Justice reform programs in nine rural communities have been identified as Innovation Sites under the "Reaching Rural Initiative," and will receive extra support to further their goals and provide inspiration to other emerging programs. Rural Justice Collaborative and the National Center for State Courts launched the initiative last year because rural areas have complex justice issues that urban models often can't address, report staff at The Crime Report, which is published by the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College.
"Although the problems of the justice system in urban areas have received the lion’s share of attention in the media, rural America is reeling from underfunded court systems, overcrowded jails―and has been especially hard hit by the opioid epidemic," TCR reports. "Rural Americans are more likely than urban residents to be jailed, and to lack professional help for substance use and mental health issues. But efforts to export strategies that have worked in urban settings often fail in small communities or rural areas, where public health resources are strained."
Tara Kunkel, executive director of Rulo Strategies, which organized the Rural Justice Collaborative, told TCR: "Before this, there has been no nationally concerted effort for justice leaders and their collaborators in other sectors to share what they know. The Innovation Sites provide a framework that others can build from." Selected sites will host leaders from other rural communities, discuss their strategies in webinars, and will get travel costs covered for up to two regional RJC trainings.
The winners, which come from all over the U.S., include:
- The Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers in Montana, whose 24-month fellowship program trains and supports attorneys to develop small practices that provide legal services to low-income, rural Montanans.
- The Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-based Violence in Kansas, a research and collaboration center that puts domestic violence and human trafficking survivors on the road to economic freedom through social entrepreneurship.
- Texas Dispute Resolution System: Rural Mediation, which provides in-person and virtual mediation services for rural Texans as a dispute resolution alternative to the court system.
The Rural Justice Collaborative is accepting applications for Innovation Sites through Jan. 17. Click here for more details or to apply.
from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/3wf2z5T Nine rural justice reform programs honored, will get extra support and provide inspiration to other programs - Entrepreneur Generations
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