Public safety is about more than policing. Safe and thriving communities prevent crime and reduce justice involvement by providing broad access to housing, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. We must look more holistically at what contributes to public safety and quality of life, while also elevating the expertise of residents most impacted by chronic inequity. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Justice and Governance Partnership (BJC-JGP) provides a space for residents, community organizations, and city leaders to work together to create visions for public safety that are equity-centered and data-driven. 

PARCA is leading this effort by providing the coordination of community groups and collection of data.

BJC-JGP will also identify how resources and policies can best be coordinated to support healthy and just communities. Grand Rapids is the first of a select group of communities to receive funding to collaborate with Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative, which is leading a national effort to promote systemic approaches to public safety and justice in mid-sized and rural communities.

About the BJC-JGP

• What’s the goal of the BJC-JGP?
  The goal of the BJC-JGP is to understand what contributes to public safety in our neighborhoods so that resources, cross-sector strategies, and local government policies can be coordinated to provide more equitable outcomes and access to opportunity in our community. We need to address the social conditions for public safety to avoid challenges from occurring in the first place.

• Why focus on neighborhoods?
  Neighborhoods with high crime rates and law enforcement engagement also face persistent insecurity in housing, health, education, transportation, and employment. Many of these neighborhoods also experience a lack of resources and limited investment in these same systems. Data will be organized by neighborhoods to ensure assets and needs are accurately portrayed.

• What’s different about this initiative?
  This isn’t a one-time research project to collect new data and make broad recommendations. Instead, it’s an effort to coordinate and consolidate existing data efforts into a shared platform so systems can be analyzed together. BJC-JGP is not only getting data from a variety of agencies, but we are also listening to people in the community, valuing their expertise, and helping to find reasonable solutions to ongoing challenges.

• How is the data used?
  The BJC-JGP’s intentional focus on neighborhood outcomes will allow us to reach those who need the most resources and to better address community priorities. The shared data and analysis will be used to support collaborative policymaking, partnerships, and resource sharing across law enforcement, government partners, and community members.

• Who’s involved?
  The BJC-JPG is a coalition of community members and agencies representing the local criminal justice system, as well as government, health, housing, education, and economic development sectors. Public Agency at WMCAT, a social enterprise of the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, was the host organization for the initial planning phase, facilitating BJC-JGP activities with community stakeholders and cross-sector leaders. The coalition is working with the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan organization that is leading a national effort to promote data-driven, community-focused justice and public safety reform.

Core Components

Justice Collaborative	Justice Audit	Justice Reinvestment Plans	Justice Intermediary
Diverse stakeholders are gathered, reflecting interests across the justice ecosystem, including government and community stakeholders.	Community-informed audits are conducted annually, mapping data and sharing information from multiple sectors within one platform.	Collaborative, policy-making implementation plans are developed and informed by the Justice Audit findings.	The host organization for the BJC-JGP that convenes and facilitates BJC-JGP activities of the Justice Collaborative, Audit, and Reinvestment Plans.

Timeline

The BJC-JGP has a five-year timeline. Insert timeline??

The first step of the BJC-JGP five-year timeline has been completed. Insert Landscape Scan.

Current Initiative Participants

Terrika Shaw, J.D., Project Director, PARCA
Thomas Spencer, Project Auxiliary, PARCA