Following a competitive application process, Wisconsin has been invited to partner with the United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to start Phase VI of the Evidence-Based Decision Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems Initiative (EBDM). NIC’s EBDM initiative aims to apply “empirical knowledge and research-supported principles to justice system decisions made at the case, agency and system level and seeks to equip criminal justice local and state policymakers with the information, processes, and tools that will result in measurable reductions of pretrial misconduct, post-conviction reoffending, and other forms of community harm resulting from crime.”
“Through the involvement and engagement of stakeholders from across Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, Wisconsin’s EBDM teams have developed a shared vision for criminal justice system reform in Wisconsin,” said Attorney General Brad Schimel. “NIC providing Wisconsin their expertise and an opportunity to continue this shared vision is a big win for our state.”
Phase VI of the Initiative will build off of the collaborative planning efforts undertaken in Phase V and will enable state and local teams in Wisconsin to partner in implementing evidence-based strategies to improve the criminal justice system. At the state level, Wisconsin’s EBDM efforts have been supported and led by the State Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), which is co-chaired by Attorney General Brad Schimel and Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher. The CJCC has created an EBDM subcommittee dedicated to the project, which includes state and local membership from multiple disciplines within the traditional criminal justice system as well as many non-traditional criminal justice stakeholders.
“The Department of Corrections is committed to moving forward with our criminal justice partners to integrate evidence-based decision making into Wisconsin’s criminal justice system,” said DOC Secretary Jon Litscher. “Wisconsin’s selection for Phase VI of this initiative is a testament to the efforts by the state Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to position Wisconsin at the vanguard of cutting-edge efforts to utilize empirical research in driving enhancements to our criminal justice system.”
Working collaboratively with the state team are eight local teams – Chippewa County, Eau Claire County, La Crosse County, Marathon County, Milwaukee County, Outagamie County, Rock County, and Waukesha County. Through their local CJCCs, these local teams have also developed strong collaborative, multidisciplinary EBDM teams dedicated to these efforts. As these teams move into Phase VI of the Initiative, the work of the state team in collaboration with these local teams throughout Phase V has created a strong consortium of stakeholders moving forward towards common goals for criminal justice system reform.
The full press release can be found here: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/wisconsin-moves-implementation-phase-evidence-based-decision-making-initiative-state