Watch the video playlist above to learn more about our work
Our Impact
- Funded the first Crisis Assessment Response Team (CART) with countywide jurisdiction to prevent jail admissions tied to mental health crises
- Started mental health diversion and recruited a behavioral health liaison to conduct assessments in custody and connect people to community resources
- Sponsored training and contracted for peer support services to assist people with mental health conditions
- Launched Jail Population Review Team to identify system trends and cases that may be eligible for faster resolution and alternatives to incarceration
- Hired an analyst to monitor jail population data and system bottlenecks
- Created the Court Reminder Program to improve court appearance rates
- Expanded capacity for diversions and deferred prosecution agreements
- Instituted policies to reduce jail bookings tied to non-violent misdemeanors
- Reduced incarceration due to unpaid citations by reexamining practices around fines and fees
- Organized Home to Stay Resource Fairs to connect individuals who are returning to the community with supportive resources
- Established the first Transitions Clinic model in the Midwest to help returning citizens with medical needs
- Trained 550+ stakeholders on the impact of trauma in the justice system
Our History
Milwaukee County is widely recognized for criminal justice innovation and collaboration. Over the last decade, Milwaukee has redesigned its system, integrating risk and needs assessments by implementing universal screening for individuals booked into the jail. This practice provides risk information to be used when making pretrial release decisions and has guided the development of evidence-based strategies for pretrial supervision and early intervention programs, including diversions and deferred prosecutions.
The SJC initiative builds on these accomplishments, investing in innovative and common sense solutions to responsibly reduce unnecessary use of the jail.
The Milwaukee Community Justice Council launched reforms in 2008 to reexamine use of the local jail. To expand on initial efforts, Milwaukee requested the support of MacArthur Foundation through its Safety and Justice Challenge initiative. The Challenge has evolved over 4 phases:
- SJC Phase I (2015) engaged jurisdictions across the country to participate in the planning and development of site-specific strategies.
- SJC Phase II (2016 - 2018) provided funding and technical assistance to implement strategies that were identified during Phase I.
- SJC Phase III (2019-2020) continued support for our work, including 4 new or modified strategies and added investments in community engagement.
- SJC Phase IV (2021-2022) deepens our focus on racial equity and long-term sustainability.