Johnson County Justice Center

Monday, December 9, 2013 at 1:30-3:00 p.m. (eastern time) FREE Registration: http://tinyurl.com/kswsqbj Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 12:00-1:30 p.m. (eastern time)  FREE Registration: http://tinyurl.com/lc3nfga Faculty: William Dressel, President, The National Judicial College Elaine Nugent-Borakove, President, The Justice Management Institute Tim Murray, Executive Director, Pretrial Justice Institute Carl Wicklund, Executive Director, American Probation and Parole Association Audience: Judges, attorneys, […]

[Source: “Editorial: Vote ‘yes’ on the Justice Center,” Daily Iowan, 6 May 2013, by the Daily Iowan Editorial Board] In November 2012, when the original Johnson County Justice Center was presented to the public for a vote, the Editorial Board recommended that the voters reject the bond referendum. The original center narrowly failed to garner […]

[Source: “Johnson County justice center: If not now, then when?,” Press Citizen, 5 May 2013, by Dave Parsons] On the bright side, it appears that everyone now agrees on the need for updated and expanded courthouse and jail facilities in Johnson County. Yet somehow there are a number of factions with competing agendas (some mutually […]

[Source: “Make courthouse ADA-compliant,” Press Citizen, 3 May 2013, by Karla Smith] I am so proud to live in a community that feels it is important to have a safe and easily accessible courthouse that meets the guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act. A courthouse with enough courtrooms to be able to give our citizens […]

[Source: “Incarceration rate lower than average,” Press Citizen, 3 May 2013, by Greg Johnson] I believe that many in our community have the misperception that Johnson County tends to lock up more people than most other counties. In fact, we have one of the lowest incarceration rates in the nation. We’re also well below the […]

[Source: “New jail for 195 inmates is immediately necessary,” Press Citizen, 3 May 2013, by John Whiston, a Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.] Every year, my students represent about 100 people charged with indictable misdemeanors. I would be one of the first to say that over-incarceration of non-violent offenders is a real […]

In the video below, John Whiston speaks about Jail Alternatives and the efficiency of a unified Justice Center. John is a Clinical Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.

In the video below, Ron Berg, the Director of MECCA Services, discusses the benefits of drug and addiction programs to help reduce incarceration. “We don’t think incarcerating and charging people with legal offenses is necessarily helpful when you’re looking at their drug use. We ought to be getting people into treatment. In terms of being cutting […]

[Source: “New Vote,” Gazette Editorial Board, 28 April 2013] Just a few months after Johnson County voters declined to approve a bond to build a new justice center, the issue is back on the ballot for May 7. Although the proposal has changed slightly in response to critics’ concerns about size, cost and design, our […]