How big is the footprint of the criminal justice system, and how has it changed over time?

This new resource is a one-stop shop tracing decades-long changes in crime and victimization, arrests, incarceration, and community supervision.

Alternatives to Prosecution and Incarceration for Justice-Involved Veterans: A Model Policy Framework 

This policy roadmap encourages jurisdictions to expand alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for veterans and allow those whose cases are diverted to pursue record expungement.

First Step Act

This analysis estimates recidivism rates among individuals released from federal prison prior to the FSA who had similar risk profiles and were tracked for similar periods of time as those released under the Act.

Crime Trends in U.S. Cities:
Mid-Year 2023 Update

Homicide and most other violent crimes declined in U.S. cities in the first half of 2023, but remained above pre-pandemic levels. Motor vehicle thefts continued to rise.

How Long is Long Enough?

CCJ Task Force on Long Sentences produces their final report, consisting of 14 recommendations that outline steps to focus resources on violence prevention and victim restoration.

Honoring Service, Advancing Safety: Supporting Veterans From Arrest Through Sentencing

CCJ commission calls for better identification of veterans at the front end of the justice system, increased diversion of veterans away from incarceration, and a national center to advance research and coordinate support

2022 Annual Report

Crime trends, long prison sentences, racial disparities, policing, veterans in the justice system, Medicaid for incarcerated people, community violence reduction - we were busy last year.

Black-White National Imprisonment Trends,
2000 to 2020

A new report advancing earlier CCJ research examines 2000-2020 trends in racial disparities within the U.S. criminal justice system.

Centering Justice

Centering Justice is a collaborative project engaging a diverse range of the nation’s top thinkers and doers in an ongoing, ideologically vibrant conversation about criminal justice policy.

Grounding Criminal Justice Policy in Facts and Evidence

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Ganesha

"Once anybody touches, particularly people of color, our criminal justice system, it's almost like a fly trap, and it's very hard to extricate yourself if you do not have connections and finances ... [This cycle] prevents you from being a productive member of society in a lot of different ways."

Ganesha Martin
President & CEO, G.M.M. Consulting, LLC
VP of Public Policy and Community Affairs, Mark43
jkorzenik

"It is hard to find anything that can more positively impact our communities than opening up gateways of opportunity for people who have had interaction with the justice system."

Jeffrey Korzenik
Managing Director, Chief Investment Strategist
Firth Third Bank
1200px-Pulitzer2018-james-forman-jr-20180530-wp

“I feel like particularly when we’re talking about the criminal justice system, we’re at a stage where a lot of the problems have been very well defined … But I think the challenge that we face in the country is building up a set of alternatives, what to do instead. If we’re not going to rely as much on police and prosecutors and prisons … then what are we going to build up in its place?”

James Forman, Jr.
Professor, Yale Law School
Faculty Director, Yale Law and Racial Justice Center
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Suicide Among Justice-Involved Veterans: Understanding Risk and Meeting Needs

This brief examines that association by exploring current research on the overlapping risk factors for veteran suicide and justice system involvement, as well as some unique effects that criminal justice contact may have on veteran suicide.
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CCJ Unveils New Interactive Resource on Key Criminal Justice Trends

This new resource is a one-stop shop tracing decades-long changes in crime and victimization, arrests, incarceration, and community supervision.
Read More

Alternatives to Prosecution and Incarceration for Justice-Involved Veterans: A Model Policy Framework

Veterans encountering the criminal justice system confront a patchwork of interventions designed to help them, but many fall through the cracks. This policy roadmap encourages jurisdictions to expand alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for veterans and allow those whose cases are diverted to pursue record expungement.
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UpClose with Tina Nadeau

This month’s member spotlight features Tina Nadeau. Tina Nadeau was appointed Associate Justice to the New Hampshire Superior Court in 1996, and in 2011, was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court. Justice Nadeau received a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1985, and she received her law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 1989. 
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New CCJ Analysis Estimates First Step Act Releases Have Lower Recidivism Rates, Arrests

People released under the First Step Act (FSA) are estimated to have lower recidivism rates and fewer arrests than similarly situated people released from federal prison prior to the Act’s implementation, according to a new analysis released today by the Council on Criminal Justice.
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First Step Act: An Early Analysis of Recidivism

This analysis estimates recidivism rates among individuals released from BOP prior to the FSA who had similar risk profiles and were tracked for similar periods of time as those released under the FSA.
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