photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured on Sept. 4, 2024.

The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council has adopted a new three-year strategic plan focusing on how to improve the criminal legal system.

On Tuesday, the council adopted the plan to guide its efforts for fiscal years 2025 to 2027 after asking for public input on areas that matter most to the community. The CJCC aims to serve as an advisory board where justice system partners, stakeholders and community members can connect to address challenges and make recommendations for improving the criminal legal system.

“I am excited to have a new strategic plan so we can focus on our work together to achieve outcomes that will help our community grow and prosper,” DCCCA CEO Lori Alvarado said in a press release.

The plan outlines four main priorities:

• Data – Collect, analyze and share data to identify trends, guide strategic discussions and inform decision-making.

• Pretrial processes – Document current pretrial processes and impacts to make recommendations that maximize pretrial outcomes.

• Client services – Analyze gaps between clients’ needs and services available to meet those needs.

• Communications – Develop a coordinated, consistent and effective communication plan for member agencies, the public and the media.

The plan was created in collaboration with the Justice Management Institute, which has been providing technical assistance since August 2023. It is based on feedback from focus groups, an online community survey and existing data within the criminal justice system.

“I look forward to our strategic plan. I am looking forward to providing input and to utilizing the data and resources that we can gain from it,” Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said in a press release.

According to a press release, the strategic plan marks the conclusion of about 18 months of effort to align the CJCC with the National Standards for Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. In June 2024, council members approved updated bylaws and a new structure aimed at improving governance. This included the adoption of a vision and mission statement, guiding principles, and the creation of an executive committee. Additionally, membership was streamlined from 23 to 15 members to improve efficiency.

The council includes representatives from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County District Court, Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, Lawrence Police Department, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, DCCCA, Douglas County Criminal Justice Services, Lawrence Municipal Court, Board of Indigents’ Defense Services and community members.