ARCHIVED PAGE

This page is no longer maintained with updates but remains available for reference purposes.

RPC_Logo_Horizontal_Tag.jpg
 

Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Members

City of Rockford, City of Rockford Police Department, State of Illinois 17th Judicial Circuit Court, State of Illinois Department of Corrections, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of IL, Western Division, Winnebago County Administration, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, Winnebago County State’s Attorney Office

PURPOSE

Region 1 Planning Council operates the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), providing an ongoing collaborative forum for the Winnebago County juvenile and criminal justice system stakeholders. The mission of the CJCC is to provide coordinated leadership that identifies and addresses emerging and existing criminal justice system issues. The Council seeks to improve and establish policies that are research based, technologically-advanced, effective, and work to break the cycle of crime.

Updates

Region 1 Planning Council (RPC) continues to provide administrative services for the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and we are growing! For those not already familiar - the CJCC is comprised of local policy makers and exists to provide coordinated leadership that identifies and addresses emerging and existing criminal justice system issues. The Council works to improve and establish policies and practices that are research based, technologically-advanced, effective, and work to break the cycle of crime. The Chief Judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court is the CJCC Chairperson, and the Winnebago County States Attorney is the CJCC Vice-Chairperson. 

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council also recognizes the relationship between the CJCC and those working in the criminal justice system of care. As such, the CJCC connects with the many service providers and community members working with those involved in the criminal justice system of care through multi-disciplinary teams (MDT’s). 

One such MDT is Partnerships and Strategies to Reentry. Partnerships and Strategies meets quarterly as a large group, allowing for partner operational meetings in between. This MDT allows criminal justice system partners to connect on a regular basis to share best practices, learn of new programs, and understand gaps in service. Each meeting features a speaker, which due to the pandemic, is currently being held online.

Our first meeting included speakers from Winnebago County Court Services and the Resource Intervention Center (RIC) who gave an overview of probation, as well as best practices and resources offered through the RIC. The RIC is truly a crown jewel of evidence-based practices in a one-stop-shop. Our community is fortunate to have this model resource for our most at-risk community members. 

In July, our speakers from the Illinois Department of Corrections shared new reentry efforts being carried out locally, as well as internally at the Department of Corrections. Like Winnebago County’s RIC, IDOC is also in the process of establishing one-stop reentry centers for those previously incarcerated.

The even better news is that Winnebago County and the State of Illinois are now both following the same best practices of the risk, needs, and responsivity model and using the same assessment tool. To that end, both sets of speakers stressed the importance of not mixing high-risk and low-risk populations. 

It’s very important we work together as a community to ensure the success of our mutual clients and Partnerships and Strategies to Reentry offers the table in which to do so. Together, we strengthen the criminal justice system by supporting the coordination of services to further ensure efficient and effective deployment of resources for some of our most at-risk citizens.