In 2022, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and National Institution of Corrections selected CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation to lead the development and delivery of the Jails and Justice Support Center. Partners in this effort include: The American Jail Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Association of Counties, and Rulo Strategies. These organizations serve jail administrators, sheriffs’ offices, and local governments across the country and will use their combined talent and expertise to support the center’s mission. Learn more about our team below.
Panda J. Adkins
Program Director
adkinsp@cna.org
Keri Richardson
Project Manager
richardsonk@cna.org
Brittany Cunningham
Advisor
cunninghamb@cna.org
James “Chip” Coldren
Advisor
coldrej@cna.org
CNA is an independent, nonprofit research and analysis organization working in service to the public and dedicated to the safety and security of the nation. CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation (JRI) is a nationally recognized leader in translating research and analysis of the American justice system into justice reform, training and technical assistance, and assessments, and organizational effectiveness. JRI oversees several national TTA programs related to field operations in law enforcement, corrections, and other criminal justice institutions.
The American Jail Association (AJA) is a national, nonprofit organization that supports the professionals who operate our nation’s jails. It is the only national association that focuses exclusively on issues specific to the operations of local correctional facilities. The governing body of AJA is the Board of Directors. The Board is the final authority on all matters pertaining to the management of AJA. It sets policies for AJA and relies upon elected officers, staff, and committees to implement or to develop plans to implement those policies. The Board is ultimately accountable to the membership of AJA.
The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) is a national professional association dedicated to serving the Office of Sheriff and its affiliates through law enforcement education, training, and providing general law enforcement informational resources. NSA represents thousands of sheriffs, deputies, other law enforcement, public safety professionals, and concerned citizens nationwide. As of February 2023, the NSA has 13,628 active members.
The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) is a professional law enforcement association of the largest Sheriff’s Officer representing counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more. MCSA is dedicated to preserving the highest integrity in law enforcement and the elected Office of the Sheriff. MCSA membership represents more than 130 million citizens. The organization is a united powerful voice of community leaders on issues of public concern which are met with a sense of urgency, communication, education, advocacy, and research.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, serving nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to:
Rulo Strategies LLC is a small, woman-owned business in Arlington, Virginia. The cornerstone of Rulo Strategies’ work is facilitating the development and growth of partnerships to improve public safety and public health outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Rulo Strategies provides a full range of consulting, technical assistance, strategic planning, and program evaluation services focused on the intersections between courts, corrections, behavioral health, and public health.