Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders

Rulo Strategies and NACo, in partnership with Praxis Consulting (the Project Team), with funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), are pleased to announce a peer exchange opportunity for county and court representatives to travel to an innovative site to learn from the hosts and exchange ideas with the other attendees. This initiative builds upon the County, Court, and Justice Leaders Framework, aligning county, court and justice leaders with local and behavioral health and public health stakeholders to create systems change. As such, innovative sites are considered counties that embody this framework through their partnerships between county agencies and community-based organizations supporting courts and counties in advancing their justice-related goals. The following two innovative sites will serve as the host locations for the peer exchange opportunities:

• Yavapai County, Ariz. (April 2-3, 2024), featuring programs, services, facilities, and community coalition partners supporting individuals with behavioral health issues in the criminal justice system. During the site visit, attendees will learn more about the Yavapai County Community Coalition, the Reentry Center, and mobile crisis and co-responder programs. For more information on Yavapai County work visit here.
• Host To Be Announced (Tentatively the week of May 13 or June 3, 2024), featuring programs and strategies to address mental health, community violence, and housing challenges. This site visit will also be two days in length.

Applicants have the opportunity to request to attend one of the two site visits. Each peer exchange will be one-and-a-half days onsite, which will include visiting site facilities, presentations from subject matter experts, and engagement with other attendees. The goal is to provide counties and courts looking to address similar challenges and considering implementing or adapting the programs and strategies employed by the hosts the opportunity to see and hear from the practitioners utilizing them.

Applicants should designate two representatives, one county and one court official, to attend the peer exchange. Candidates may express interest in both opportunities but are encouraged to select the option that most aligns with their goals and offers potential solutions or strategies to advance them in their community. The Project Team will select up to 10 county/court teams per site. In total, up to 20 teams (with two individuals per team) will participate in the in-person peer exchanges. Successful applicants will be provided a travel scholarship to cover the costs of the two participants per application.