The Governor鈥檚 (CREJ) came into existence on June 24, 2020. The intent was to study 鈥渋ssues of racial equity and justice across systems in Kansas,鈥� with the first priority being a focus on policing and law enforcement.
Recently CREJ started hosting a webinar series to review their work and discuss their recommendations with stakeholders in Kansas. Recommendations of the coalition could lead to local policy and systems changes for local government leaders.
The commission is not a commission on criminal justice reform, but rather broad issues effecting racial equity in Kansas including the study of racial equity within economic systems, education, and healthcare.
So far, the commission has written two reports consisting of 60 recommendations in 2020 and 90 recommendations in 2021. Here is some key information that may be helpful for you or your community.
Key Recommendations for 2020:
- Create plans to recruit officers that reflect the communities being policed
- Include accountability measures and follow up related to the enforcement of recommended changes
- Ensure that data collected is transparent, public, and easily accessible.
- Provide incentive pay for officers who speak languages other than English. Include proficiency testing.
- Support and finance the use of mobile crisis response models, including co-responder and virtual co-responder models to assist law enforcement in responding to behavioral health calls and stops
Key Recommendations for 2021:
- Universal Equity Policies: Encourage government policies and legislation to require bias and equity analysis of policy decisions and provide translation services so that Kansans have access to their government entities.
- Maximizing Federal Funding: Engage perspectives of people of color and people groups impacted by COVID-19 when distributing relief funds. This includes a broad interpretation of the word 鈥渉ealth鈥� to include social determinants of health and taking health equity into consideration.
- Housing & Homelessness: Explore community land trusts as a path to making home ownership more accessible.
- Juvenile Justice System: Promote alternatives to suspensions and disciplines such as alternative schools, behavioral interventionists, family case managers, and restorative justice programs.
- Maternal & Child Health: Partner with state groups to offer best practices and education for mothers and families during and after pregnancy.
- Vaccine Equity: Utilize culturally relevant messaging about vaccine efficacy and availability; making sure materials and communications are available in a variety of language.
Both commission reports are available online at . By seeking education on both state and local issues, they are gathering the tools needed to address the complexities of the work and build a solid foundation of education and strategic planning to move the needle on systemic issues.
If you鈥檙e interested in discussing issues of racial equity, justice, and diversity and inclusion, let鈥檚 chat!