Step 5 - Convene stakeholder group; establish Dosage Probation Policy Team

Step 5 - Convene stakeholder group; establish Dosage Probation Policy Team web_admin

Establishing your jurisdiction's Dosage Probation Policy Team is a critical step in preparing for implementation. This section helps you understand the purpose of the policy team and guides you in establishing and kicking off the team's activities and preparing for the next steps.

TO DO

  • Familiarize yourself with the primary role, responsibilities, and activities of the policy team
  • Secure commitment from your team members
  • Prepare for and conduct the policy team kickoff meeting
  • Develop your team charter
  • Get ready for the team's next steps

The Policy Team's Role and Responsibilities

The policy team is the jurisdiction's formal, multidisciplinary decision-making council that prepares and plans to implement the dosage probation model. The policy team comprises, at minimum, key stakeholders representing the judiciary, prosecution, defense, probation, law enforcement, and people harmed by crime. In addition, the policy team oversees the jurisdiction's implementation and evaluation efforts to ensure that the model's desired impacts (e.g., recidivism reduction, desistance from crime) are achieved.

When established and managed with intentionality, the policy team effectively collaborates with the probation agency's Dosage Probation Workgroup to develop and revise policies and practices that align with the dosage probation model, such as those related to sentencing, supervision, and discharge. Following implementation, the policy team continues working closely with probation to safeguard the effectiveness of the dosage probation model by monitoring progress regularly and recommending data-driven policy and practice adjustments as appropriate. Throughout these processes, the policy team actively ensures their colleagues receive the communication, education, and support required to integrate the new policies and practices into their professional duties and responsibilities, for example, enrolling all judges in dosage probation to help ensure their fidelity to the policy team's sentencing and discharge decisions.

NOTE

Collaboration Resources

The word "collaboration" is often used interchangeably with terms such as "communication," "coordination," and "cooperation" when, in fact, collaboration encompasses all of these meanings and more. Collaboration is the exchange of information, altering of activities, sharing of resources, and enhancement of the capacity of another for the mutual benefit of all and to achieve a common purpose.

When launching the Dosage Probation Policy Team, the chairperson (and possibly others responsible for convening and leading the policy team) is strongly urged to review the following resources on establishing and maintaining a collaborative policy-making environment.

 

The Policy Team's Core Activities

  • The policy team's primary activities throughout implementation include those listed below. The Dosage Probation Toolkit will lead the team through these activities.
  • Develop and approve a dosage probation logic model in collaboration with the Dosage Probation Workgroup.
  • Develop dosage probation policies and procedures by gathering and reviewing relevant data, current policies and practices, input from the workgroup on behalf of the probation agency, and other information—such as feedback from colleagues—and discussing and reaching an agreement on the Dosage Probation Policy Questions. The policy questions relate to sentencing, early discharge, performance measures and other data needs, stakeholder education or training, communications strategies, and the continuous quality improvement and sustainability of dosage probation.
  • Provide input on the policy decisions made by the workgroup on behalf of the probation agency.
  • Review data regarding the implementation and evaluation of dosage probation and recommend policy adjustments in collaboration with the probation agency as appropriate.

It is recommended that the policy team meet for at least 90 minutes monthly to accomplish their work and maintain a progressive and steady implementation pace. Ultimately, the policy team must agree on the frequency and duration of their meetings. The team should have sufficient time each month to share information, delve into discussions, and make informed policy decisions.

The policy team may also, at its discretion, establish ad hoc subcommittees to streamline the team's efforts. Subcommittees are often useful for gathering more information about a topic or issue, diving more deeply into discussions, or developing policy recommendations for the team's review and approval. For example, a communications subcommittee can create and offer to the policy team a protocol for responding to a dosage probation case that results in an unwanted, and perhaps public, outcome.

Secure Commitment from Your Policy Team Members

The first steps in mobilizing your Dosage Probation Policy Team are to garner support from the required stakeholders and confirm their willingness to serve as policy team members. At a minimum, the policy team must include the following key stakeholders:

  • Your local chief judge
  • Your local chief public defender
  • Your local elected district attorney
  • Your local chief of probation
  • Your local chief law enforcement officer (police and/or sheriff)
  • A local representative of people harmed by crime

 

Each key stakeholder should have been interviewed during the readiness assessment to determine their level of support for dosage probation and willingness to serve as a policy team member. All key stakeholders are essential to successfully implementing dosage probation and must have already agreed to join the policy team. It is not recommended that you implement dosage probation without the support and policy team participation of all key stakeholders. As some time has typically passed since the interviews, it is recommended that you follow up with each stakeholder accordingly to confirm their membership.

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While your key stakeholders agreed to participate on the policy team, not all of them may fully support dosage probation or be 100% committed when they come to the table. Some stakeholders may have concerns about pledging their time, changing long-held policies and practices, or something else. Hesitation or indecision is a common response to change and can signify healthy skepticism. Sometimes simply agreeing to join and being open-minded and willing to learn are good first steps to building a collaborative and effective policy team.

Some policy teams choose to include additional stakeholders as permanent members or temporary guests, depending on the policy question or issue being addressed. For example, other criminal justice system officials—such as another judge, assistant/deputy personnel, or a communications specialist—might have expressed interest in or be invited to join at the policy team's discretion. Some policy teams also choose to assign delegates should members be absent from a meeting. The policy team typically consists of no more than 10 members—a group size that is large enough to bring diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the table but not so large that the number of people hinders the team's efficiency in making policy decisions and moving forward other implementation activities.

All policy team members must be champions of dosage probation. Experience demonstrates that the most effective policy teams consist of people who embrace their role as advocates and leaders of the dosage probation model for their jurisdiction. They make policy decisions impacting system stakeholders across various disciplines and continuously educate, enroll, and support their colleagues in implementing those policies. They also demonstrate positivity and optimism, respond to questions and inquiries, share information, collaborate with and gather input from others, spotlight successes, and resolve challenges for their jurisdiction.

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Shared agreements among policymakers and stakeholders are critical to implementing dosage probation successfully. As learned through the original dosage probation pilot sites, all parties must be knowledgeable about and feel confident in dosage probation. For example, in Milwaukee County, ongoing communication and education proved critical to achieving buy-in among stakeholders, as some had a misperception that dosage would be "probation light." It is thus essential to secure agreement from each policy team member to continuously educate and engage leadership and other colleagues about the dosage model, the implementation plan, and progress made.

For more lessons learned regarding stakeholder support, see Dosage Probation: A Prescription Based on Two Pilot Sites' Experiences.

 

Prepare and Conduct Your Policy Team Kickoff

Getting your policy team off to a good start requires preparation. The kickoff meeting is designed to lay a strong foundation of knowledge and collaboration to support the policy team's decision making and other activities moving forward.

You may start preparing by reviewing the Dosage Probation Policy Team Kickoff Agenda Template (.doc). It includes the recommended meeting goals, topics, and discussion points to be covered and the time frames for each, totaling two hours. You must customize the [bracketed] information and may make further adjustments to meet the needs of your policy team or jurisdiction. For example, you may not want to allocate time for introductions if the policy team members know each other already. Or, you may decide to hold the meeting over two one-hour sessions instead of one two-hour session.

You may also begin by reviewing the Dosage Probation Policy Team Kickoff Presentation Template (.ppt). The presentation follows and expands on the information in the agenda and contains suggested talking points and approaches to discussions and activities. You must customize the slides with [bracketed] information and may make further adjustments to meet the needs of your policy team or jurisdiction. The modifications you make to the presentation may require changes to the agenda and vice versa.

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Effective facilitation is critical to a successful meeting and much more. It is often the key to turning a group into a team and guiding them to make well-informed, consensus-based decisions. As you prepare to facilitate the policy team kickoff, you may find it useful to review the following resources: The Role of Facilitators and Staff in Supporting Collaborative Teams and Principles of Facilitation.

The following handouts supplement the information in the agenda and presentation: Dosage Probation Model Fundamentals, Dosage Probation Policy Team and Workgroup Leadership Roles and Responsibilities, and Dosage Probation Policy Questions. The presentation slides specify when each handout should be reviewed with the policy team during the kickoff. You may also include the National Institute of Corrections' dosage probation monographs: Dosage Probation: Rethinking the Structure of Probation Sentences and Dosage Probation: A Prescription Based on Two Pilot Sites' Experiences.

Develop Your Policy Team Charter

The next step in laying a strong foundation for your policy team is to develop a charter. A charter is a document that clarifies the policy team's purpose, goals, roles, and responsibilities and establishes the ground rules to be followed as the team carries out its activities. It is a source of information for team members and others to understand the direction and focus of the policy team and can help reduce confusion and duplication of efforts.

You may use the Dosage Probation Policy Team Charter Template (.doc) to develop your policy team's charter. The template includes your team's vision, mission, and values for the dosage probation initiative (see below); purpose; activities; meeting frequency and duration; membership; meeting norms; and roles and responsibilities. It also includes appendices with supplemental information. You must customize the [bracketed] information and may make further adjustments to meet the needs of your policy team or jurisdiction. For example, your jurisdiction may have other initiatives that complement or overlap with dosage probation. In this case, you could describe in your charter how dosage probation aligns with, and how the policy team can help avoid duplicate work, across the initiatives.

The policy team should have the opportunity to review and approve the final charter.

Craft Your Policy Team's Vision, Mission, and Values

A critical component of the charter is the policy team's vision, mission, and values statements. Together, they articulate what the team aspires to accomplish—where the team wants to go—and establish a clear direction and focus for achieving those goals—how the team intends to get there. When agreed upon, the vision, mission, and values represent the policy team's shared commitment to achieving its goals and act as a touchstone for collaboration and ongoing activities.

The policy team should begin developing its vision, mission, and values statements in a meeting soon after the kickoff and should strive to complete them within six months. It is also recommended that the policy team revisit the statements before implementation to ensure they are most salient.

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The vision, mission, and values statements are your team's guidepost and should be crafted with careful thought. Some policy teams wait until after they give input on the dosage probation logic model, whose creation is led by the Dosage Probation Workgroup, when they better understand the desired impacts of implementing dosage probation. Other policy teams complete the statements earlier to help inform their input on the logic model and their policy decisions.

For more tips, see the National Institute of Corrections' Getting It Right: Collaborative Problem Solving for Criminal Justice, Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Starter Kit, Creating a Vision for Your Policy Team, and Developing a Mission for Your Policy Team.

 

Get Ready for Next Steps

Once the policy team is established and completes the kickoff, the policy team chairperson should begin preparing team members for their involvement in developing a dosage probation logic model. The logic model is the blueprint or roadmap for all activities leading to implementation. It establishes a shared understanding of the plans for change, drives how changes will be implemented, serves as a tool to assess progress, and ensures the desired results are achieved. While the Dosage Probation Workgroup will lead the logic modeling activities, the policy team should be knowledgeable and ready to share their input on the logic model's various components.

The Dosage Probation Policy Team chairperson should also begin guiding the policy team through the process of developing dosage probation policies and procedures. The policy team can start answering their assigned dosage probation policy questions and memorializing their decisions as soon as they finish their kickoff discussions. In contrast, the Dosage Probation Workgroup does not typically begin to concentrate on this process until the third (planning) phase of implementation. By then, the policy team will likely have remaining policy decisions and implementation activities to complete. The team will also diverge its attention to provide input on the dosage-specific policies and procedures developed by the workgroup.

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