Capitol Comments

Compact Addresses Education of Military Children

As their parents move from base to base and state to state, children in military families often face major transition issues of their own.

Their school records may not arrive in a timely manner and the students miss out on advanced classes or classes that may serve their special needs. They may have to retake courses because the state they moved to has different requirements for graduation. On top of that, the children must deal with the emotional challenges of making new friends and becoming accustomed to a new school, all the while dealing with seeing a parent head off to another—possibly dangerous—assignment.

CSG A Part of National Performance Management Commission

Representatives of nine leading state and local public interest associations—including The Council of State Governments—have joined forces to establish a commission charged with creating a national principles-based framework for public sector performance measurement and management. 

Although performance management has increasingly become a standard practice among state and local governments, there is no commonly accepted framework or set of guidelines.  The framework is intended to assist governments in designing new performance measurement and management systems and assessing their existing systems. 

Justice Center Report Focuses on Mental Health Courts

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has releaed an updated edition of "Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court." The publication describes the 10 important program elements jurisdictions should consider when planning, implementing or enhancing a mental health court.

The Justice Center estimates the number of mental health courts in the United States has grown from four in 1997 to more than 175 today. But because of the diversity of program models and their relative newness, there has been no nationally accepted criteria for effective mental health courts.  The updated report -- the result of many rounds of rigorous review -- details aspects of court design and implementation that have been found in successful courts.

The current edition incorporates feedback from professionals and stakeholders at all levels of the criminal justice and mental health systems, including an online public forum and a series of experts' meetings.