This training is available again due to popular demand.
Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) is pleased to offer a free virtual training about coordinating supportive services for people in the pretrial phase. The course takes place on Thursday, May 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. ET. Space in this training is limited. The deadline to register is Friday, May 12.
About the Training
Research shows that most people in the United States who are released pretrial appear for their court hearings and remain law-abiding. Those who work in the criminal legal system and their community partners increasingly recognize that this is true. As a result, many pretrial services agencies are shifting their supervision model to prioritize and focus on supportive services rather than surveillance. This training will provide pretrial services staff (directors, supervisors, and officers) with practical, evidence-based ways to provide supportive services.
Learning Objectives
Participants can expect to do the following by the end of the training:
- Be familiar with the legal and evidence-based principles governing pretrial supervision and how supportive services differ from conditions of release
- Learn how to gather information about a person’s needs
- Understand the best practices for referring people for community-based services
- Hear how several jurisdictions implemented innovative programs designed to support people on pretrial release
- Be familiar with APPR resources and the APPR Community
Training Faculty
The trainers for this session are people who have many years of experience with pretrial justice, especially pretrial supervision.
Dr. Kelvin L. Banks, senior manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Dr. Banks has over 20 years of justice system experience, with most of the past 10 years in pretrial justice. He was previously the director for Harris County Pretrial Services and the Third Circuit Court of Michigan’s Pretrial Services.
Lindsey Dixon, pretrial services supervisor, City and County of Denver, CO
Ms. Dixon studied psychology and law at Cambridge University in England and University of Colorado Denver before graduating with a bachelor of science in psychology from Colorado State University. She has worked in various roles in defendant supervision and is currently a supervisor with Denver Pretrial Services. In 2017, she was appointed to the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board and was president of the Colorado Association of Pretrial Services from 2019 through 2022. In addition to frequent local trainings and presentations to various local stakeholders, Ms. Dixon has presented nationally on pretrial supervision, frequently focusing on intimate partner violence.
Jennifer Heman, pretrial supervisor, Boulder County, CO
Ms. Heman has worked in the behavioral health and criminal justice fields for about 30 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Missouri–Columbia and her master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. She began as a substance abuse counselor and has worked in many treatment environments: a psychiatric hospital, residential and outpatient treatment, and a high school setting. She has worked with both juvenile and adult supervision in pretrial, probation, and parole in five states.
Jessica Ireland, senior manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Ireland has over 20 years of justice system experience at the state and local levels. She previously served as the program manager for Mecklenburg County Pretrial Services in North Carolina.
Impacted Persons
Christopher Rashad Green, member, APPR Pretrial Practitioner Network
Brother Christopher Rashad Green spent 15 years of his life incarcerated in several states. After being released in 2013 for the last time, this returning citizen has articulated his distinctly emotional experiences in the criminal legal system. He appeared in the short documentary INJUSTICE: The Hidden Crisis in Virginia’s Prisons (2022), produced by the ACLU of Virginia. He has taught various workshops and for programs and panel discussions dealing with such topics as mass incarceration, prison reform, social justice, health equity, food insecurity, and youth justice.
Kathleen Hankes, consultant
Ms. Hankes works with individuals and organizations to enhance pathways toward instilling hope and implementing change. She is a person who battled addiction for over 27 years, was in prison four times, is a graduate of Kane County Drug Court, and is a current honor-roll student on her way toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work at Aurora University and certification as a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor (anticipated fall 2023). She is employed as a recovery coach at Serenity House Counseling Services/DuPage Recovery Oriented System of Care in Dupage County and Kane County, Illinois, working with individuals with substance use disorders and those seeking to make lasting changes on their road to recovery.
Application Process
If you are interested in attending the training session on May 18, complete the training registration application by Friday, May 12.
Participation is limited, and priority consideration will go to pretrial services staff and pretrial practitioners. Space is also available for national technical assistance providers.
APPR will make selection decisions immediately after the May 12 registration deadline. Confirmed participants will receive additional information about the training, including how to attend the sessions and access related resources.
Please direct any questions to Samuel Steed, operations assistant at the Center for Effective Public Policy, at ssteed@cepp.com.