Justice Initiative Links Rural County-Level Officials

Improving justice system outcomes has long been considered the responsibility of judges, probation, jail administrators, law enforcement, and other justice-system stakeholders.

However, over the last decade, there has been growing recognition that maintaining safe and secure communities is also one of the most important functions of county governments and elected county officials.

We believe that collaboration among justice stakeholders, social service partners, and county leadership will result in building successful programs based on the greatest needs in a community.

Counties are involved in almost every aspect of the justice system. For example, counties operate 91 percent of all jails in the United States and support more than 3,000 local police and sheriff’s departments.

County jails provide supervision and services to the 11 million people who cycle through jails each year. Counties are also integral to America’s community health systems, including behavioral health services that provide substance use and mental health treatment to justice-involved individuals and their families.

Tara Kunkel

This spring, the National Association of Counties launched Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration,  an initiative designed to align the activities of county, court, and justice leaders and to support the development of a shared strategy.

This approach, frequently referred to as a collective impact framework, aims to bring people and organizations from different sectors together to address challenges that exceed the capacity of a single organization.

It leverages available resources and leads to sustainable programs that address the root causes behind crime, which is a more long-term solution than punitive measures.

Ten sites are participating in the initiative supported by the State Justice Institute.

Each is receiving support and facilitation during the planning process at no cost from a diverse project team that includes Rulo Strategies, Praxis Consulting, and the National Association of Counties.

The initiative concludes with a written implementation plan that addresses each county’s unique justice-related and public safety priorities and counties will be able to showcase their efforts and outcomes in a nationally disseminated toolkit.

The sites are all tackling complex challenges such as community violence and lack of access to mental and health and substance use treatment.

The solutions to these types of issues require more than a single program within one agency. They frequently require system-level change.

If county leaders, justice system partners, and community-based organizations can come together and focus their collective efforts on a single set of goals and measure their progress in the same way, the lives of a community’s most vulnerable residents can be dramatically improved.

The ten sites involved in this initiative are:

1. • Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, Va.
   • Cuyahoga County, Ohio
   • Lake County, Colo.
   • Navajo County, Ariz.
   • Potter County, Pa.
   • Berrien County, Mich.
   • Cambria County, Pa.
   • Gallatin County, Mont.
   • Mesa County, Colo.
   • Rockdale County, Ga.

This initiative comes at a key point in time as local governments across the country plan for how to use funds available under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Rebecca Rose

An analysis of 200 county American Rescue Plan Act Recovery Fund plans found that 68 percent of county plans include investments in human services, children, and families and 25 percent include investments in justice and public safety.

By increasing collaboration, each region can effectively bolster both areas of need simultaneously.

To learn more about the sites participating in the Convening County, Court & Justice Leaders: A Framework for Cross-System Collaboration initiative, visit here.

Tara Kunkel is the Executive Director and founder of Rulo Strategies and is an award-winning, nationally known expert in the fields of criminal justice, substance use disorders, law enforcement, and public health and the way they intersect at both the national and community levels. You can contact her at

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Rebecca Rose is the Senior Director at Rulo Strategies and previously spent 15 years working within the federal government to support state, local, and tribal jurisdictions with technical expertise and grant funding. You can contact her at

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