Browse Working Group Recommendations

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 Below each working group recommendation is an initial list of County & City departments that have committed to implementation efforts. Quarterly progress updates for listed recommendations will be posted within thirty (30) days of the prior quarter’s end (Q3= July 1 – September 30, Q4= October 1 – December 31). This list will be revised and more information will be added in the future as we engage further with the County, City, and other community organizations.

CJK1R1a
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: PRE-ARREST DIVERSION
Recommendation: Crisis Intervention Team: a team of mental health professionals, social workers and/or crisis counselors to send as first responders to calls involving mental health crises, welfare check, substance abuse, family disputes and homelessness such as the CAHOOTS model in Eugene, Oregon.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Rochester Police Department 1-3 years
County Human Services - Mental Health
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender
CJK2R5
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER
Recommendation: Data Transparency: The district attorney should provide extensive data on cases, pleas, disposition etc., to the community through an open data portal.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Public Defender 1-3 years
CJK3R5
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Invest in restorative justice and diversion programs
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender 1-3 years
CJK3R7a
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Counseling and mentorship.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Children's Detention Center Mixed
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7b
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Restorative Justice Circles. Increase restorative circles use starting in the schools and community for lower level offenses.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Children's Detention Center Mixed
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7c
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Case Managers that create a comprehensive plan for success with parents and youth.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7d
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Education for family members.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7e
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Respite Services.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
County Public Safety 1-3 years
CJK3R7f
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Forensic Psychiatric specialist equipped to handle youth with complex mental health issues.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
CJK3R7g
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Increase community mentoring programs opportunities for kids at risk.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7h
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Create a job training program that diverts youth from the penal system into skill training and employment.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
CJK3R7i
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Develop an after-hours diversion program for youth in jeopardy of detention placement.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender
CJK3R7j
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Place social workers in Youth Court.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
CJK3R7k
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: COURT/ PROBATIONS / JAIL
Recommendation: Establish within Monroe County a psychiatric facility that is equipped to assist youth facing criminal charges who are struggling with mental illnesses. While these youth are often brought to the detention center, the center is not adequately staffed to meet their needs.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Children's Detention Center Mixed
County Human Services - Mental Health Mixed
HCK2R4
Working Group: Healthcare
Key Issue: ACCESS & AFFORDABILITY OF HEALTHCARE TO INCREASE RACIAL HEALTH EQUITY
Recommendation: Decentralize Monroe County Department of Public Health services and put locations in neighborhoods with high populations of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Public Health < 1 year
County State and Federal Intergovernmental Relations 1-3 years
MHK1R1
Working Group: Mental Health/Addiction
Key Issue: Availability of sufficient, high-quality mental health and addiction services is extremely limited in trusted community settings for people of color and low-income people.
Recommendation: Practices: Develop Community Behavioral Health Advocates (CBHA), a program employing local residents who are trained and certified to assist people with advocacy; offer help to connect with and navigate behavioral 170 Mental Health Association of Rochester / Monroe County. “Racism is a Public Health Crisis.” https://www.mharochester.org/mha-acknowledges-racism-as-a-public-health-crisis/ 183 health services; identify distressed persons who need services before emergencies occur; and provide low-complexity therapeutic interventions, as appropriate.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Mental Health 3+ years
County Public Health 3+ years
County Public Safety - Central Police Services 1-3 years
MHK3R1
Working Group: Mental Health/Addiction
Key Issue: Mental health and addiction services are often unaligned and disconnected, as are City and County initiatives on these issues. Misalignment exacerbates and prolongs racial and ethnic inequities in access to mental health and addiction services.
Recommendation: Systems: Assure that current County and City initiatives regarding mental health emergency response services are fully integrated — i.e., one emergency response system, not two. A
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Mental Health 3+ years
County Public Health Mixed
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender 3+ years
POK3R1
Working Group: Policing
Key Issue: OPERATIONAL PRACTICES
Recommendation: We recommend local law enforcement agencies be mandated to collect and regularly report on a quarterly basis, demographic information of all individuals they interact with in arrests, traffic investigations, street stops, and uses of force. Furthermore, we recommend the demographic information be collected and regularly reported for personnel complaints, also on a quarterly basis. We further recommend this data be included in their annual reports and, relative to the Rochester Police Department, be included on their Open Data Portal, entered into their TRACS system, and sent to the Rochester Police Accountability Board. If other local police agencies develop a similar civilian oversight process, we recommend this data be sent to their board for review
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
SSK1R1
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: CHILD WELFARE
Recommendation: Implement Blind Removal Meetings
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Child & Family Services < 1 year
SSK1R2
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: CHILD WELFARE
Recommendation: Hire Cultural Brokers
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Child & Family Services 1-3 years
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender 3+ years
SSK1R3
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: CHILD WELFARE
Recommendation: Create Kinship Navigators
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Child & Family Services < 1 year
SSK1R4
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: CHILD WELFARE
Recommendation: Internal DHS Policy Change
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Child & Family Services 1-3 years
SSK1R5
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: CHILD WELFARE
Recommendation: Cultural Competence and Community Education
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Youth & Human Services
County Human Services - Child & Family Services 1-3 years
SSK2R11
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: The County must also provide consistency in case workers and in the application of federal laws like the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act and the Interethnic Adoptions Provisions law. (Human Services)
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending

 View Summary Recommendations