will focus on the development and application of elements within the Strategic Framework related to programming.  This five-part series will cover:

1. Program Inventories,
2. Assessing and Applying the Evidence-Based Program Literature,
3. Program Design and Implementation,
4. Cost-Benefit Analysis Part 1, Applying Economic Principals in Criminal Justice Programming, and
5. Cost-Benefit Analysis Part 2, County Usage and Application to Programming.

The CSAC Support Hub staff will guide you through an overview and application of each element, and then follow-up to provide specific technical assistance (as appropriate) to help guide partner counties through specific processes. Even if counties have not engaged in all components, this series aims to provide enough guidance for counties to implement all elements of the Framework.  

Series 2 – Data and Evaluation   

Beginning November 2020 and held every other month, this series will focus on development of an underlying data infrastructure, creating dynamic data dashboards and visualizations, and use data to evaluate programs and other interventions designed to reduce recidivism. This five-part series will cover a variety of topics, including:

1. Crucial ways data can inform criminal justice practice, the differing types of data, and how that data can be used,
2. Strategies to access and integrate data held by the state, specifically CDCR and DOJ including model templates and key data elements,
3. Strategies to access and integrate local and state data,
4. Introduction to designing data dashboards and making data accessible; and
5. An overview of key steps in an outcomes evaluation, including the differences between monitoring outcomes and conducting evaluations.

In addition to the seminar series on Programming, the CSAC Support Hub staff will provide technical assistance outside of the seminars partner counties (as appropriate).  

Please register for each series separately.  Following registration, confirmation and calendar invitations for the series will be sent to your email address provided within the registration. 

For more information on how to become a partner county or either series, please contact Ryan Souza, Program Director at RSouza@counties.org