In 2020, Eau Claire County launched the use of The Public Safety Assessment, or PSA, an algorithmic pretrial risk assessment that judges can use when determining release conditions and the need for monitoring once released from custody.  

The PSA uses administrative data to produce two risk scores about a defendant: one predicting the likelihood that the individual will commit a new crime if released pending trial, and another predicting the likelihood that they will fail to return for a future court hearing. Scores fall on a scale of one to six, with higher scores indicating a greater level of risk. 

Wisconsin Public Safety Assessment  Module 1- Overview

In 2020, Eau County submitted application to join The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge Network Expansion: IMPACT Network.

The IMPACT Network will be devoted to accelerating best and promising practices in systemic behavioral health reform and diversion across the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on local jails. Eau Claire County is working to align jail based mental health services to identify and serve those in crisis at booking through targeted case management upon release.

Action Areas

• Mental Health screening at booking/Familiar Faces list and connections
• Deflection/Diversion programs
• SIMS mapping session-2022
• Creation of Community Collaborations and Intervention (CCI) group
• Law enforcement co responder program

Partnering Departments and Organizations:

CJCC, County Administrator, District Attorney, Wisconsin State Public Defender, County Board Supervisor, Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, Jail, Department of Human Services, Jail Health Nurse, Department of Corrections, Community Treatment Provider, County Mental Health Clinic.

Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail. The Stepping Up Initiative (naco.org)

Eau Claire County one of just seven counties participating in this groundbreaking effort

In June 2008, The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) awarded the Center for Effective Public Policy, in partnership with the Pretrial Justice Institute, the Justice Management Institute, and The Carey Group, a cooperative agreement to launch the Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) in Local Criminal Justice Systems Initiative.

In 2010, Eau Claire County was selected as one seven counties across the nation to participate in this groundbreaking effort.  

Supported by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) “Evidence-based decision making” (EBDM) is the practice of using research findings to inform or guide decisions across the justice system.

Goals:

• Build a systemwide framework (arrest through final disposition and discharge) that will result in more collaborative evidence-based decision making and practices in state and local criminal justice systems. This effort is grounded in two decades of research on the factors that contribute to criminal reoffending and the methods the justice system can employ to interrupt the cycle of re-offense.

• Equip criminal justice policymakers on the state level and in local communities with the information, processes, and tools that will result in measurable reductions of pretrial misconduct, post-conviction reoffending, and other forms of community harm resulting from crime.

In 2013, the initiative broadened its reach and became the Evidence-Based Decision Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems Initiative. 

In November 2014, Indiana, Virginia, and Wisconsin were selected to work in partnership with NIC as part of Phase V to advance criminal justice system outcomes throughout communities in their states.

These jurisdictions received technical assistance from NIC and its partners to conduct a series of planning activities to implement systemwide change strategies that would align local and state jurisdictions with one another and with the principles of EBDM.

The goal of Phase V was to build the capacity of executive criminal justice policy teams at the state level, expand EBDM to additional jurisdictions at the local level within each of these states, and build genuine state-local partnerships in service of creating a statewide vision for EBDM.

Supported by National Association of Counties (NACo) NACo - Familiar Faces Initiative.

Some individuals with behavioral and physical health conditions frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency rooms and other crisis services. These individuals are often called frequent utilizers. Many places around the country have anecdotes about individuals who are well known to the police or emergency room doctors.

Despite the multiple interventions and services that are used in response to frequent utilizers' conditions, fragmented care and a lack of coordination across justice, health and human services systems leads to unhealthy outcomes. Moreover, without alternatives to jails or emergency rooms, police and other first responders have few options for diverting frequent utilizers in crisis to treatment and services.

Focusing efforts on frequent utilizers represent an opportunity for targeted, resource-saving interventions that can improve their health and well-being.

The Familiar Faces initiative brings communities together to disrupt the cycle of incarceration and crisis.

Communities participating in the initiative develop strategies that promote better outcomes for frequent utilizers by aligning justice, health and human services systems around data.

Participating communities have committed to creating or expanding real-time or near real-time local data exchanges that combine justice, health and/or other system data to identify frequent utilizers of multiple systems.

In addition, DDJ communities are identifying the ways and options for diverting frequent utilizers from the justice system to community-based services and treatment providers.

According to the National Institute of Corrections, Pretrial Services programs provide crucial information to judicial officers to assist with the bail decisions and provide supervision and services to pretrial defendants that will promote public safety and court appearance. 

Pretrial is ordered through the courts as a condition of release. Pretrial is at the discretion and order from the court. The program is monitored by Eau Claire County Pretrial Services. Services for higher risk level are monitored at the Community Transition Center (CTC).

The performance metric for risk assessments performed assumes a detained population--persons for whom the court must consider bail.

The goal of pretrial monitoring is to follow evidence-based practices in pretrial release and detention, to support the goals of

1. Maximizing public safety,
2. Maximizing court appearance,
3. Maximizing release.

Pretrial Service is a form of non-monetary release. A person on pretrial release is required to report to pretrial monitoring in person within 48 hrs.

Restorative Justice

Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research

Community Transition Center

Diversion Program

OWI Program

Crisis Services

State of Wisconsin CJCC