COUDERSPORT — The Potter County Commissioners are moving ahead with reforms of the county’s criminal justice system on the heels of announcements that the federal and state government are pushing for Data-Driven Justice (DDJ) initiatives in communities across the country.
Commissioner Paul Heimel recently attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) conference where the highlight was a move to make the criminal justice system “smarter.”
Information released by NACo indicates that every year, more than 11 million people move through the 3,100 local jails in the U.S. Many offenders are incarcerated for low-level, non-violent misdemeanors, which costs taxpayers $22 billion each year.
“In local jails, 64 percent of people suffer from mental illness, 68 percent have a substance abuse disorder, and 44 percent suffer from chronic health problems. Communities across the country have recognized that a relatively small number of these highly vulnerable people cycle repeatedly not just through local jails, but also hospital emergency rooms, shelters and other public systems, receiving fragmented and uncoordinated care at great cost to American taxpayers, with poor outcomes,” the NACo release stated.
The DDJ Initiative has been formed by the White House, to include a bipartisan coalition of 67 county, city and state governments committed to using these strategies to divert low-level offenders and change approaches to pre-trial incarceration.
Participating communities are expected to implement a number of strategies, including using data to identify and break the cycle of incarceration, equipping law enforcement and first responders with tools to respond and divert and using data-driven, validated pretrial risk assessment tools to inform pretrial release decisions.
Commissioner Doug Morley announced that he will empanel a Smart Justice Strategic Planning Committee to oversee all of the criminal justice restructuring programs the county has put in place over the past several years. The committee will oversee the specialty courts for DUI and drug offenders, the Women’s Residential Rehabilitation Center, and the county’s newest initiative, the pre-trial diversion pilot program.
The panel will oversee and examine all criminal justice restructuring programs. A strategic plan will be constructed that takes into account funding sources, personnel, direction of the programs and a cost/benefit analysis.
“We’re really ahead of the game in what we’re doing, and we feel that funding from federal and state governments is going to start flowing to these evidence-based programs,” said Commissioner Susan Kefover.
In other news, Kefover spoke on the AmeriCorps projects that are ongoing in the communities of Austin and Ulysses.
Workers are being brought into the community to complete a number of projects through the National Civilian Community Corps. The group completes, at no charge to communities, short-term projects that will make a positive impact in the area.
From mid-October to early November, a team of 12 to 15 college-age volunteers will stay in Ulysses and Austin to help complete downtown projects identified in the communities’ master plans.
Volunteers in Ulysses will construct 15 new wooden flower planters to line Main Street.
In Austin, wooden flower planters will also be built for the Main Street area, and workers will help with construction efforts along the trail and road between the dam and downtown. An abstract sculpture will be erected with the help of a professional artist. Several Austin School students are expected to take part in the project as well.
The volunteers do receive a small stipend, and are later reimbursed for costs of attending secondary education programs. They will be housed at the Ulysses Firehall while working in Potter County, and efforts are being made to be sure the volunteers have groceries and meals.
“This builds community capacity, and citizens will know what it takes to finish a project and the community members will get to help be part of the revival in their neighborhoods. This is such a wonderful project for everybody concerned,” Kefover said.
“The team will be working eight hours per day minus weekends for the days they are here at no cost to either community or the county other than what has been donated, such as housing,” said John Bry, the downtown coordinator for the county. “I will get a total impact of the project once it is completed, but I am projecting from the cost of materials, donated time, transportation they are providing, donated equipment, etc., that it could be between $15,000 and $20,000 for the two weeks of value and investment locally. Members of the communities are very excited about this.”
In a personnel move, Veterans Affairs Director Will Worthington will retire as the county Veterans’ Service Officer, effective Oct. 31.
Gail Allen was reassigned from temporary/part-time substitute to a regular part-time position, effective Aug. 8.
Also, applications were received for liquid fuel funds from Coudersport Borough for $5,797.90; Oswayo Borough for $470 from 2015 and $481.23 from 2016; and Eulalia Township for $3,009.71.
The next commissioners meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 18 at the Gunzburger Building in Coudersport.
