Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD)

      View 2025 SKILLS Conference Sessions:


ClassWorkshop NamePresenter(s)Presenter(s) Title(s)Workshop DescriptionLink# PDFsRvw PDF(s)
Tue, August 19, 2025, 08:30 AM-10:00 AMLost in Translation: Building Effective Working Relationships Between Coalition PartnersKirsta MeltonFounder & Chief Executive Officer, Institute to Combat TraffickingHuman Trafficking, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Assault are incredibly complex and daunting problems. They require people across disciplines working together to conceptualize and implement effective community specific solutions. In theory, each of us who gather for a multi-disciplinary team, a task force, or coalition each share the same desire—to end the violence. Unfortunately, these gatherings often end in dysfunction, discord, and inertia instead of the progress we so earnestly desire. This workshop will identify the most common problems facing multi-disciplinary teams, discuss solutions, and arm coalition leadership and participants with the tools they need to effectively harness the inherent differences among members for the greater good of the community. Click Here
Tue, August 19, 2025, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMProgram Codes in ISYS: What Are They and Why Do We Have Them?Sharisa JonesTDCJ-CJAD-Director of Data AnalysisThis training will provide information on the purpose program codes serve in ISYS, including what they are, how they are assigned, and why do we have secondary codes. Staff will be shown how to run the Program Population Report in the ISYS website and how different functions in Excel can be used to better utilize the downloaded report. There will be a Q & A at the end.Click Here
Tue, August 19, 2025, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMBIPP 101Ginny MendozaTDCJ-CJAD-Field Services Assistant DirectorThis workshop will address various aspects of battering intervention and prevention programs as viewed by TDCJ-CJAD staff. It will include a brief overview of the application and renewal process; case records requirements; and what is expected when confronting and holding batterers accountable for instances of denial, blaming, minimizing, justifying, and rationalizing behavior. The session will also address what the assessment needs to include and how to document it; what colluding is; CJAD evaluations of programs; and staff development. The session will end with a question and answer session.Click Here
Tue, August 19, 2025, 01:00 PM-02:30 PMOffender & Agency Accountability Through Collaboration with Criminal Justice Systems & TDCJ-CJADVan Eric Martin and Denisha ThorntonOwner of Free for Life BIPP GroupCollaboration with officers, fiscal responsibility, offender accountability, police reports vs self-report, honoring victims- seeing the offense through her experience & perspective, TDCJ-CJAD & County contract fidelity, offender retention, behavior contracts, successful completion ratios, outcome measurements- recidivism vs maintenance stage of change.Click Here
Tue, August 19, 2025, 03:00 PM-04:30 PMFlipping the Script: Confronting the Truth About Intimate Partner ViolenceKirsta MeltonFounder & Chief Executive Officer, Institute to Combat TraffickingThe only reason that someone becomes a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or trafficking is because they encountered someone who was willing to beat them, rape them, terrorize or exploit them. While “stranger danger” is a familiar catchphrase, far more of these perpetrators are acquaintances, friends or family, making the betrayal more shocking and painful. Victims often blame themselves, excusing and denying perpetrator behavior while increasing their vulnerability and isolation. This seminar will help participants flip the script by defining intimate partner violence and exposing many of the myths and misunderstandings that allow it to flourish. We will discuss its impact not only on the primary victim but on the families and children that live in its shadow. Participants will leave with greater insight and ability to identify and support victims when they encounter them in their personal and professional circles.Click Here
Tue, August 19, 2025, 03:00 PM-04:30 PMMotivational Interviewing Cultivating Change TalkMisti YoungquistTJJD-Training and Development Specialist V County Field Services, Motivational InterviewingA review and practice of evoking and responding to change talk with Motivational Interviewing skills.Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 08:30 AM-10:00 AMBridging Gaps Through Collaboration: Cultivating Resilience and Reentry SuccessKenshara Cravens & Jermone BarberOwner of The Medical Social Worker Therapy and Consulting PLLC.; staff memberThis interactive session will explore how interagency collaboration, trauma-informed practices, and strength-based engagement can be cultivated to improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Using real-world case examples, participants will learn strategies to effectively partner with behavioral health providers, community organizations, and families to support sustainable reentry and reduce recidivism. Emphasis will be placed on building trust, fostering cultural humility, and creating wraparound supports that respond to the unique needs of marginalized populations. Attendees will leave with practical tools to enhance cross-sector collaboration and cultivate a system of care that is restorative rather than punitive. Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 08:30 AM-10:00 AMThe H.E.A.R.T. of Resilience: CSCD Peer SupportLaurie Frankenfield and Aaron GodfreyMontgomery County CSCD Director; Rockwall County CSCD CSO IIJoin us to discover how peer support isn't just nice-to-have, it's a game-changer for your personal and professional well-being. We'll dive into fascinating research, dish out real-world examples from agencies just like yours, and give you the inside scoop on the amazing H.E.A.R.T. peer support program. Learn how peer support can supercharge your resilience, kick burnout to the curb, and make our profession stronger than ever from the inside out!Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMStrategic Planning: The Key to Create Win-Win CollaborationsNancy BairdPresident/CEO of Training Strategies Inc.Collaboration is defined as a partnership committed to producing an outcome greater than one developed in a silo. Successful and long-term collaboration does not usually happen by “chance.” It takes work! Strategic planning is the key to win-win collaborations. In order to develop a plan on how to get where you want to be, you must know where you are currently and understand what you (and others) want in the future. A powerful, well-executed strategic plan also eliminates stress by helping the planner know what steps are needed to achieve win-win collaborations – If you don’t know why and where you are going; you may end up at the wrong destination. This workshop will provide a strategic planning method to direct a plan of action to achieve positive long-term collaborations with both internal and external customers, to cultivate and achieve positive win-win results. The following topics will be included: • Strategic Planning: A Step-by-Step Approach • Focus on Your Strengths: The Best Guide to Long-Term Success • Where Are You Now – Realistic Evaluation of Current Status • Critical Success Factors – Setting a Target for Success • Realistic Goals for the Future – My Plan of Action for Collaboration and Win-Win Results • Increasing Success = Decreasing Stress: Focusing on Long-Term Goals Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMAssumption of Readiness Model: Understanding Probation From a Different PerspectiveEdwardo MendozaRetired Criminal Justice ProfessionalAs probation officers we see offenders as having law breaking behaviors that cause harm to victims and themselves. Therefore, an assumption is made that offenders fall in the lower scale of 1-10 wanting Change. By making this assumption we can help the offender move along the scale to a 10 by helping them take responsibility for their behavior that will have a positive change.Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 01:00 PM-02:30 PMEveryday Leadership at All LevelsKristi Davidson and Jeff GildonTDCJ-TLDD Training Director; Assistant Training DirectorLeaders coach, guide, and inspire others. Leadership knows no org chart. Being a “boss” doesn’t automatically equate to being a leader. The fallacy that one must be in a supervisory position to be a leader is alive and well. Why do so many people believe this? We encounter co-workers daily who aren’t in supervisory positions that embody leadership skills and qualities that make people want to follow them to the end of the earth. It’s time to focus on leadership at all levels. This session is dedicated to people who lead outside of the proverbial spotlight, and how to transfer those skills to develop future leaders as your box moves up the org chart.Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 03:00 PM-04:30 PMThe Dog That Didn't Bark in the Night: State v. Jon Thomas FordKirsta MeltonFounder & Chief Executive Officer, Institute to Combat TraffickingOn New Year’s Day Dana Clair Edwards’ parents found her lying dead on the floor of her guest bathroom. The autopsy revealed blunt force trauma and ligature strangulation. An investigation fraught with missteps led back to her ex-boyfriend, a seemingly mild-mannered middle-aged man from San Antonio’s tony Alamo Heights community. With no criminal history, lost evidence and no eyewitnesses, the prosecution faced a daunting challenge. Celebrity attorney Dick DeGuerin led the defense. Participants will discuss the dynamics of intimate partner violence, the ultimate exercise of control through murder, ways to mitigate or turn investigatory weaknesses into strengths, and the importance of comprehensive case strategy in circumstantial murder cases. Click Here
Wed, August 20, 2025, 03:00 PM-04:30 PMBurnout! Creating Emotionally Healthy EmployeesDr. Vanessa GuytonExecutive Trainer/Survivor Advocate for Consulting Experts & Associates LLC.A workshop designed to assist individuals in addressing their own personal journey to physical and mental health, to ensure that they are able to handle the challenges of dealing with victims and leadership. The main concept of this class is to develop a plan to establish healthy habits that prevent burnout and remove personal barriers and baggage. As well as, ensuring that they are prepared to navigate another person’s trauma journey. We all have pain, grief, or trauma to overcome. Everyone must unpack their own baggage before unpacking a someone else baggage. Click Here
Thu, August 21, 2025, 08:30 AM-10:00 AMHundred Men vs. One Gorilla. What BIPP Can Teach About This Viral DebateRoberto de FreitasFamily Resource Services Coordinator - BIPP Director 100 men versus one Gorilla. What BIPP can reveal about this viral debate. We explore the mentality behind the moment and we're diving into one of the internet's most absurd yet fascinating thought experiments. Could 100 unarmed men defeat a Silverback Gorilla? Sounds ridiculous? Maybe, but this viral meme has generated millions of views, thousands of arguments, and more than a few serious philosophical debates. Let's empty the man box, of this meme through the lens of Batterer Intervention Prevention Program (BIPP) and defense mechanisms.Click Here
Thu, August 21, 2025, 08:30 AM-10:00 AMInternal Audits: Filling in the Gap Between Training and Auditing Part IKristi Davidson & Jennifer SantanaTDCJ-TLDD Training Director; TDCJ-CJAD Field Services DirectorWhy are they doing it this way? If you’re an internal auditor, you probably ask yourself this question a lot when auditing officer caseloads. Internal auditors are tasked with assessing their department’s compliance with various policies, procedures, and CJAD Standards, as well as making recommendations for areas of improvement. It’s a monumental task that requires a keen attention to detail and a superior understanding of the information they are assessing. In this 2-part session, the Director of CJAD Field Services Section and the Director of TLDD’s Community Supervision Training Section team up to provide internal auditors more information about the training officers receive on key skills often subject to auditing, and how CJAD conducts audits based on CJAD Standards and your departmental policies. Having internal auditors at your department who understand the gap between what happens in training and when audits are conducted can provide tremendous insight as to why it often appears officers aren’t connecting the dots. If you are an internal auditor, you don’t want to miss this 2-part session. Click Here
Thu, August 21, 2025, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMInternal Audits: Filling in the Gap Between Training and Auditing Part IIKristi Davidson & Jennifer SantanaTDCJ-TLDD Training Director; TDCJ-CJAD Field Services DirectorPart II of the Internal Audits workshop is a continuation of our ongoing discussion of filling in the gaps between training and auditing.Click Here
Thu, August 21, 2025, 01:00 PM-02:30 PMUnleashing the Beast: Hidden Dangers of AIPaul PriceTexas A&M Engineering Experiment Station-CISOThe presentation will delve into the potential risks and ethical concerns associated with the rapid advancement of AI technology. It will explore how these powerful tools, while offering immense benefits, can also pose significant threats such as misinformation, data leakage, and privacy invasion. The discussion will highlight real-world examples, examine the balance between innovation and regulation, and propose strategies that help you to manage the dangers while harnessing the potential of generative AI.Click Here
Thu, August 21, 2025, 03:00 PM-04:30 PMThe Power of Work Ethic, Personal Brand and Seizing Unintended OpportunitiesDr. Rowlanda Cawthon Northwest University Dean, College of Professional StudiesIn today’s competitive landscape, work ethic goes beyond simply getting the job done. This webinar dives deep into the vital role work ethic plays in shaping your personal brand and creating unexpected opportunities for growth and success. Join us for an insightful session on how your actions, mindset, and integrity can unlock doors you didn’t even know existed. Whether you're striving to elevate your career or build lasting relationships, this session will equip you with the tools to navigate challenges and capitalize on the opportunities that come your way.Click Here