Transforming Justice project moves towards third phase of work

May 5, 2022

“An effort to transform the criminal legal system” — that’s what the Multnomah County Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC) set out to do in January 2020.

The large-scale project was set in motion when LPSCC hosted the 2020 What Works in Public Safety conference, according to advocates and other leaders who spoke during a Tuesday, April 26, update briefing before the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. And today, Transforming Justice has completed two of the four phases necessary to deliver a vision of transformed public safety systems while continuing to move forward by nearing completion of a third phase in May 2022. 

“Many of the themes will sound familiar, like the need for alternatives to law enforcement interventions and more behavioral health services,” said Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, who serves as co-chair of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council with Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty

“And while the themes may not be new and unique,” Chair Kafoury continued, “this moment is new and unique. The chance to transform a system in a way that recognizes the humanity and dignity of every person in our community is so very rare, and this is a chance to carry that momentum forward.”      

Multnomah County’s LPSCC executive committee is made up of public safety stakeholders who meet monthly and work to coordinate policies and address issues that are critical to public safety.

While LPSCC first launched the Transforming Justice project in 2020, the work began to take shape in early 2021. The project is distinct from any other criminal justice reform project, with three fundamental pillars that will lead to a “fully realized vision that will lead to a strategic plan across public safety systems that outlasts turnover and election cycles,'' said Abbey Stamp, executive director of the LPSCC.

Those guiding pillars are: 

  • Leading with race, and prioritizing interventions, policies and budgeting for Black, Indigenous and other communities of color.
  • Focusing on shrinking the current criminal legal system footprint and growing health, housing and treatment responses. 
  • Increasing restorative approaches that focus on healing, harm reduction and restoration. 

Completed so far 

Stamp described the two phases of the project that have been completed so far.

1. Group dynamics and a research plan

A Steering Committee — made up of Commissioner Hardesty, Chair Kafoury, Stamp and approximately 39 other members — came together along with a working group to establish the group charter, identify stakeholders and define how to engage with them.

The Steering Committee is made up of individuals who have been affected by or influence the criminal legal system and includes local elected officials, survivors of crime, and other individuals with lived experience in the justice and behavioral health systems. 

2. Environmental research and discovery process 

The second phase kicked off with engagement research, including surveys, interviews and focus groups of stakeholders and a review of recent reports, evaluations, and analyses on public safety data and best practices. These data  grounded the Transforming Justice work with the voices of the community as well as research publications. 

Transforming Justice facilitators conducted interviews, focus groups and disseminated dozens of surveys. The focus groups and interviews were conducted with stakeholders from many communities, including community leaders, culturally specific providers, survivors of crime, individuals with behavioral health lived experience, elected officials, street level service providers and more. After several weeks of reaching out to over 300 individuals, about 41 percent of those contacted completed the process.

“This didn’t turnout to be a lot of folks doing an impersonal survey,'' said Babak Zolfaghari-Azar, senior policy manager at Partnership for Safety and Justice and a member of the Transforming Justice Working Group. 

The Working Group meets weekly to formulate how to work together effectively amongst other roles
“We had people engaging in real ways through focus groups and interviews rather than an impersonal, ‘Here’s a piece of paper and fill this out.’ I love to see that there was so much engagement, which tells us how important this is for our community, that we had such a high return of people who completed the process.”

The 133 people who responded provided deep insights about their own experiences with public safety systems and descriptive hopes and dreams for a more just future of public safety policy, said Stamp. After the qualitative data was synthesized, six themes emerged: 

  1. Start with humanity: Treat people with humanity — disrespectful and inhumane treatment escalates trauma. 
  2. Empower communities to lead: Provide funds and resources to locally based solutions and culturally specific services to mitigate and transform harmful effects of systemic racism.
  3. Evolve to a system of restoration: Heal people and communities who have been harmed by the cycle of the criminal justice system through restorative approaches, policies and programming. Change systems so they stop hurting people. 
  4. Decriminalize behavioral health needs: Those facing mental illness or substance use disorders need holistic support that does not rely on the criminal justice system. 
  5. Engage and uplift our youth: Youth issues need their own unique approach that keeps families intact; incarceration should not be an option.  
  6. Address root causes of crime: Reducing crime starts with solving issues of poverty, houselessness, neighborhood safety, gun violence, lack of employment and accessible healthcare. 

In Progress 

3. Vision Sessions

Transforming Justice teams are working to complete visioning sessions by the end of May 2022. By June 30, 2022, a final vision will be delivered. This vision will contain several strategies that will lead to a strategic plan across the public safety systems, at the core, making sure that they will outlast turnovers and election cycles. 

Using the discovery themes summarized above, draft vision language was developed for a:  

  • Criminal legal system that is smaller and focuses on relationships, and is trauma-informed.
  • Humans are treated like humans— we recognize and value the human condition — and restorative interventions are the norm. 
  • Collateral consequences of criminal convictions are non-existent so people can heal and thrive.
  • The criminal legal system is equitable and just. Racial and ethnic disparities (and other disarites) are eliminated. 
  • Power has been given to communities; place-based solutions work best.
  • Root causes are acknowledged and addressed — but the criminal legal system is not the tool used. 

The working group is creating core strategies that if implemented, will realize the vision. The working group will present this draft vision and set of core strategies to the steering committee in May. The role of the working group in this specific phase is to ensure the stakeholders – anyone who is impacted by or can impact public safety systems – remain at the forefront of their decision making. 

“It is not the nine of us [Working Group members] coming together and creating what we think the steering committee should approve,'' said Stamp. “It is us coming together and really sitting with the quotes of the stakeholders that were provided through discovery.”  

“We are very much uplifting the perspective of stakeholders to ensure that they really are our muse. We are simply the vehicle to help craft a vision for the future of justice policy moving forward,” said Stamp.  

Commissioner Lori Stegmann, a member of the Steering Committee, said, “It’s really exciting that themes are emerging and solutions are appearing.” 

Up next 

4. Final vision and priorities plan 

The goal of the Transforming Justice project is clear: identify pathways to plan for and coordinate the legislative, policy, and budget strategies that need to be implemented in order to transform public safety systems in a coordinated, holistic approach. Incremental changes to policies and programs over time will not produce the change that is required, speakers stressed. 

In June 2022, the project will deliver a fully developed long-term vision, along with action plans that will outlast staff and elected turnovers and election cycles. 

Commissioners shared their excitement about the nearing completion of the Transforming Justice Initiative.

“There is a plan at the end of it,” said Commissioner Susheela Jayapal. “It has come clear through the live presentation.” 

“It’s really wonderful the way it has come together and how this process is moving forward,” said Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.

Commissioner Sharon Meieran said, “It really gives me inspiration and hope to see how you have done the work.”

“Just know that this board, I believe, is committed to the direction that you all are heading,” said Chair Kafoury. 

Watch the full meeting here

 

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