Our Board Member Kelly Kalla was the 2007 winner of the James B. Droege scholorship award and attended this years conference. She wrote briefly about her experience:
What did I learn from my first NAPA conference. Well where do I start? I learned that Indians fans are pretty brutal. At least twice they chanted “Detroit sucks” while I was at the game Tuesday night (scalping tickets is legal in Cleveland), I learned that I am not of a good of a bowler as I thought I was(although no one seemed to mind), and I learned that James Brown knows pretty much everyone and has done an excellent job promoting not only Operation de Novo, but diversion as a whole on a national level.
All kidding aside, after attending the 2007 NAPSA conference I realized how lucky I am to be involved with Operation de Novo. In talking with others, it amazed me that some counties and states don’t have diversion at all, let alone a program that allows clients to complete without being formally charged (juvenile cases) or convicted (adult cases).
I realize that although I may have my issues with the system as a whole, Minnesota and the metro area in particular are very forward thinking in our approach to pretrial and prevention services. I talked with a lot of people who care deeply about their role in the pretrial services but who are also frustrated with funding and other issues which we all face, no matter where we are from. This was such a wonderful opportunity not only to not share ideas with others but also to relax and reflect on what my role in the criminal justice system truly is.
I was impressed by not only the attendees but the caliber of speakers and presenters at the conference. OAPSA and NAPSA did an excellent job in putting together a great conference. I had the honor of attending this year on a scholarship and I only hope I will have the chance to attend in the future. I am excited to take what I have learned back to our local group. Thanks to NASPA and a special thanks to Central Regional Director Sherri Carrier for taking me under her wing and for making this a wonderful experience!
The conference began with opening remarks from MAPSA President Mike Gephart. The first speaker was Timothy J. Murray, Executive Director of the National Pretrial Resource Center in Washington D.C. He gave an engaging presentation titled “The Challenges and Opportunities of Evidence-Based Practices in Pretrial Services”. He discussed the current and past trends in Pretrial Services as well as speculation of future developments. The morning workshops consisted of Webjunk with Kelly Kalla from Operation De Novo and Evaluation and Validation of the Hennepin Bail Evaluation Tool with a Marcy Podkopacz from the Research Department of the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota. Both presenters offered insights into their respective topics and provided much food for thought.
We broke for lunch in historic downtown St Paul around noon and returned for the annual business meeting and election nominations. The afternoon workshops were presented by a panel from the Hennepin County Domestic Fatality Review Team and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI). The Fatality Committee panel discussed the process for reviewing a case and the reasons why it is important to do so. They stressed that the process is not about assigning blame but about finding ways to prevent domestic violence in the future. The JDAI panel discussed their goals and what is currently being done in the Dakota, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties. The panel is looking at ways to reallocate funds in order to provide alternatives to juvenile detention.
The final session of the day was given by Major John Morris, Chaplain from Minnesota’s Army National Guard. He led a poignant and moving discussion on the challenges veterans face when returning from war. He discussed physical and mental health concerns as well as struggles many face trying in reintegrate into society, their own families and work environments.
The Minnesota Association of Pretrial Service Agencies was chartered in 1996. MAPSA is affiliated with, and subscribes to the standards of, the National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies. MAPSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of Pretrial Services throughout Minnesota.