Agenda

Back to Calendar Return

PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	01/25/2021
Subject: REPORT on progress of the RACIAL JUSTICE OVERSIGHT BODY
Submitted For:	Esa Ehmen-Krause, County Probation Officer
Department:	Probation
Referral No.:	N/A
Referral Name:	Racial Justice Oversight Body
Presenter:	Donté Blue, Acting ORJ Director	Contact:	Donté Blue, 925-313-4087

Information

Referral History:

On July 24, 2018, the Board of Supervisors adopted the "Racial Justice Task Force - Final Report and Recommendations" with the exclusion of recommendations #18 and #19, which included the recommendation to create a Racial Justice Oversight Body. (Recommendations #18 and #19 were referred to the Public Protection Committee for further input from the Racial Justice Task Force and the Sheriff's Office.)

The Racial Justice Oversight Body (RJOB) is composed of the following 18 representatives:

1. A representative from the Superior Court, as a non-voting member;
2. The Sheriff or his designee;
3. The Chief Probation Officer or his designee;
4. The Public Defender or her designee;
5. The District Attorney or her designee;
6. A representative from a local law enforcement agency, nominated by the Contra Costa County Police Chiefs’ Association;
7. A representative from the Contra Costa County Office of Education;
8. A representative from a Local School District;
9. A representative from Contra Costa County Health Services Department; and
10. Nine community-based representatives, including: two members of the Contra Costa Racial Justice Coalition, two individuals with prior personal criminal or juvenile justice system involvement, three representatives from community-based organizations (CBO) that work with justice involved populations, including at least one person who works directly with youth, one representative from a faith-based organization, and one representative that is either a school age young person, or from a CBO who provides services to school age youth.

On December 4, 2018, the Board of Supervisors appointed members to the RJOB for its first two-year term that began January 1, 2019 and concluded on December31, 2020. The Office of Reentry and Justice subsequently contracted with the W. Haywood Burns Institute to help facilitate the work of the RJOB, and the RJOB has consistently met since June 2019 to support the body’s implementation of the Racial Justice Task Force recommendations. To accomplish its work, the RJOB has organized itself into three subcommittees (Diversion, Data, and Community Engagement & Funding) that meet monthly and whose meetings are in addition to the quarterly meetings of the full RJOB.

Referral Update:

To memorialize the RJOB’s completion of its first full two-year term of work, the W. Haywood Burns Institute has compiled a report that summarizes the body’s accomplishments, areas for continued focus in the coming months, and a set of recommendations to help ensure the body’s future success. This summary report is included as Attachment A.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

ACCEPT the W. Haywood Burns Institute's summary report on the activities of the Racial Justice Oversight Body.

Attachments
Attachment A - 2019/20 RJOB Summary Progress Report
Attachment B - Presentation Slides