Fellow Policy Planner
Overview:
The Govern for America Policy Planner supports the development of policy advice and strategic planning within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. This position will work as a member of the Data Research and Statistical Analysis team to support Department projects, including data analysis, research, and evaluation needs. The Policy Planner may also be assigned to monitor projects in the DPS&C and provide written and oral reports to various senior members of the department. Fellows will also be required to collect and analyze data related to said projects, and include findings in all reports.
Why This Work Matters:
In 2017, Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bipartisan package of sweeping criminal justice reforms into law, which aimed at reducing recidivism, crime, and incarceration costs. The new laws were part of proposed reforms by the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force. Louisiana is projected to reduce the prison population by 10% and save $262M over the next 10 years, with $184M of those savings being reinvested in programs and policies proven to reduce recidivism and support victims of crime. It is also projected to reduce the community supervision population by 12%, making caseload sizes more manageable for probation and parole officers.
The Department:
The mission of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections is to enhance public safety through the safe and secure incarceration of offenders, effective probation/parole supervision and proven rehabilitative strategies that successfully reintegrate offenders into society, as well as to assist individuals and communities victimized by crime. In order to accomplish this mission the DPSC maintains a disciplined system of operations which enhance the stability of all programs and ensure the safety of staff and offenders, while providing offenders the opportunities for change and reentry. The DPSC believes that by promoting moral rehabilitation through opportunities for making restitution and participating in community restorative initiatives, the environment will enable positive behavioral change. In combination with evidenced-based practices, DPSC believes this will lead to a safe reduction in recidivism and an increase in successful re-entry.
What You’ll Do:
- The key assignment of this fellowship will be to implement the automation of the Department’s Justice Reinvestment outcome tracking through development of Tableau dashboards using data exported from the Department’s various data systems.
This position will also:
- Provide advanced level research, analysis, and evaluation related to policy, practice, legislative proposals, legislative actions, operational regulations, and the Department's organization and operations.
- Conduct complex analytical and statistical research. Collects and analyzes data to determine trends and provides long-range forecasting.
- Evaluate the impact of proposed/recommended changes to current federal and state legislation, revised statutes, executive orders, and ACA standards to determine its potential impact on existing population levels, policies, programs or initiatives. Prepares reports for the executive staff.
- Work with key members of the Department to identify and implement changes in systems and data collection processes that will be required as a result of changes to programs, regulations/ policies, and/or current practices based upon new or proposed changes to law, policy or practice.
- Provide technical and/or administrative advice/guidance to key members of the Department, regarding the modification of policies, regulations, practices and other program or procedural areas.
This position may also:
- Be assigned to evaluate active programs and make proposed recommendations to executive management, including policy changes and program alternatives. Collects analytical and statistical research to monitor the progress of any implemented alternative solutions to ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
- Have responsibility for project leadership and management for special project assignments.
- Be required to contact other public officials at local, state, and national levels for research, to consult on projects, or discuss results of analysis projects.
Govern for America is helping states across the country access top, diverse talent with skills in areas like human-centered design, data-driven policymaking, public sector entrepreneurship, and more. We recruit exceptional recent graduates into full-time, existing roles within state governments and provide our Fellows training and development on crucial skills throughout the two-year program. Please contact Manjot Chhabra (manjot@govforamerica.org) directly if you think you are a fit for this role.