Upcoming Events for JSI

JSI Associate Gina Wilkie will examine how supervising individuals with complex behavioral health needs differs from traditional compliance-focused supervision models. Participants will explore common behavioral health conditions frequently encountered in justice-involved populations, including substance use disorders, serious mental illness, co-occurring conditions, cognitive impairments, and trauma-related behaviors.

The session emphasizes why effective supervision must extend beyond rule enforcement to incorporate engagement, behavioral stabilization, and coordinated responses that promote accountability and public safety. Attendees will examine the critical role of collaboration between supervision agencies, treatment providers, and court stakeholders, as well as best practices for the structured and proportionate use of incentives and sanctions across a range of supervision settings.

Session Objectives

     1. Attendees will be able to identify common behavioral health conditions present in justice-involved populations and explain how these conditions affect supervision, compliance, and risk management.

     2. Attendees will learn supervision strategies that move beyond enforcement-only responses by incorporating engagement, graduated accountability, and coordinated behavioral health interventions.

     3. Attendees will be able to apply structured, proportionate incentives and responses to noncompliance in ways that promote behavioral change, protect public safety, and maintain system integrity.

Harm reduction is an essential component of any modern MOUD strategy, but without clear boundaries, it can become misunderstood, misapplied, or perceived as permissive rather than protective. Courts must balance compassion with structure, ensuring that harm reduction practices support engagement, reduce mortality, and promote stability—while still maintaining accountability and public safety. Presented by Chief Cynthia Herriott (Ret.), this session provides judges with a practical framework for implementing harm reduction approaches that are clinically sound, ethically grounded, and operationally disciplined.

Objectives:    

 1. Identify the core principles of harm reduction and understand where judicial guardrails are necessary to maintain safety, accountability, and treatment integrity.
 2. Apply structured court practices, such as clear expectations, communication protocols with providers, and measured responses to relapse, that support harm reduction without weakening supervision.
 3. Build a balanced model that uses harm reduction to stabilize participants while maintaining consistent judicial oversight and evidence-based boundaries.

Rural and underserved jurisdictions face unique barriers to implementing medications for opioid use disorder: limited providers, long travel distances, unreliable transportation, and inconsistent access to pharmacies or telehealth infrastructure. Presented by Judge Geno Salomone (Ret.), this session provides judges with practical, jurisdiction-appropriate solutions to expand treatment access despite these constraints. Participants will explore strategies that reduce gaps in care, strengthen local partnerships, and ensure that geography does not determine who receives life-saving medication.

Objectives:    

 1. Identify the structural challenges that prevent rural and underserved participants from accessing and sustaining MOUD, including provider scarcity and transportation obstacles. 
 2. Implement practical solutions—such as telemedicine integration, mobile MOUD services, pharmacy partnerships, and flexible supervision requirements—to bridge treatment gaps. 
 3. Strengthen coordination with community health networks, corrections partners, and state agencies to build stable, long-term MOUD access in resource-limited jurisdictions.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how justice professionals gather information, manage workloads, communicate, and make decisions. JSI Co-President, Judge Brian MacKenzie (Ret.) will provide accountability court professionals with a practical understanding of AI tools currently being used across the justice system, the opportunities these tools may offer, and the safeguards necessary to ensure responsible implementation.

Learning Objectives – Attendees of this session will:

•      Recognize the core principles and practical uses of artificial intelligence in accountability courts
•      Understand the impact of AI on the multidisciplinary accountability court team members.
•      Identify risk assessment tools, documentation support, supervision apps, GPS monitoring, and compliance systems as emerging AI-enabled technologies
•      Identify examples of false AI outputs, validation duties, professional responsibility, and courtroom reliability concerns.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how justice professionals gather information, manage workloads, communicate, and make decisions. JSI Co-President, Judge Brian MacKenzie (Ret.) will provide accountability court professionals with a practical understanding of AI tools currently being used across the justice system, the opportunities these tools may offer, and the safeguards necessary to ensure responsible implementation.

Learning Objectives – Attendees of this session will:

•      Recognize the core principles and practical uses of artificial intelligence in accountability courts
•      Understand the impact of AI on the multidisciplinary accountability court team members.
•      Identify risk assessment tools, documentation support, supervision apps, GPS monitoring, and compliance systems as emerging AI-enabled technologies
•      Identify examples of false AI outputs, validation duties, professional responsibility, and courtroom reliability concerns.