Whatcom County oversight panel summarizes large public workshop and approves a flexible action plan A Whatcom County Justice Project oversight committee heard a recap of a high-attendance community workshop that used interactive exercises to surface trade-offs for facility design, set priorities for early 2026 engagement, and approved a year-long action-plan calendar to guide panels, SIM mapping and dashboard development.

Whatcom County's Justice Project committee is taking bold steps toward community engagement, with a new action plan shaped by resident input on crucial resource allocations.

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#WhatcomCounty #WA #CommunityEngagement #BehavioralHealth #WhatcomCountyJustice #CitizenPortal

Whatcom County panel reviews racial-disparity data and data gaps; members press for bail and booking details A county justice oversight committee heard a VillageReach-aligned data update showing racial disparities in jail bookings (presenters reported Black and Indigenous residents were roughly nine times more likely to be incarcerated in 2024), discussed limits of current data, and urged collection of first-appearance/bail history and jurisdictional booking details to better understand drivers of disparity.

Whatcom County's justice committee reveals alarming racial disparities in incarceration rates, highlighting that Black and Indigenous individuals are nine times more likely to be jailed in 2024.

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#WhatcomCounty #WA #DataTransparency #WhatcomCountyJustice #RacialDisparities

Whatcom County committee hears reentry simulation findings, asks for accountability on Project 11 commitments Presenters at the Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee meeting said reentry after jail remains under-resourced in Whatcom County and urged the county to report progress on Project 11, which includes staffing and a proposed reentry center with an estimated $6 million capital cost and ongoing operating expenses.

Whatcom County's reentry services are critically underfunded, leaving many former inmates without the support they need to successfully reintegrate into society.

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#WhatcomCounty #WA #CommunityCollaboration #CitizenPortal #CivicAccountability #WhatcomCountyJustice #ReentrySupport

Prosecutors discuss sharing case data to address mental health issues in criminal justice Prosecutors explore how to share case data without compromising legal integrity.

Prosecutors are paving the way for groundbreaking data sharing to tackle mental health issues in the criminal justice system, but will privacy concerns stand in the way?

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#WhatcomCounty #WA #MentalHealthReform #CitizenPortal #CivicAccountability #WhatcomCountyJustice

Bellingham committee reviews crisis response models and plans community safety measures Committee discusses assessment tools and alternative response strategies for behavioral health crises.

Whatcom County's Justice Project is revolutionizing crisis response strategies, focusing on behavioral health and community safety—are we ready for this transformative shift?

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#WhatcomCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #WhatcomCountyJustice #RacialEquityInJustice #BehavioralHealthCrisis