TWO WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THIS HYBRID TRAINING INSTITUTE!
APPA’s training institute delivers a comprehensive learning experience designed to support professionals across all levels of community supervision. Through a wide range of accredited workshops, focused intensive sessions, and both in-person and virtual options, attendees can tailor their experience to meet their professional development goals.
Ahead of the training institute’s opening, APPA offers intensive sessions, which are extended, four-hour trainings held on Sunday, August 16, 2026. These sessions provide participants with the opportunity to explore specific topics in greater depth and offer a more focused learning environment for those seeking to build skills and engage more deeply with key issues in the field.
What IN-PERSON attendees receive:
- Access to 80+ accredited workshops covering pretrial, probation, and parole practices
- Entry to featured plenary sessions with nationally recognized speakers
- A half-day of intensive sessions focused on specialized policies, programs, and practices
- Signature experiences, including the Community Corrections Chase (C3) and Women’s Symposium
- Structured networking opportunities designed to build lasting professional connections
- Optional tours and community service projects connected to the host city
- Full access to the Expo Hall, showcasing leading products, services, and solutions in community supervision
What VIRTUAL attendees receive:
To provide flexibility for attendees, all virtual event offerings will be available as pre-recorded sessions; live streaming options will not be offered.
- On-demand access to a curated selection of accredited workshop recordings
- Access to a virtual exhibitor area featuring products, services, and resources
- Opportunities to earn certification and continuing education credits
- Access to a bonus library of previously released webinars and workshop sessions
- Expanded digital learning including e-learning modules, micro-animated series, and masterclasses
Continuing Education Credits
APPA supports your continuing education needs!
Flexible Credit Opportunities
Whether attending in-person or virtually, participants can earn certificates of attendance, APPA Contact Hours, and continuing education credits to support your professional development.
- In-person attendees receive full access to both on-site sessions and virtual on-demand content, expanding opportunities to earn credits across multiple formats
- Virtual attendees can engage with pre-recorded and on-demand sessions, allowing for flexible participation while still earning continuing education credits
The American Probation and Parole Association is committed to supporting professional and personal growth through a wide range of educational offerings. Our training institutes feature workshops, symposiums, and other educational sessions designed to help individuals build customized learning paths. Most sessions have been approved for credit hours. Continuing education is available through APPA contact hours, as well as partnerships with the Ohio Chief Probation Officers Association and California’s Board of State and Community Corrections.
Join us this summer in Chicago for a comprehensive learning experience designed to support professionals across community supervision. Whether participating in person or virtually, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with field leaders, gain practical knowledge, and connect with peers working to advance community corrections.
*To register by Email, Mail, or Fax, download registration form. (Required for PO Payments)
MONDAY PLENARY
Monday, August 17 | 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Iason Nachkebia
Iason Nachkebia is the Head of the Analytical Department at the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Execution of Non-Custodial Sentences and Probation under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. In his current role, Iason oversees the agency’s research and analytics, policy and capacity development, and international relations. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Expert Group on Technology at the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) and since 2025, a member of the International Relations Committee of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). Before joining the agency in 2021, Iason held managerial positions in the Strategic Communications Department of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. He is a graduate of Tbilisi State University, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Dr. Ioan Durnescu
Dr. Ioan Durnescu is a professor at the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, where he engages in the teaching and research of probation, prison reform, and deradicalization. His academic interests are deeply rooted in the comparative study of probation systems, the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals, and the development of effective interventions with justice-involved persons.
Julie Truschel
Julie Truschel, CEO/Founder of Supervision Around the World (SAW) Project leads the SAW Project , which connects and documents community supervision and restorative programs across continents. Her research highlights practical models of Compassionate Justice, bridging global innovation with frontline practice. She also chairs the International Relations Committee of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA).
What Travels Well in Probation? Global Lessons, Practical Ideas & Transformative Practices
As community supervision agencies across the world navigate increasingly complex challenges, opportunities continue to emerge through global collaboration, shared learning, and the exchange of practical ideas across borders.
This APPA international plenary brings together probation and parole leaders from multiple countries for an engaging moderated conversation exploring the innovative practices, leadership philosophies, and day-to-day approaches shaping community supervision efforts around the globe. Moderated by Julie Truschel, CEO and Founder of the Supervision Around the World Project, the discussion will focus on practical lessons and transformative ideas that may “travel well” across agencies, cultures, and systems.
Through candid discussion and storytelling, panelists will explore topics such as officer wellness, staff development, rehabilitation initiatives, organizational culture, compassionate justice, morale-building, and the realities of supporting both professionals and justice-involved individuals in evolving correctional environments.
Designed to be interactive, practical, and thought-provoking, attendees will leave with fresh perspectives, actionable ideas, and a renewed appreciation for the shared mission connecting community supervision professionals worldwide.
APPA's 2026 Women's Symposium
Sustainable Leadership – Empowered Women, Balanced Lives, Stronger Communities
Monday, August 17 | 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM
The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) invites female community corrections professionals to be part of an inspiring and empowering experience at the 5th Annual Women’s Symposium, a special one-day event to be held during the 51st Training Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Designed to bring together like-minded women in community corrections, this free, dynamic symposium will help participants visualize their full leadership potential; develop practical strategies for maintaining a healthy work-life balance; and assess their career paths while creating realistic plans for future personal and professional growth.
Space is limited to just 100 attendees, so mark your calendar to join a powerful network of career-driven women, engage in meaningful presentations, and gain valuable insights on expanding your professional network, strengthening communication skills so your voice is heard and respected, mapping out career mobility, and developing a personalized leadership action plan. Attend the symposium dressed in PURPLE (optional) because, as you know, purple is a symbol of wisdom, power, creativity, and spirituality. Come to the symposium to engage in introspection; leave reinvigorated, inspired, and equipped with strategies to pursue your goals and embrace the limitless possibilities ahead.
Pre-registration is required.
Juvenile Justice
A Transformative Moment for Youth Justice: Perceptions, Practice and Responses to Guns
Tuesday, August 18 | 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Hosted by:
This day-long session will bring together youth justice leaders, probation professionals and system partners to examine the current national landscape of youth justice, challenge common perceptions and misperceptions about youth crime and violence, and explore the practices and system responses that are producing positive outcomes for young people and communities.
Across the country, youth justice systems are operating at a pivotal moment. Public concerns about youth crime and gun violence have intensified, often outpacing what local and national data show. At the same time, many jurisdictions are grappling with difficult questions about how best to respond to young people who carry firearms, how those responses should differ when a firearm is used to threaten or harm others, and what strategies are most effective in reducing violence while promoting positive youth development and community safety.
Throughout the day, participants will engage with data, research and real-world examples that illuminate the distinction between youth gun possession and youth gun use, the factors that drive firearm carrying among young people, and the ways local systems are responding through diversion, prosecution, probation supervision, detention, community-based interventions and specialized programming. Participants will examine how different jurisdictions balance accountability, public safety and adolescent development, and consider what emerging evidence suggests about which approaches are most effective.
The session will also highlight innovative local practices and supports designed to reduce firearm carrying and violence among youth, including violence interruption initiatives, credible messenger programs, cognitive behavioral interventions, intensive mentoring, family-centered services, and other community-based strategies. Participants will have opportunities to learn from jurisdictions that are successfully implementing these approaches and to reflect on how similar strategies might be adapted within their own communities.
Through interactive discussions, peer learning and practical tools, participants will explore how data can help shift public narratives, how local systems can strengthen probation and supervision practices, and how communities can move beyond solely punitive responses toward approaches that improve outcomes for youth while enhancing public safety. The goal is to equip participants with a deeper understanding of current trends, a clearer picture of what is working across the country, and actionable ideas for transforming policy and practice in their own jurisdictions.
Pre-registration is required.
Stepping Up for Youth: Making an Impact on the Intersection of Juvenile Justice and Behavioral Health
Hosted by:
Nationally, 7 out of 10 youth in detention have a diagnosable mental health condition, compared to only 2 out of 10 youth in the general population. This disparity highlights the role that unmet behavioral health needs play in juvenile justice involvement and signals an urgent need for systems to act.
Stepping Up for Youth helps state and local leaders identify, implement, and expand policies and best practices to safely reduce detention and increase connections to care for young people with serious behavioral health needs who are at risk of being or are in the juvenile justice system.
Through a targeted track at APPA’s Summer Institute, we’ll showcase how this cross-systems approach can improve outcomes for youth and enhance community safety. We invite cross-systems teams to attend this track, including stakeholders from juvenile justice, behavioral health, child welfare, education, and other youth-serving systems.
Presenters:
- Dr. Megan Davidson, Program Director, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center
- Stephanie Ueberall, Deputy Program Director, Corrections and Reentry, CSG Justice Center
- Felicia Lopez-Wright, Project Manager, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center
- Clay McCarter, Director of Special Projects/Early Intervention, Kansas Department of Corrections
- TBD additional panelists
Pre-registration is required.
Part One
Stepping Up for Youth: Defining the Problem and Building a Response
Youth nationwide are facing mental health, education, public safety, and community violence challenges, while public systems struggle to address their needs. At the same time, growing concerns about youth crime and violence have prompted calls for punitive responses, despite research showing that youth with behavioral health needs are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, and detention and incarceration are often ineffective public safety strategies.
In this session, we’ll outline evidence-based approaches that address youth’s needs effectively in the community while strengthening public safety. Participants will learn how we’ve adapted an adult-focused behavioral health jail diversion model, Stepping Up, for youth and explore key questions jurisdictions can use to strengthen cross-system solutions for youth.
Part Two
Stepping Up for Youth: Solutions in Action
In this session, participants will learn how Kansas identified, implemented, and expanded best practices for improving community-based services, cross-system collaboration, the efficient use of resources, and outcomes for youth with behavioral health needs who experience the juvenile justice system at the state and local levels. State and local leaders will share their experiences, lessons learned, and where they’re headed in their Stepping Up for Youth work. Participants will have dedicated time to identify opportunities for improved cross-system collaboration within their jurisdiction, including outlining when detention is used, what alternatives exist, and how systems collaborate to plan and implement comprehensive approaches to address youth’s risks and needs.
Part Three
Stepping Up for Youth: Implementation Insights
The CSG Justice Center has led Stepping Up—an initiative to address the behavioral health needs of people cycling through jail—for more than a decade in partnership with the National Association of Counties and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. In that time, Stepping Up has been implemented in 583 counties across 45 states. In this session, CSG Justice Center staff will share implementation lessons learned, prerequisites to success, and critical steps for getting this work off the ground for youth and adults. Participants will have time to discuss and plan how to navigate and advance a cross-systems approach that responds to youth’s needs across a continuum of care and safely reduces the use of detention.
Special Documentary Screening
Being Michelle: What is the Basic Human Right to Communication for Deaf, Deaf+, and Disabled People in Our Social and Criminal Justice Systems?
Learn More About Being Michelle
Synopsis: A deaf woman with autism who survived incarceration uses her artwork todepict the trauma she endured and heal from her past.
Runtime: 80 min documentary film
Learning points:
- The basic human right to communication is often denied Deaf, Deaf+ and Disabled individuals in social and criminal justice systems.
- Deaf and Disabled people need timely, individualized communication access at every stage of a system, not just a generic accommodation.
- Miscommunication can be life-altering and can lead to wrongful assumptions, trauma, isolation, and unjust outcomes.
- Systems need to be trauma-informed and intersectional, recognizing that disability, communication, race, gender, and past trauma can compound risk.
Screening Time:
- Screening #1: 12:30 PM – 01:50 PM
- Screening #2: 02:00 PM – 03:20 PM
- Screening #3: 03:30 PM – 04:50 PM
Producer
MAE THORNTON MEHRA
Producer, Being Michelle
MAE THORNTON MEHRA has been producing social justice and impact driven films with her husband and filmmaker, Atin Mehra at Orange Kite Productions for over 15 years. She prides herself on openly creative collaborations between film participants and diverse production teams as she believes that impact begins within the filmmaking process itself. In 2020, Mae and Atin co-founded the nonprofit Thriving Roots Initiative to further their work of social impact documentary filmmaking. Mae is Producer on BEING MICHELLE (2022), a documentary film that is helping to change the way Deaf and Disabled people are treated in criminal justice systems in the US and globally.
While BEING MICHELLE raises many pertinent issues faced both by Michelle and a large population in the US and globally, our team is passionate about specifically using the film to help ensure the basic human Right to Communication for Deaf and Disabled people in social and criminal justice systems.
Judicial Roundtable
Tuesday, August 18 | 12:30 PM - 03:30 PM
During the training institute, APPA will host a Judicial Roundtable. This no-cost roundtable is a unique and highly valuable forum designed exclusively for members of the judiciary. It offers a rare opportunity to directly engage with judicial peers from across the country in meaningful dialogue about emerging issues, practical challenges, and the evolving responsibilities shaping today’s justice system. Convened as part of APPA’s Annual Training Institute, this session fosters a collaborative environment where judges can exchange perspectives and deepen their understanding of the judiciary’s pivotal role in community supervision and successful reentry.
Through facilitated discussion participants will examine critical topics related to judicial engagement with probation and parole systems. The roundtable places particular emphasis on developing realistic and effective supervision conditions while balancing accountability with strategies that promote long-term stability and success. These conversations are candid, solutions-oriented, and relevant to the day-to-day decisions judges make on the bench.
Judges who attend consistently report leaving with practical insights, strengthened professional networks, and renewed perspective on how collaborative approaches can enhance public safety while improving outcomes for individuals under supervision. Your voice and experience would be an important addition to this dialogue.
● Exclusive Peer Network: Connect directly with fellow judges from across the country in an environment designed strictly for the judiciary.
● Candid Solutions: Participate in unscripted, solutions-oriented discussions regarding the real-world challenges you face daily on the bench.
● Actionable Insights: Walk away with practical strategies to design realistic supervision conditions that balance strict accountability with long-term stability.
● Enhance Public Safety: Discover how innovative, collaborative community supervision strategies directly improve regional reentry outcomes.
● Zero Cost: Benefit from a highly valuable, elite educational forum offered at no registration cost to members of the judiciary.
Community Corrections Chase (C3)
Tuesday, August 18 | 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Sponsored By:
APPA’s interactive learning experience, the Community Corrections Chase (C3), is back with another rewarding and competitive challenge for training institute attendees!
It is a take on the popular CBS show, The Amazing Race, where contestants “race” to win a cash prize. In our competition, community corrections/supervision professionals will team-up to “chase” knowledge about practices, theories, and policies that increase understanding of this industry, while learning about Chicago and its important role in the history of Community Corrections.
- Participants should wear comfortable clothes and sneakers.
- Registration for the training institute is required.
- To sign up, add Community Corrections Chase (C3) to your registration or contact Corrie Ash at corrie.ash@csg.org.
University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute Pop-up Sessions
UCCI’s mission is to research, develop, disseminate, and implement evidence-based practices in corrections.
Session One | Monday, August 17 | 11:50 AM – 12:10 PM
Belief in Change: What Our Everyday Actions Communicate
With Dr. Mindy Smith, Executive Director, and Jen Scott, Director of Innovation and Outreach, from UCCI
Big Idea
Everyday words and actions communicate a belief in the possibility of change.
Description
What do our interactions signal about people, power, and possibility? This pop-up invites correctional professionals to examine how everyday words and actions communicate belief—or doubt—in the capacity for change. Through shared real-world examples, we’ll explore how aligning mindset, organizational conditions, and evidence based practice can strengthen impact, support growth for staff and clients, and advance safer, more effective systems. A belief in change carries real power, and how we exercise it—especially in ordinary moments—shapes whether learning and change are possible.
Pre-work QR code/link
Agenda
– Share results of the survey
– Share a couple quick case studies
– Invite the group to share their case studies
Take away
A belief in change is a powerful tool, and aligning mindsets with this power can start to impact the work tomorrow.
Session Two | Tuesday, August 18 | 12:20 PM – 12:40 PM
From Belief to Practice: Creating Learning Environments Where EBPs Work
With Dr. Mindy Smith, Executive Director, and Jen Scott, Director of Innovation and Outreach, from UCCI
Big Idea
Evidence‑based practices only work when the environment supports learning, practice, feedback, and adjustment.
Description
Change is not just an individual act—it’s an environmental one. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are often introduced as tools for staff to implement and clients to complete and/or comply with. When implementing EBPs, it can be easy to overlook conditions needed for people to learn, practice, and improve. Without these conditions, even the strongest tools will lose their impact. This popup invites professionals to reframe EBPs not as tools or techniques alone, but as practices that require bringing life through words and actions a belief that people can change. Together, we’ll explore how everyday environmental signals—such as consistency, psychological safety, feedback, and responses to mistakes—either support or undermine the use of evidence-based practices and change. Through real-world examples and brief reflection, the session highlights how belief in change must be embedded in the environment for EBPs to move beyond checklists and into meaningful practice. From here, we can begin to understand how learning conditions grounded in a belief in change make evidence-based practice possible, sustainable, and real.
Agenda
– Value in aligning mindset with belief that people can change
– EBP–Environment Bridge (psychological safety, consistency & predictability, feedback that teaches, response to mistakes)
– Activity: Same EBP, two environments
– Reflect on which environment encourages greater impact
Take away
The power of belief in change shapes meaningful learning environments required for evidence-based practices to work.
First Time Attendees Networking Event
Sunday, August 16 | 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
New to APPA training institutes or APPA in general? You are in good company at the First-Time Attendees Networking Event. Connect with other first-time attendees, learn more about APPA, and engage in a relaxed environment. Light refreshments will be provided.
HEALTHY WALKING CHALLENGES
Monday, August 17 & Tuesday, August 18
Grab a friend and participate in the Healthy Walking Challenges during non-training institute hours on Monday and Tuesday in Chicago! Hit your stride – push yourself to reap the many health benefits of walking. Walking can help you maintain a healthy weight by burning calories and toning and strengthening muscles; increase cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness; reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke; improve management of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes; and build stronger bones and improve balance.
Come on – embrace your fitness through walking – aim to walk a mile in 30 minutes!
30-Minute Mile Instructions
- Challenges will take place on:
- Monday, August 17th at 6:30 am
- Tuesday, August 18th at 6:30 am
- Tuesday, August 18th at 12:15 pm
- Fifteen minutes prior to start time, meet APPA’s Project Coordinator, Delores Johnson, at the Local Host Table to pick up the walking route instructions.
- Use your electronic device to monitor your distance and time.
- Within 45 minutes of the start time, return to the Local Host Table to verify your accomplishment and claim your achievement medal.
5TH Career and Resource Fair for Justice-Involved Individuals
Wednesday, August 19 | 09:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Co-Host
The American Probation and Parole Association and Honest Jobs are proud to host the Fifth Career & Resource Fair for Justice-Involved Individuals. Employers and community-based service providers are invited to participate in this impactful, no-cost event.
Sponsored By:
Employers - If your organization is open to hiring individuals with criminal records, you are invited to reserve a complimentary recruitment table at the fair. This event provides an opportunity to connect with motivated, job-ready candidates from across the Chicago area. Many of the justice-involved individuals attending are already participating in job training, mentoring, counseling, and workforce development programs, helping to reduce onboarding time and training costs. Research shows that individuals given a second chance often become highly committed, reliable, and productive employees. Hiring justice-involved individuals is not only a socially responsible decision, but also a strategic one that can strengthen employee retention, support community stability, and contribute to long-term organizational success. Access to meaningful employment is a critical factor in successful reentry, and these candidates bring valuable skills, determination, and resilience to the workforce.
Community-based Service Providers - APPA welcomes community-based organizations that provide supportive services—such as housing assistance, job training, substance use treatment, veteran services, education programs, and other reentry resources—to participate in this no-cost career and resource fair. This event offers an opportunity to connect directly with justice-involved individuals seeking services that support their successful reentry. Access to housing, healthcare, employment support, and workforce training plays a critical role in helping individuals achieve long-term stability. By participating, your organization can help connect individuals with the resources they need to rebuild their lives and move toward stable employment and greater opportunities.
If you are interested in connecting with pre-screened Chicago-area individuals currently on probation or parole who are prepared to work and rebuild their lives, this event is for you. To reserve your spot, please contact APPA’s Project Coordinator, Delores Johnson, at djohnson@csg.org.
Join us in creating opportunities that strengthen businesses, support successful reentry, and build safer, more resilient communities.
Cancellation Policy
- In-Person: A full refund, less a $50 processing fee, is available until June 1, 2026. No refunds will be issued after June 1, 2026. To receive a refund, written requests must be sent to the APPA training institute, in care of The Council of State Governments, 1776 Avenue of the States, Lexington, KY 40511, or by emailed to Corrie Ash. All requests for refunds must be postmarked or emailed by June 1, 2026. Registrants with an outstanding balance as of this date are still responsible for payment in full. Registrants with any outstanding invoices or unpaid balances must remit full payment prior to check-in; failure to do so will result in denial of entry to the training institute. Substitutions may be made at no additional charge.
- Virtual: Due to the cost of the virtual training institute platform, no refunds will be issued.
- Exhibitors: For booths cancelled in writing by June 24, 2026, 50% of the full payment may be refunded. After June 24, 2026, no refunds will be issued, and previously paid amounts will not be applied to any future APPA exhibit shows or other marketing opportunities. Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email to: Darlene Webb, APPA's Director of Operations.
PREMIER PLATINUM SPONSOR
RIVER NORTH SPONSORS
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS CHASE SPONSOR
CAREER AND RESOURCE FAIR SPONSOR
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE SPONSORS
Contributing Sponsors
Journal Technologies - WiFi, Expo Hall Bingo | Lifelab Studio - Expo Hall Bingo | North American Learning Institute - Expo Hall Bingo | Securus Monitoring - Expo Hall Bingo | Smart Start - Lanyards | Tyler Technologies - Expo Hall Bingo
Also, special thanks goes to our Corporate Members!