CULTURAL COMPETENCY
looks like them and meets their age group. I think that makes a big difference for cultural competency.” TRANSFORMATIVE STRATEGIES In approaching criminal justice from transformative strategies, the CRC is partnered with programs that facilitate personal growth and development. The Urban League, The Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership and Boys and Girls Club are some of the many programs that contribute to the hub of opportunities for life reform and encouraging future progress. “I want to make prison a last resort. There are so many resources and programs available that can change someone’s life. Prison isn’t always the right answer just because it’s the traditional way of addressing crimes.” In addition to her work with the CRC, Stubbs is working to create Dane County’s first community justice center. The center will focus primarily on providing services to better serve the reentry population. “People shouldn’t be leaving prison without the resources they need to live lives better than the habits that led them to prison in the first place.” Stubbs is also creating a community reinvestment act that would allocate $100,000 from the county’s budget to assess and address the individual needs of people transitioning from prison. In January, Stubbs and other supporters funded seven grassroots organizations to conduct surveys on what the community believes a community justice center should include.
In her more than 15 years in roles of public leadership, Stubbs has backed policies and legislation centered upon equity and inclusion for groups with limited representation. One of her most substantial projects is the Community Restorative Court (CRC). As its lead sponsor, Stubbs submitted the resolution that would fund the initiative. It was started in 2013 for 17 to 25-year-olds who have committed lower-level crimes. The initiative brought in several community partners to create a pilot program to address crimes through a human services perspective. Instead of a court judge, it works with the district attorney’s office and utilizes groups of “peacemakers.” These peacemakers are community members serving as trained volunteers to ensure representation holds a place in the process of justice. “Black people are often targeted to go to court,” Stubbs said. “But 99% of the time, there isn’t a jury that
“BLACK PEOPLE ARE OFTEN TARGETED TO GO TO COURT” - Sheila Stubbs
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