Personnel Program Administration Social Services Alternative Sanctions Information and Resource Coordination Contracts with Service Providers Consultants Community Service Community Engagement
Include staff time for overall project coordination, administration and fund-raising. If the project is complex, a full-time coordinator may be a worthwhile investment.
Project evaluation can be done by collaborating with independent evaluators, linking with a professor from a local college, or by hiring in-house staff to measure the effectiveness of the project.
Build in staff time to ensure consistent communication with community members.
If social services are a major part of an initiative, having professional on-site staff and office space for social service partners is important. Even when a social service agency is providing social workers, it may be a good idea to hire a clinical director to oversee delivery of services and maintain quality control.
Social workers on staff can handle a wide-range of functions, performing psycho-social assessments to help link participants with appropriate services, performing intensive case management, communicating with on-site and community-based social service partners and counseling victims.
Many community justice projects use alternative sanctions or diversion programs. Intensive monitoring is necessary to ensure compliance and promote confidence among criminal justice professionals and community members.
Coordinating schedules for community service crews, troubleshooting the day-to-day issues that arise as offenders perform community service and finding new community service projects are crucial to making community service an effective sanction.
Allocate resources for efficient information and resource sharing among partners. For example, if a probation officer refers a young person to a job-training program, how will the officer get information on their progress? A resource coordinator, or information manager, can fill that role.
Community justice programs communicate regularly with stakeholders, explaining their work, soliciting feedback and generally trying to foster trusting and productive relationships. A communications specialist can help by putting together newsletters or brochures and speaking at community meetings. The person can also handle media inquiries, ensuring that accurate information about your program is disseminated to the public.
Other than Personnel Services
This might include contracts with drug treatment providers, mental health and other service providers, such as GED programs and English as a Second Language instructors.
Community justice programs often hire consultants for a number of tasks, including:
Computer program development
If your program has a community service component, don't forget to budget for:
Community engagement is crucial to the success of any community justice project. Keep in mind the things you'll need to do it effectively, such as: