GOV
Alternatives to Incarceration Committee
The Alternatives to Incarceration Committee assists in the work of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Overview
The City’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council established the Alternatives to Incarcerations Committee to identify opportunities to strengthen and diversify alternative sanctions and diversion options in all the key points within the criminal justice system from arrest to reentry.
Vision
City of St. Louis is a safe, healthy, restorative community where policymakers, community leaders, and service providers collaborate to develop alternative-to-incarceration strategies that work.
Mission
To ensure a local criminal justice system that improves public safety and offender accountability by limiting the use of incarceration.
Goals
- Identify gaps and additional programs or alternatives that would address the needs of the justice-involved population and improve outcomes.
- Working in partnership with community-based providers to foster and promote evidence-based prevention and intervention services, and services for which the justice-involved population will accept.
- Assessing offender’s risks/needs to help guide decision-makers match appropriate alternative sentencing to treatment.
- Addressing criminogenic patterns and tendencies.
- Ensuring offender accountability through proven, innovative, and timely sanctions and intervention.
- Connecting offenders with support services.
- Providing professional training to enhance our skill and build leadership.
- Continually educate community-based organizations on best-practices and services that best meet the needs of the justice-involved individual.
Committee Chair and Vice Chair
Chair: Donna K. King, Regional Administrator in the Division of Probation & Parole, Eastern Region of the Missouri Department of Corrections
Vice Chair: Sarah Phillips, Pretrial Services Coordinator, 22nd Judicial Circuit Court
Committee Members
- Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, Board of Aldermen, City of St. Louis
- Lt. Edward Boniest, City’s Police Division
- Alderwoman Shameem Clark-Hubbard, Board of Aldermen, City of St. Louis
- Lt. Michael Gamache, Sheriff’s Office
- Kimberly Gardner, Circuit Attorney, 22nd Judicial Circuit
- George Hayes, Deputy Commissioner, City’s Corrections Division
- Cj Hite, Director of Circle of Light Grassroots Food Pantry, Citizen
- David Kessel, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Employment Connection
- Thomas Kloeppinger, Circuit Clerk, 22nd Judicial Circuit Court
- Mathew Mahaffey, District Public Defender, Missouri Public Defender
- Michael Milton, Statewide Advocacy & Policy Manager, The Bail Project
- Judge Michael K. Mullen, 22nd Judicial Circuit Court
- Jason Watson, Vice President of Workforce Development, Mission St. Louis
- Lisa Jaegers, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Associate Professor, Saint Louis University
Values and Guiding Principles
- Encourage the spirit of teamwork: “everyone needs to contribute and willing to share and work together.”
- Collaborate to solve problems; maintain openness and flexibility.
- Respect the independence and interrelationships among cross-functional agencies.
- Act with integrity.
- Continually challenging ourselves to enhance our knowledge and expertise.
- Promote a culture that values diversity, fairness and equality.
- Employ evidence-based practices and data-driven decision-making.
Meetings Schedule and Materials
This committee meets the last Thursday of each month from 2:00-4:00pm.
Anticipated Benefits
- More collaborative, evidence-based decision-making and practices in the local criminal justice system.
- To prevent individuals from entering or penetrating deeper into the criminal justice system.
- Systemic solutions rather than fragmented and often conflicting solutions.
- Improved efficiency and delivery of higher quality services.
- Increased costs-savings and greater return on investment.
- Alternatives to Incarceration are re-envisioned to enhance public safety and ensure equity.
Values & Guiding Principles
- Encourage the spirit of teamwork: “everyone needs to contribute and willing to share and work together.”
- Collaborate to solve problems; maintain openness and flexibility.
- Respect the independence and interrelationships among cross-functional agencies.
- Act with integrity.
- Continually challenging ourselves to enhance our knowledge and expertise.
- Promote a culture that values diversity, fairness and equality.
- Employ evidence-based practices and data-driven decision-making.
