Problem-Solving Courts 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Approved

Problem-Solving Courts 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Approved

The Problem-Solving Courts Strategic Plan (2020-2025), as adopted by the Nebraska Supreme Court, has six focus areas outlining goals and objectives regarding fidelity to evidence-based practices, training, services and quality assurance, expansion, cultural competency, racial and ethnical disparities, and human resources.  Each is outlined in the newly-posted document found online through the Judicial Branch website.

The formation of the plan began in December 2018 when the Nebraska Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation requested assistance from the Center for Court Innovations (CCI).  Together, the group developed a new strategic plan to guide the state’s problem-solving courts for the next five years, with a particular emphasis on preparing courts for the future and using data to enhance court operations.

CCI and the Nebraska Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation worked together between December 2018 and September 2019 to create a needs assessment report for Nebraska problem-solving courts. A 25-member strategic planning committee representing many key stakeholders in the state’s problem-solving court system was convened. CCI staff interviewed each committee member between June and August 2019.  In addition to these interviews, CCI worked with Northwest Professional Consortium (NPC) Research to administer a comprehensive assessment survey to every problem-solving court in Nebraska. The assessment, a proprietary tool developed by NPC Research, included more than 150 questions designed to measure the extent to which courts are adhering to the Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards and other evidence-based practices. Finally, CCI collected relevant court data and reviewed Nebraska’s Best Practice Standards, previous reports, and other documentation relevant to the state’s problem-solving courts.

In September 2019, CCI staff facilitated a two-day strategic planning workshop with the full committee in Omaha, Nebraska. The workshop included a detailed review and discussion of the Needs Assessment Report, facilitated exercises designed to prioritize the committee’s goals, a presentation on strategic foresight by Dr. Fred Cheesman, Principal Court Research Consultant for the National Center for State Courts, and the development of the detailed goals and objectives that would form the foundation of the strategic plan. Following the strategic planning workshop, CCI staff and Nebraska’s Statewide Problem-Solving Court Director worked together to draft and edit the strategic plan.

The proposed plan was submitted for review and comment to the strategic plan committee and the Nebraska Supreme Court Committee on Problem-Solving Courts. On April 3, 2020, the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan for Nebraska Problem-Solving Courts was submitted for the final review. At that time, the committee voted unanimously to approve the strategic plan and recommended the Nebraska Supreme Court adopt the plan. On April 22, 2020, the Nebraska Supreme Court approved the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan for Nebraska Problem-Solving Courts.