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Stronger Together: Intentional Collaboration and Successful Outcomes
SESSION INFO
Monday, August 17, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Session Type: Workshop
In 2021, Indiana enacted legislation requiring all 92 counties to establish a local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC), creating a statewide framework for structured stakeholder collaboration. This workshop explores how intentional collaboration—designed with clear purpose, defined roles, and shared accountability—can improve justice system outcomes across diverse jurisdictions. Participants will examine how deliberately forming multidisciplinary teams with balanced representation and consistent engagement strengthens decision-making and promotes alignment across agencies. The session will highlight how these collaborative approaches lead to more effective use of resources, increased reliance on data and evidence-based practices, and measurable reductions in recidivism. Drawing on real-world examples from Indiana counties, participants will see how intentional collaboration drives system-wide improvements. Attendees will leave with an achievable framework and actionable strategies to build or refine collaborative structures that produce meaningful, sustainable, and measurable results in their own jurisdictions.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Troy Hatfield
Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Troy Hatfield is a Senior Manager at CEPP, where he serves as a substantive expert, trainer, and technical assistance provider on probation supervision issues. Mr. Hatfield also develops new resources for community supervision practitioners. Mr. Hatfield previously worked in the criminal justice field for over 25 years, beginning his career as a juvenile probation officer. He served as the Deputy Chief Probation Officer for the Monroe Circuit Court Probation Department for more than 15 years, overseeing adult and juvenile probation and the court alcohol and drug program. He also helped to create a legal and evidence-based pretrial services program and spearheaded the activities for the Reducing Revocations Challenge for the jurisdiction, facilitating data collection and developing policy and practice. He served as an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University, teaching a course on probation and parole. Mr. Hatfield holds a BA in criminal justice and psychology from Indiana University and an MS in criminology from Indiana State University.
Denise Symdon
Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Denise Symdon is a Senior Manager at CEPP, where her primary area of expertise is assisting probation and parole agencies to incorporate system changes that are evidence-based or research-informed. Prior to joining CEPP, Ms. Symdon worked in the criminal justice field in Wisconsin for over 34 years, where she held a variety of positions, including Administrator at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WI DOC), Division of Community Corrections; Assistant Administrator at the Division of Adult Institutions; and Regional Chief at the Division of Community Corrections. She served on the Wisconsin Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) State Team and co-chaired their Behavior Management Workgroup. Through her work with WI DOC, Ms. Symdon was a champion of incorporating evidence-based and research-informed practices to improve the outcomes of probation and parole supervision. Ms. Symdon received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in social work and behavioral science and law.
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