Scottsdale’s Restorative Justice Intervention Program Case Study: An Interview with Cassie Johnson

Diversionary programs to keep kids out of the court system are important – but they’re only as successful as the organizational partners who help to make the program possible. Scottsdale’s award-winning Restorative Justice Intervention Program accomplishes that goal in partnership with a wide array of local agencies who helped to maintain focus on the importance of RJIP’s goal.

Watch this Recorded Webinar, as Cassie Johnson of the Scottsdale Police Department and president of IALEP’s Southwest Chapter is here to discuss:

the extensive program development that Scottsdale has gone through,
a summary of where we are currently and a discussion of the future
policy development, technology infrastructure, data analysis, record retention and program evaluation.

Justice Clearinghouse Editors (JCH): Cassie, you’re a new presenter for the Justice Clearinghouse. Tell us about yourself.

Cassie Johnson: I am a senior analyst with the Scottsdale Police Department in the Planning, Research and Accreditation Division. I started my career as an intern with the Scottsdale Police Department Crime Analysis Unit while I was in my undergraduate studies and was fortunate to return to the department after I completed my graduate studies in my current role in 2014. During my time with the department, I have been involved in a variety of projects including our strategic plan, accreditation compliance, patrol allocation, open data initiatives, performance management, use of force analysis and review and many others topics. In addition, I am the current President of the International Association of Law Enforcement Planners – Southwest Chapter as well as the Vice President of the Arizona Police Accreditation Coalition.

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It is important to set up any and all programs

with a clear plan from the beginning.

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JCH: Your webinar is about the Restorative Justice Intervention Program. Without giving the webinar away, what is RJIP?

The Restorative Justice Intervention Program (RJIP) is a pre-arrest diversion program for first-time youth contacts that begins with the police rather than with the court system. The success of this program lies in the partnerships that we are able to have with the City of Scottsdale Prosecutor’s Office, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Scottsdale Police Department and Scottsdale Youth and Family Services.

JCH: You’re a Law Enforcement Planner by training. What was your role in this project, and why was the planning element so important for the project’s success?

Cassie: RJIP was already in its early stages of development when I was brought in to the program for the purpose of program evaluation. Upon joining the team there were many aspects that were modified with input from numerous partners. I was able to invite the appropriate parties to the table to make sure that every aspect of this program was set up for success and continue to engage with everyone to ensure that the program is sustainable and successful. While I will discuss this in the webinar it is important to set up any and all programs with a clear plan from the beginning.

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The success of this program lies in the partnerships that we are able to have

with the City of Scottsdale Prosecutor’s Office, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office,

the Scottsdale Police Department

and Scottsdale Youth and Family Services.

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JCH: What drew you to this career path? What do you like the most about the planning function? What do you wish other justice professionals knew or understood about the planning function and how people in your role can help their agencies?

Cassie: I was drawn to the wide array of projects that were listed in the core duties of the job description. My education and experiences had always led me to public sector employment but I knew I wanted something that varied in tasks and assignments. I love to learn new things and be engaged with different people and law enforcement planning is a place to engage in that variety on a daily basis. I wish that people in general (but certainly justice professionals) knew that there were resources available to them that specialize in the high priority projects that many departments are interested in. The International Association of Law Enforcement Planners (IALEP) has membership all over North America that engage in daily conversation about best practices, model policy development, program evaluation and many other areas that fall on the spectrum of law enforcement planners. These subject matter experts can provide a lot of information that assist executives in making educated decisions that impact their departments and the citizens they serve.