(A) The goals of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee shall be to maintain public safety through the creation of alternatives for long-term offender success; to improve identification and analysis of corrections problems; to improve communication, cooperation, and coordination among all stakeholders; to establish clear goals, objectives, and priorities for public safety programs and policies related to the administration of justice; and to ensure the effective allocation of resources amongst the inter-related programs.
(B) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it shall be the duty of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to:
(1) Study and evaluate the county's criminal justice system;
(2)
Oversee the collection of criminal justice data for use by the CJCC and, as required, the Quorum Court and/or other county officials, agencies, departments, and operating units;
(3) Identify causes for past and current increases in jail populations, analyze the flow of processes in the criminal justice system, especially those directly impacting the county's jail population, and make recommendations for process improvements that will directly impact the jail population;
(4) Identify gaps or deficiencies in the criminal justice system and make recommendations that will eliminate duplication of services and fill service gaps;
(5) Make recommendations that will help control the costs of managing offenders;
(6) Evaluate and recommend crime prevention programs and early intervention and prevention programs, or other initiatives or programs that will reduce recidivism; and
(7) Increase community support for the criminal justice system, strategies for reducing the need for jail beds, and the overall goals established by the CJCC and Quorum Court.
(Ord. 2021-8, passed 5-18-21)