Endorsing the Doing Justice Executive Summit’s Consensus Statement
Resolution 7: Endorsing the Doing Justice Executive Summit's Consensus Statement
WHEREAS, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators adopted a resolution in 2007, supporting state efforts to adopt sentencing and corrections policies and programs based on the research of practices shown to be effective in reducing recidivism; and
WHEREAS, the Conferences urged their members to work with their executive and legislative branches as appropriate to promote policies and practices that place properly identified offenders in corrections programs and facilities shown to be effective in reducing recidivism; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of research demonstrating that supervision and treatment decisions informed by valid and reliable offender risk and needs assessment information is a critical component of effective strategies to reduce recidivism, the Conferences worked with the National Center for State Courts to establish a National Working Group to develop guidance for courts in using risk and needs assessment information to inform the sentencing process; and
WHEREAS, the Conferences adopted a resolution in 2011 supporting the National Working Group's recommendation that offender risk and needs assessment information be available to inform judicial decisions regarding effective management and reduction of the risk of offender recidivism and endorsed the guiding principles described in the National Working Group's report as a valuable tool for state courts in crafting policies and practices to incorporate offender risk and needs assessment information in the sentencing process; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, with funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, recently convened the Doing Justice Executive Summit providing an opportunity for executive directors and leaders from more than 40 national organizations to focus on evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, representatives from law enforcement, sheriffs, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers, pretrial service agencies, probation and parole officers, and corrections attending the Summit agreed that the criminal justice system should apply evidence-based practices that are proven to reduce crime, improve public health, and conserve taxpayer dollars; and
WHEREAS, the consensus statement drafted by participants of the Summit is consistent with the Conferences' focus on research-based decision-making in the criminal justice system as promoted in prior resolutions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators endorse the Doing Justice Executive Summit consensus statement as follows:
- Dispositions, excluding a determination of guilt, in the criminal justice system should be based on the characteristics of the offender in addition to the characteristics of the offense; and
- Criminal justice professionals should consider offenders' rehabilitation needs and likelihood of recidivism when imposing criminal sentences, ordering conditions of treatment or supervision, and responding to infractions and technical violations; and
- Criminal justice professionals should consider whether a proposed disposition, excluding a determination of guilt, is likely to reduce crime, improve the psychosocial functioning of the offender, address the impact on the victim, and make optimum use of taxpayer dollars; and
- Research-based evidence, and not personal convictions or beliefs, should guide the above considerations.
Adopted as proposed by the CCJ/COSCA Criminal Justice Committee at the COSCA Midyear Meeting on December 7, 2013 and CCJ Midyear Meeting on January 29, 2014.