Every major reform is a hard-fought win, but if your goal is genuine system-change, getting your policy passed is only the beginning of your fight. With the help of a range of seasoned policy campaigners and real-world examples, our guide highlights the elements of strong, sustainable implementation, helping ensure your policy translates into lasting change on the ground.
The criminal legal system has a well-documented history of racial disparities and mistreatment of minoritized racial and ethnic groups. Treatment courts are a part of this same system and unfortunately, have not been exempt from racial and ethnic disparities in its programs. American University and the Center for Justice Innovation collaborated to assist treatment courts in several states in tackling racial and ethnic disparities.
This guide on Risk-Need-Responsivity: Response Recommendations for Community Courts provides best practices for court practitioners in alignment with evidence-based RNR findings, including advice on incentives and sanctions and a response matrix template.
In partnership with the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, this study looks at the potential for offering meaningful alternatives to traditional prosecution for people accused of felony offenses in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, laying out key aspects of planning a successful diversion program.
In a system rife with economic and racial disparities and swollen jail populations, could public defenders be the answer hiding in plain sight? Following a roundtable hosted by the Center for Justice Innovation on the sixtieth anniversary of the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright decision, this policy brief explores key areas where public defenders and jurisdictions are—despite their limited resources—working to make the promise of Gideon a reality.
After sweeping reforms to New Jersey’s criminal justice system, Newark Community Solutions joined local criminal justice practitioners and launched a pilot program in Essex County to bring supportive services to people with mental health needs awaiting trial in the community. This report gathers lessons and recommendations gleaned from Newark Community Solutions’ experience providing assessment and case management services within this pilot program.
Problem-solving courts can help create lasting public safety by addressing the underlying challenges that bring people into the system, but their success depends on their ability to build partnerships with local service providers and community organizations. This two-part resource for community courts includes guidance and best practices for developing strong relationships with local resource providers. It also includes a comprehensive spreadsheet to help courts maintain a robust offering of resources for the people they serve.
With the United States incarcerating more people than any other country in the world, there is a growing demand for less costly and more humane strategies to respond to crime and keep communities safe. In partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America and the Center for Justice Innovation, this overview of criminal justice reform in the United States, walks through a broad continuum of public safety and criminal justice reforms.
Margaret’s Place, a school-based initiative intended to provide trauma-informed programming, successfully reached and engaged students and provided comprehensive programing. The program was funded by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office across three school years (2018-19 to 2021-22) in two New York City public schools. The Center for Justice Innovation conducted a comprehensive study documenting the program model and implementation and outlining recommendations for program enhancement and potential expansion.
We talk of “second chances,” but rarely do we recognize that many of the millions of people returning from jail and prison each year never got a first one. This policy brief outlines a new vision for reentry focused on the social integration due to returning citizens. That starts with two priorities: immediate access to housing and to trauma-informed therapy.