Rural Judges and Sheriffs Roundtable: Advancing Justice Strategies in Rural America

contact@reachingruralresources.org

The The Institute for Intergovernmental Research, in collaboration with the State Justice Institute (SJI), is offering a 2-day in-person roundtable event for judge and sheriff pairs serving the same rural jurisdiction. Participants will examine the interconnected roles of the rural judge and sheriff, especially as they are related to the unique challenges facing rural communities at the intersection of justice and behavioral health.

The event will include facilitated discussions, small group exercises, panel conversations, presentations by subject-matter experts, and targeted action planning, covering issues that rural justice systems face, such as:

• Legal deserts
• Mental health and substance use crises in rural America
• Provider shortages
• Rural judge-sheriff partnership

The event will be held December 8-9, 2026 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Eligibility criteria for judge/sheriff pairs:

• Represent a rural community as defined by the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
• Include a judge and sheriff from the jurisdiction who will be actively serving in their roles at the time of the event

Communities may also choose to bring a third team member, at their own expense, who works closely with the judge and sheriff and is involved in local decision-making.

Selected recipients will receive travel scholarships for a judge and sheriff to participate in the roundtable session, as well as any additional travel days required. Travel scholarships will cover airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and daily meals per diem. Participants will be reimbursed following the event after completion of required documentation.

Ten judge and sheriff pairs will be selected.

A link to the online application form is available on the program website.

The application deadline has been extended to October 23, 2026.