Public Policy Commons^™

The Indigent Defense System In Nebraska: An Update

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force was created as the joint initiative of the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Nebraska Supreme Court in October of 1999 to examine issues of racial and ethnic fairness within the Nebraska court and legal systems. The Task Force focused on four priority areas: Access to Justice, Court Personnel, Criminal and Juvenile Justice, and the Legal Profession. The results of the Task Force’s investigation, along with recommendations, were published in a report in January of 2003 (available on-line at www.nebar.com and www.unl.edu/ppc).

The major recommendation of the Final Report was to establish …

Community Services Implementation Project Year 4 Progress Report And Project Plan For Year 5

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In November 2000, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (PPC) and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Center on Children, Families and the Law (CCFL) entered into a partnership with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and the United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County (UW). During Year 2, the Lincoln Community Foundation and Woods Charitable Fund, Inc. joined the partnership. In Year 4, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools and the J.C. Seacrest Trust also became partners.

The purpose of the Community Services Implementation Project (C-SIP), a University-Community partnership, has been to facilitate implementation of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Human Services Three-Year …

Nebhands Nebraska Behavioral Health Integration Project Semi-Annual Program Progress Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

• Year two sub-awards were awarded to 65 different organizations totaling approximately $500,000. Attachment A provides a list of second year sub-awardees including the name and location of each, type of organization, and description of project, as well as more detailed information. Attachment B lists some of the major accomplishments from each of the second-year sub-awardees.

• A number of open technical assistance workshops were held for sub-awardees during the period (see Attachment C for information on specific workshops). Attachment D provides a list of technical assistance workshop registrants.

• Stakeholders met in October to discuss the integration of the …

Race And Justice In Nebraska— Why Prosecutors And Criminal Defense Lawyers Should Care, Mark Young, Dennis R. Keefe

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

“And now it’s just as bad for young black women or women of color as it is for men . . . to . . . have a public defender who is so unprepared, uncaring, and really, unsuitable, to stand before a judge, and then you have a prosecutor who comes in . . . and they sit at their table and the snickering, the way the
attitude that they go and handle a case (shows) no respect for the individual or for the system.”

The above quote comes from public hearing testimony before the Nebraska Minority and Justice Task …

Diversity In The Legal Profession, Elizabeth Neeley

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 12.7% of Nebraska's population is African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American, or another minority group defined by the U.S. Census. According to both the 2000 U.S. Census and the Nebraska State Bar Association, only 2.4% of the state's attorneys identify themselves as ethnic or racial minorities. In fact, ofthe 4,800 attorneys in the state of Nebraska, only 115 identify themselves as ethnic or racial minorities and none of the attorneys that identified themselves as ethnic or racial minorities live west of Lincoln, (in the eastern third of the state). These factors have led …

The European Court Of Human Rights: Chechnya's Last Chance?, Tarik Abdel-Monem

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Since 1994, the wars between the Russian military and Chechen nationalist forces have resulted in "butchery and savagery on a scale and intensity recalling World War II" An estimated 100,000 persons may have been killed so far, the vast majority being civilians? In relation to other international crises, the conflict in Chechnya has been largely muted in the press, and the international community's reaction has been to marginalize the conflict as an "internal matter" of Russian affairs. In January 2003, for the first time, the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECIIR or the Court) declared six petitions alleging the …

Community Services Innitiative Year 4 Progress Report July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In November 2000, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (PPC) and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Center on Children, Families and the Law (CCFL) entered into a partnership with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and the United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County (UW). During Year 2, the Lincoln Community Foundation and Woods Charitable Fund, Inc. joined the partnership. In Year 4, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools and the J.C. Seacrest Trust also became partners.

The purpose of the Community Services Implementation Project (C-SIP), a University-Community partnership, has been to facilitate implementation of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Human Services Three-Year …

The Nebraska Minority And Justice Implementation Committee Progress Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force was formed in 1999 by the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) to examine issues of racial and ethnic fairness within the Nebraska court and legal systems. Through two substantial grants from the State Justice Institute (SJI), administered through the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, the Minority and Justice Task Force undertook a two-year research project, which culminated in a 200-page final report (the Final Report is available on-line at www.nebar.com and www.unl.edu/ppc). The report investigated topics as diverse as potential bias in criminal prosecution, sentencing, jury …

The Nebraska Minority And Justice Implementation Committee Progress Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force was formed in 1999 by the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA) to examine issues of racial and ethnic fairness within the Nebraska court and legal systems.  Through two substantial grants from the State Justice Institute (SJI), administered through the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, the Minority and Justice Task Force undertook a two-year research project, which culminated in a 200-page final report (the Final Report is available online at www.nebar.com and www.unl.edu/ppc). The report investigated topics as diverse as potential bias in criminal prosecution, sentencing, jury …

Mch Capacity-Building Models: A Summary

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Report Approach and Components
Stakeholders in Maternal and Child Health in Nebraska
Capacity-Building Approaches
Individual Capacity-Building Models
Community Capacity-Building Models
Statewide Capacity-Building Models
Organizational Models
Observations
Summary
References

Intermediary Service Organizations Providing Personal Assistance Services: Implementation Lessons

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Table of Contents:
Purpose
Report Components
Background
Continuum of Services Under PAS-ISO Plans
Personal Assistants
The State/ISO Relationship
The Consumer/ISO Relationship
Marketing and Outreach
Eligibility and Service Plans
Complaints and Appeals
Consumer Satisfaction and Quality Assurance
Provision for Non-Medicaid Consumers

Enrollment Projections For Nebraska’S Medicaid Insurance For Workers With Disabilities (Medicaid Buy-In Program), Mary Mcgarvey

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Many persons with significant disabilities are unable to obtain health insurance in the private sector that provides coverage of the services that enable them to live independently and enter, remain in, or rejoin the workforce. For individuals with disabilities currently receiving health care under Medicaid, the fear of losing their health care and related services is one of the greatest barriers keeping such individuals from maximizing their employment, earnings potential, and independence. For many individual SSDI and SSI recipients, the risk of losing Medicare and Medicaid coverage that is linked to their cash benefits is a risk that is an …

Preliminary Evaluation Of The Lancaster County Indigency Screener Project, Alan Tomkins, Elizabeth Neeley

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In January 2001, a three-year Indigency Screener pilot project was initiated in Lancaster County for the purposes of assessing:
1) The advisability of a uniform rule developed to clarify defendant eligibility for courtappointed counsel.
2) A standardized form for documenting eligibility for appointed counsel.
3) The use of dedicated county court staff to obtain financial information from a defendant and verify the information submitted by a defendant in support of his/her claim of indigency.

This report is a Preliminary Evaluation of the project. The Preliminary Evaluation is based primarily on information obtained from interviews with key stakeholders, courtroom observations of …

Nebhands Nebraska Behavioral Health Integration Project Semi-Annual Program Progress Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

- Year 1 sub-awards were distributed to 30 different organizations totaling over $260,000. Attachment A provides a list of first year sub-awardees including the name and location of each, type of organization, description of project, and award amount. Attachment B offers highlights of some of the achievements of the first year sub-awards.

- Stakeholders met in June to identify ways communities can support sub-award faith-based and community organizations. See Attachment C for the Stakeholder members.

-The Kick-Off Conference was attended by over 400 people in June, including many of the first year sub-awardees. Attachment D provides an agenda for the …

Community Services Implementation Project Year 3 Progress Report And Proposed Project Plan For Year 4

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In November 2000, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (PPC) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center on Children, Families and the Law (CCFL) entered into a partnership with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County (UW). During Year 2, the Lincoln Community Foundation and Woods Charitable Fund, Inc. joined the partnership. The purpose of this University-Community partnership, the Community Services Implementation Project (C-SIP), has been to facilitate implementation of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Human Services Three-Year Comprehensive Plan (Plan). PPC and CCFL have been serving a coordinating and technical assistance role for the overall …

The Interface Of Employment, Health, Family Support, And Human Services For People With Disabilities In Nebraska, Linda E. Jensen, Jeffery Willett

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Twenty in-depth interviews were held with persons who had a diverse range of disabilities and had been or were currently engaged in competitive employment. The qualitative data was analyzed to gain information about current supports and barriers and to identify recommendations to make it more feasible for persons with disabilities to engage in competitive employment. The sample included 10 men and 10 women with ages ranging from 24 to 60 years including both rural and urban residents of Nebraska. Disabilities represented included various paralysis and/or physical illnesses, sensory disabilities such as loss of vision and/or hearing, psychiatric disabilities such as …

Real Choice Data Team Recommendations On Creating A Statewide Information Resource For Human Services

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Information and referral services are an important point of entry for persons seeking appropriate human services options. Across Nebraska, several key initiatives have begun laying the groundwork for statewide collaboration in data collection, sharing, and promotion activities. Consensus is emerging that developing a comprehensive, collaborative, statewide, health and human services database is both desirable and feasible.

Under the aegis of a Nebraska Health and Human Services System Real Choice grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the state convened a working group to help envision the elements that should comprise a statewide resource database. The working group, the …

The Nebraska Minority And Justice Task Force (Final Report)

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Table of Contents:
Inside Cover
Quote
Table of Contents
Minority and Justice Task Force
Chairs
Members
Research Staff
Acknowledgements
Definitions
Executive Summary
Access to Justice
Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Court Personnel
Legal Profession
General Recommendations
Introduction
Study Design
Implications
Chapter 1: Access to Justice
Chapter 2: Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Chapter 3: Court Personnel
Chapter 4: Legal Profession
Chapter 5: Research Methods
Summary of Recommendations
Citations
Case Citations
Literature Citations
Statute Citations
Appendix A: Survey of the Nebraska Public
Appendix B: Survey of Selected Jurors
Appendix C: Survey of Court Personnel
Appendix D: Survey of Nebraska State Bar Association Members

Documentation Of Violence Risk Information In Psychiatric Hospital Patient Charts: An Empirical Examination, Eric B. Elbogen, Alan J. Tomkins, Antara P. Pothuloori, Mario Scalora

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Studies have identified risk factors that show a strong association with violent behavior in psychiatric populations. Yet, little research has been conducted on the documentation of violence risk information in actual clinical practice, despite the relevance of such documentation to risk assessment liability and to conducting effective risk management. In this study, the documentation of cues of risk for violence were examined in psychiatric settings. Patient charts (n = 283) in four psychiatric settings were reviewed for documentation of violence risk information
summarized in the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study. The results revealed that particular patient and institutional variables influenced …

Nebhands Nebraska Behavioral Health Integration Project Semi-Annual Program Progress Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

-Interim Executive Committee established

-Project staff hired

-Stakeholder Advisory Group convened

-Sub-award plan completed and accepted

-Sub-award plan implementation begun

-Request for proposals issued

-Web site established

-Project was named by Interim Executive Committee: “NEBHANDS – a faith-based and community initiative” (NEBHANDS = Nebraskans Expanding Behavioral Health Access through Networking Delivery Systems)

-Project mission, vision, and guiding principles were established

The Impact Of Earnings Of Nebraskans With Disabilities On Their Eligibility For Selected Services And Programs

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Introduction
State Goals for Programs and Program Integration
Policy Choice Highlights and Possible Alternatives
Tables of Program Comparisons
Table 1 - Approximated Nebraska Income Eligibility Ranges for Adults with Disabilities
Notes to Accompany Table 1
Table 2 - 2002 Federal Poverty Guidelines
Table 3 - Nebraska Program Summary for Adults with Disabilities
Table 4 - Nebraska Resource Limits & Resource Exclusions for Adults with Disabilities
Table 5 - Nebraska Earned Income Disregards for Adults with Disabilities
Table 6 - Nebraska Exclusions & Deductions from Income for Eligibility Determination for Adults with Disabilities
Table 7 - …

International Perspectives On Restorative And Community Justice, Alan Tomkins, Mark A. Small

Alan Tomkins Publications

Legal systems across the globe have attempted to accommodate to our new understandings of human behavior, evolving notions of fairness, and increasing recognitions by Western jurists that the law sits within, not apart from, the complexities of societies. One manifestation of legal system change has been the attempt to alter legal institutional structures and practices in order to better address the overlap of justice and social concerns, often drawing from culture contexts previously ignored by Western bureaucracies (see, e.g., Levine, 2000, discussing the Maori roots of family group conferencing practices). The interest in restorative justice and community justice is, in …

Farewell From The Editor Of Behavioral Sciences And The Law, Alan Tomkins

Alan Tomkins Publications

This double issue is comprised of 12 articles on a variety of topics. The issue marks the beginning of the 20th year of Behavioral Sciences & the Law (BS&L). The journal began publication in 1983 with four themed issues, on ‘Malpractice,’ ‘Terrorism,’ ‘Post-traumatic stress disorders,’ and ‘Informed consent.’ Each of these topics is as relevant in 2002 as it was almost two decades ago. Over the 20 years, BS&L has primarily published special topic issues. Special topics have distinguished BS&L from other journals in the field. The past few years, however, we have been receiving so many high quality manuscripts …

An Internal Examination And Evaluation Of The Nebraska Health And Human Services System Delivery Of Personal Assistance Services (Final Report), Jamee K. Wolfe, Lachelle Bailie

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In 2001, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (HHSS) applied for and received a one-year, transitional Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, provided for by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA). In 2002, HHSS applied for and received an additional three years of funding (through 2004). This combined funding allowed Nebraska to support research that examines how the opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in competitive work could be improved.

Personal assistance services (PAS) are a currently underutilized, but in many cases, necessary work support for people with disabilities. With TWWIIA funding, HHSS determined that …

Survey Of Disability And Employment In Nebraska, Fall 2001

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Table of Contents:
I. Executive Summary

II. Introduction
A. Background
B. Research Questions
C. Survey Methodology

III. Description of the Sample
A. Disability Type
B. Demographic Characteristics
1. Race/Ethnicity
2. Gender and Age
3. Education
4. Family Income
5. Geographic Location

IV. Report Narrative and Key Findings
A. Disability
B. Employment
C. Barriers to Work
D. Personal Assistance Services
E. Demographics
F. Key Findings

Appendix
A. Frequency Distributions For All Variables
B. Frequency Distributions by Disability Type for Select Variables
C. Consumer Survey Instrument

Posting The Ten Commandments As A Historical Document In Public Schools, Tarik Abdel-Monem

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The notion of religion being introduced in a public school setting is a controversial and socially divisive topic. When the church encroaches on the state's domain, courts are called upon to adjudicate the matter as a constitutional issue. If public schools impose religion on students, courts invoke the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

The courts should prepare themselves for a new round of Establishment Clause cases. "Hang Ten"-a movement to post the Ten Commandments in public schools and buildings-has arrived, raising intense debate in communities and state legislatures across the …

The Impact Of Earnings Of Nebraskans With Disabilities On Their Eligibility For Selected Services And Programs, University Of Nebraska Public Policy Center

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Many states, Nebraska included, have been actively developing programs to promote competitive employment for persons with disabilities. Buy-In programs (enabling persons with disabilities with increased earned income to continue to Medicaid eligibility) have become a keystone program in states’ efforts. States are implementing Buy-In programs (and related programs and supports) not as welfare programs, but as programs that help states make productive use of all of their human capital resources. Many policymakers support Buy-In programs as a means to increase workers with disabilities’ participation as productive citizens of states. That is, such programs are seen as a means to “enhance …

Comprehensive Community Initiatives (Cci): A Comparison Of Community Implementation Plans, Teri L. Perkins

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

People in crisis often require multiple community services. A homeless person may need medical health care and behavioral health care, along with shelter. A woman who is the victim of domestic abuse may need help with childcare, transportation, food, and emergency housing. Comprehensive community initiatives (CCIs) attempt to provide this interrelated range of community services.

CCIs developed as a part of community building efforts in the late 1980’s (Kubisch, 1996; Stagner and Duran, 1997). “Comprehensive” can either refer to an initiative that incorporates social, educational, cultural, physical, and economic development in a community or to an initiative whose purpose is …

Community Services Implementation Project

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In November 2000, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (PPC) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center on Children, Families and the Law (CCFL) entered into a partnership with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County (UW). The purpose of this University-Community partnership has been to facilitate implementation of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Human Services Three-Year Comprehensive Plan (Plan). It has since become known as C-SIP (the Community Services Implementation Project). PPC and CCFL have been serving in a coordinating and technical assistance role for the overall process including: providing staff support and technical assistance …

Comprehensive Community Initiatives (Cci): A Comparison Of Community Implementation Plans, Teri Perkins

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

People in crisis often require multiple community services. A homeless person may need medical health care and behavioral health care, along with shelter. A woman who is the victim of domestic abuse may need help with childcare, transportation, food, and emergency housing. Comprehensive community initiatives (CCIs) attempt to provide this interrelated range of community services.

CCIs developed as a part of community building efforts in the late 1980’s (Kubisch, 1996; Stagner and Duran, 1997). “Comprehensive” can either refer to an initiative that incorporates social, educational, cultural, physical, and economic development in a community or to an initiative whose purpose is …