Sauk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

The Sauk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council is moving forward and making progress on their 2015 goals.  The council has created three subcommittees tasked with several imperative factors necessary in making changes to the criminal justice system.

The system mapping subcommittee will evaluate the entire Sauk County criminal justice system; mapping out decision making points and processes in each respective agency.  The system mapping subcommittee is charged with creating a detailed process map of an offender’s route through the criminal justice system.  This map will be used to isolate areas of strengths, weaknesses, and duplication within the system.  This knowledge and understanding will allow for changes that support a collaborative, cost effective, and evidence driven system.

The court management subcommittee will evaluate the court notification system paying special attention to draining resources due in part to failure to appear cases.  The court management subcommittee is tasked with researching effective solutions and providing change options to the CJCC.

The data collection subcommittee is tasked with collecting and disseminating justice system data which is used to drive the CJCC’s decision making process’s connected to program initiative, creation, and management.

Two areas of improvement that are currently being researched are the implementation of an automated court appearance notification system and a diversion program that focuses on individuals who would otherwise be charged with operating after revocation and/or driving without a valid license 2^nd and 3^rd.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council has also begun researching the need for an alternative sanctioning court program.  This initial research led the council to apply for the “Adult Drug Court Planning Initiative” funded and hosted by the National Drug Court Institute and the Bureau of Justice.  Sauk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in addition to four other Wisconsin Counties was awarded this training opportunity for 2015.

The training initiative begins with coordinated pre-trainings and three full day, onsite trainings.  Sauk County along with the four other counties and staff from the National Drug Court Institute will participate in the onsite training being held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells in late May of 2015.     

Thank you for your continued support of this initiative and check back regularly for more updates on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.