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. Two pillars anchor the initiative. One is an allegiance to data and evidence; the second is a commitment to viewing criminal justice challenges through shared principles that enable people of different perspectives to find common ground on measures that strengthen public safety, protect due process, and promote equity.
Centering Justice is led by two CCJ staff members – Director of Strategic Partnerships Khalil A. Cumberbatch and Chief Policy Counsel Marc Levin. Through writings, interactive events, partnerships, and other means, the duo strives to bring light rather than heat to some of the most vexing issues of our time, from the evolving role of policing to sentencing, incarceration, and racial disparities.
Building Common Ground
Safety. Fairness. Dignity. Accountability. This set of four bipartisan principles for criminal justice policy, each with brief defining language, was signed in January 2025 by 14 national advocacy organizations that span the ideological spectrum, from the Conservative Political Action Conference and the American Legislative Exchange Council on the right to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights on the left.
CCJ was honored to facilitate the extensive discussions that produced this statement of shared values, in partnership with the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and with the sponsorship of The Just Trust.
Our Work
Event Recording: Executive Power — Exploring Clemency and Pardons
Event Recording: Beyond Borders – A Conversation About Immigration and Crime
Event Recording: Exploring the Relationship Between Housing and Crime
First Step Act Implementation and Beyond – A Conversation with Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters
Event Recording: The First Step Act – From Idea to Implementation
Event Recording: Pretrial Justice, Sentencing and Corrections—Finding Common Ground in State Capitals
On May 15, the leaders of the Council on Criminal Justice Centering Justice initiative – Khalil Cumberbatch and Marc Levin – led a discussion exploring bipartisan cooperation on pretrial justice, sentencing, and corrections with three experts from the field: Insha
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Critical Race Query
About the Founders
Khalil A. Cumberbatch
Director, Engagement and Partnerships
Marc Levin
Chief Policy Counsel
About The Art
The banner design was created by an adult in custody designer in the Oregon Corrections Enterprises (OCE) Graphic Design program. The mission of OCE, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Corrections, is to promote public safety by providing adults in custody with work and training opportunities in a self-sustaining organization.