The NCJA Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 43: Part 2: Understanding Local Implementation with the Juvenile Assessment Center Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

In this companion episode to our previous podcast on the assessment center model, we highlight the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) in Colorado. Hear from Executive Director Sarah Troy, board member and former JAC client Kaelie McNeilley and NCJA Program Manager Anica Stieve about how youth are referred and comprehensively assessed through this supportive hub to prevent involvement with juvenile justice and child welfare systems, and how stakeholder support plays a critical role in the success of this important community-led resource.

Resources Mentioned:

National Assessment Center Association (NAC) framework

Episode 42: Better Data, Better Justice: Discussing the Benefits of Justice Counts for SAAs Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

Are you searching for ways to expand your capacity for data access or analysis? Do you need help telling the story of your criminal justice data? Tune into this episode of The NCJA Podcast and join NCJA Research Analyst Alexis Cooney as she speaks with Laramie Riggs and Esteem Brumfield from the Center for State Governments (CSG) Justice Center about Justice Counts, a national initiative providing tools, resources and custom support to help criminal justice agencies make their data journey easy, straightforward and impactful. Learn what participation in Justice Counts looks like, including how to enhance data-driven decision-making and strategic planning, and how custom dashboards can help streamline your data processes.

Episode Resources:

Sign up to participate (opt-in) to Justice Counts!
Want to know more before opting in? Book a meeting with Laramie.

Episode 41: Reducing System Involvement: An Exploration of the Assessment Center Model Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The NCJA Podcast, Program Manager Anica Stieve dives into the juvenile justice world to explore the assessment center model, a supportive hub for youth and families that provides support and diverts youth from juvenile justice and child welfare system involvement. In this conversation, Molli Barker Cook, executive director of the National Assessment Center Association, guides listeners through the history of the model, the key components, and how communities can adapt the model to individualized community needs.

Episode Links:

Episode 40: Meaningful Collaboration in MMIR Work and the Role of the SAA Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Part one of a future two-part podcast series discusses how to build meaningful relationships with tribes, community stakeholders and law enforcement, and how to leverage those connections to influence change in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) space. Listen as NCJA Program Manager Amanda Blasko speaks with Matt Lunn, Director of the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, and Melody Delmar, Director of Colorado’s Office of the Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (OMMIR) as they chronicle their initial steps and shared vision for these relationships, the importance of the role of the SAA in MMIR work, and how the unique role of Colorado’s co-located SAA and OMMIR act as a force multiplier for change.

Episode 39: Overcoming the Bystander Effect in Criminal Justice Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, join Dr. Abigail Tucker as she discusses the creation of Heroes, an active bystander training program, with Simone Greene, deputy director of the NCJA Center for Justice Planning. Adapted from Georgetown Law’s Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) project and tailored for corrections, healthcare, and fire and rescue, Dr. Tucker, one of three co-founders, explains how Heroes prevents and reduces harm and misconduct, enhances employee well-being, and transforms agency culture. Tune in for insights on how leadership and proactive intervention can drive meaningful change in public safety.

Episode Resources:

Read an article about Dr. Ervin Staub and his role in active bystandership training.

Read about the DOJ’s duty to intercede.

Check out this blurb about Heroes’ implementation in Anne Arundel County, MD.

Listen to Dr. Tucker speak about the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s implementation of Heroes.

Episode 38: Empowering Rural Communities: The Essential Role of Alaska’s Village Public Safety Officers Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Alaska's Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program is an innovative and long-standing initiative providing essential public safety services in rural communities. Overseen by the Department of Public Safety but run locally through grants awarded to regional organizations, VPSOs are first responders in rural Alaska, trained in law enforcement, search and rescue, fire safety and emergency response. Join NCJA Program Manager Jessica Grisler and VPSO Division Director James Hoelscher to hear firsthand insights on the unique challenges and rewards of this critical public safety role.

Episode 37: The Reentry Connection: An Innovative and Revolutionary Approach to Community Reintegration Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, join NCJA Program Coordinator Iyana Crawford for a conversation with Andre Peart, CEO and Founder of Untapped Solutions, an innovative application being used in the reentry space. Untapped Solutions is a reentry platform that connects nonprofits, employers and job seekers to build stronger communities through technology and opportunity. Founded by formerly incarcerated, recently homeless individuals from Black and Brown communities, Untapped Solutions’ mission is deeply personal. Through this discussion, explore the importance of reentry in the criminal justice system and learn how Untapped Solutions is revolutionizing the way agencies are delivering reentry services.

Episode Resources:

Learn about Untapped Solutions.

Episode 36: Healing Through Connection: The Power of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

Learn about the powerhouse approach of trust-based relational intervention (TBRI) as NCJA Program Manager Demaxia Wray speaks with two Texas-based practitioners—Darius Payne and Troy McPeak—about implementing the model in the juvenile justice space. In this lively discussion, discover how the model helps empower vulnerable youth through connection, how it can be used to combat generational trauma, and hear from Darius and Troy about the impact of the model— on themselves and the youth it’s designed to serve.

Episode Resources:

What is TBRI?

An introduction to TBRI

About attachment and TBRI

Intergenerational and Transgenerational Trauma: A Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development podcast

Episode 35: Beyond Words: The Importance of Language Access Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, learn from a true trailblazer in the field of language access as Dr. Omara Rivera-Vázquez shares impactful insights with NCJA Program Manager Demaxia Wray about the importance and power of language access and the creation of language access plans, the necessity of centering fairness in this work, and the power of reframing language and language accessibility using the framework of language justice.

Language Access Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Vermont Office of Racial Equity 2023 Language Access Report

The Plain Language Action and Information Network

Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons

Executive Order 13166

Department of Justice Language Access Plan

Department of Justice Language Access Planning Tools

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey

Episode 34: Traumatic Brain Injuries and Criminal Justice: The Colorado Brain Injury Model Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

In episode 34, Program Manager Amanda Blasko speaks with Dr. Kim Gorgens from the University of Denver about the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in criminal justice, how having a TBI affects an individual’s success in the system and beyond, and how the Colorado Brain Injury Model, which has been adapted by other states, came to fruition.

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