Engage lived-experience experts as County consultants

Lead agency: Public Safety Executive Office

Summary of planned action: 

Work with Department of Purchasing and Contracting (DPC) to develop contracts to engage with and compensate individuals with lived justice system experience to provide input and guidance into service design and implementation of new ATI programs.  

Actions taken: 

  • The first option period was exercised and the contract amended to ensure equitable compensation for individuals with lived justice experience who provide input and guide the design and implementation of services supporting justice-involved populations. The amendment enabled the contractor to address administrative requirements, employ 7 consultants, and facilitate consultant mentoring sessions for current and future work plan programs.

  • Seven consultants provided expertise across multiple County health and justice programs, including a justice-involved peer workforce event, reentry initiative and transportation programs. The consultants served partner departments such as the Sheriff's Office, Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics, Health and Human Services Agency, and the Public Safety Executive Office, delivering over 231 consulting hours.

  • The consultants brought extensive knowledge from their lived experiences with homelessness, serious mental illness, substance use and incarceration. They transformed these experiences with courage and professionalism into stories of resilience, using their authentic insights to inform County program design and implementation. 

  • A notable example of their impact is an innovative Medi-Cal Transformation video that will be shown to male and female incarcerated individuals. The video was produced in English and Spanish and will be shown across multiple detention facilities. The video promotes new Medi -Cal services in relatable terms, helping incarcerated individuals understand and access healthcare services upon release.

  • The contract served as a career development opportunity for the consultants who contributed as subject matter experts for a variety of County products including pamphlets, scripts, on screen talent for videos, reports, websites, speaking engagements, panels and event planning. Their insights shaped program design and helped County programs be informed by the perspectives of those they serve.

Next steps: 

  • Public Safety Executive Office is assessing the pilot's performance to determine next steps for the contract, including consultant utilization, their impact on County projects, and the best approach for employing and compensating experts with lived justice-system experience.