Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearm Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Initiative

FY2022 Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearms Crisis Intervention

Training and Technical Assistance Initiative Category 2 Proposal Abstract

Through the Safer Communities Through Court Collaboration: Building Capacity for Firearms Risk Prevention and Intervention (Safer Communities Court Capacity Project), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) proposes to provide expert guidance, training, and technical assistance (TTA) to state, local, and tribal judges and courts in support of coordinated and effective state crisis intervention court proceedings, Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) programs, and related gun violence reduction initiatives. Informed by the expertise of the project’s Advisory Committee, the project will include activities to (1) create a judicial resource center to assist state, local, and tribal courts in assessing and responding to court-involved individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others with a firearm; (2) Publish Safer Communities Court Capacity Project Values, Guiding Principles, and Core Concepts; (3) develop training for court staff and judicial officers regarding firearms laws and best-practice, especially as they apply to court-involved individuals in crisis; 4) create and pilot a Court Self-Assessment Protocol to deepen courts’ capacities to identify and respond to court-involved individuals in crisis; (5) develop and disseminate a Judicial Toolkit on Firearms and Crisis Intervention (Judicial Toolkit) and other resources; (6) provide TTA to judges and courts seeking guidance and support; and (7) Host a Summit for judicial officers and court managers on Firearms and Court Involved Individuals in Crisis, and two virtual Table Talks. The Safer Communities Court Capacity Project will deliver this field guidance and support through activities, which are designed to meet BJA’s objectives of: 1) providing assistance to state, local, and tribal courts in screening and assessing court-involved individuals to identify those who may be in crisis and designing appropriate responses; and 2) developing best practices and model firearm crisis intervention programs based on DOJ guidelines for ERPO legislation, including leveraging the expertise of problem-solving courts and court capacity. Communities benefiting from these products and TTA include judicial officers, court managers, their community stakeholders, and court-involved individuals in crisis (across the country), all of whom will be benefit from implementation of state crisis intervention programs which mitigate for gun violence, and seek to find supportive, evidence-based programs for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.